pictures of the ancients

Internet is a little better this mornng, so here are a few pictures from yesterday's trip to the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest with Pam and John.

It was an honor to stand beside these awesome trees,
beings that were alive before the pyramids were built,
before Christ was born.....

hiking along over red and black rocks of an ancient sea bed

not all the standing trees were alive
but their sculptural shapes were as beautiful in death

 Owen's valley far below with the majestic Sierra Nevada's rising above 

since these trees don't decay at this altitude, this tree may have died in the 1600's
and is still a thing of beauty today

nimble hiker taking a break...
(shhh, don't tell)

Bristlecone pines can loose most of their bark and still send out new branches

I guess I'll try doing the blog in the morning while we're here in Bishop.  The internet is working at its usual speed at this time in the day.