The majority of my Summer break was spent getting out and experiencing the great outdoors. My friend Jeff was on his Summer break as well, so we decided to kick it off with a ride through the foothills.
Northern California has plenty of great spots to ride. Jeff and I rode from Folsom Lake, up Auburn Folsom through Pilot Hill and Coloma.
We made a pit stop in Coloma to cool off by the water and check for messages on your phone, of course.
On our way back to our launch point, the bike I was riding decided to stop working… womp womp. I stayed with the bike while Jeff rode back to the truck to get me and “old yeller.” Despite the facial expression, it was a blessing in disguise as it was at the tail end of the day, I had some shade, and it gave me a moment to take pause and decompress. It was a great start to the vacation! No sarcasm.
Another day during our Summer break was spent tagging along with our friends and paranormal investigators Melissa & Brent from SPIRIT (sacspirit.com). Doesn’t this picture of myself and Mrs Brandon look spoooooooky?
There is a pyramid tomb in the Sacramento region that has been a place of interest for the SPIRIT team, and we had the privilege to tag along as they scouted out the area with various meters, cameras, and intuitive readings to see if this would be a viable location for a future investigation.
Needless to say, there was A LOT of activity and validating evidence that someone or something was willing to communicate.
Did you hear that?
I ain’t afraid of no ghosts.
There is no doubt that this place had a very ominous yet welcoming vibe to it. Some groups have used this place to practice dark magic and rituals. Fortunately, the positive energy is abundant.
The dead tree in this photo once had a cross hanging upside down nailed to it, and it is said that this tree was struck by lightning, rendering it lifeless while everything around was lush and green.
Camp is set! Mrs Brandon and I went to a campground far enough off the grid where there was no reception or noise other than the river flowing and the wind blowing. Serenity for a few days.
Our German shepherd Opie and Harry the wire-haired standard dachshund were along for the ride. It was also their first camping trip!
Our co-campers were our friends Jeff and Andrea (from Waggin’ Tales Doggy Day Care). Jeff had the bright idea to go ride mountain bikes in the high elevation. The downhill parts were great! Mrs Brandon picked us up after the 7 mile ride, and Andrea is the smart one taking the photo.
Our campsite was in close proximity to some beautiful fishing and/or swimming holes. Opie was in heaven!
Pictured here is a series of events that led to Jeff, my wife and me walking across a giant log over a rapid in the river.
Without needing much convincing, Mrs Brandon has convinced us to take a walk.
That previous caption was for all of you Ren & Stimpy fans out there.
Daredevils in action.
She is the queen of the wood!
This is actually me walking on a twig. I’m only 2′ tall in real life.
Harry is leading the pack!
Hot dogs and hamburgers by the camp fire, and dogs waiting for the camp scraps to fly off my plate.
After 2 nights of camping, we hit the road for Idaho! There was a lot of this on the trip… Stop! Let me take a picture of that!
Like this fine photo, displaying a Tahoe Blue Vodka Home Cocktail Kit that we picked up at our local Nugget Marketplace to bring along with us.
Alongside it is the RAD cooler from the Maggot Mall at maggotmall.com
And this! What a great shot of Mrs Brandon getting in or out of the vehicle.
It was a perfect day! There was hardly a crowd. Everyone kept their distance, and almost any direction you looked, you could see a rainbow in the mist.
See? A rainbow!
Enjoying the wonders of nature… and the Shoshone Falls. 😉
Another RAINBOWWWWWW!
Hey! Get out of the way of the RAINBOW! Have you no PRIDE?!
RAINBOWWWWWW!
Shameless selfie.
Tired of the waterfalls yet?
Tired of shameless selfies yet?
TOO BAD!
More water and rainbows!!!
Nature porn.
Let’s play a game. Is my wife uncomfortable with me taking her photo? Or is she holding in a fart? Neither answer is wrong.
WATER! RAINBOW! Okay… we’re done here… NEXT!
For dinner in Twin Falls, I had one of the best ribeye steaks in my life at a place called Idaho Joes. My wife introduced me to Indian Fry Bread for the first time in my life. WHY IS IT SO GOOD?! I’m addicted.
That will do it for this round of Summer vacation photos. Coming up… YELLOWSTONE! This was a shameless selfie on our first stop inside Yellowstone the next day.
Here’s another teaser of the nature porn that awaits you in the next round of photos.