Lucy's First ROAD TRIP!

so as i mentioned before, we took lucy on her first road trip to celebrate addie's birthday with a trip down into the eastern sierra. from our town to lone pine it is usually about a five hour trip. well it took us closer to eight this time :) if you've got time to spare, it is not so bad traveling with a two month old!

luce was very good on the road. she is much more comfortable in her carseat now that we took the infant insert out and she tends to fall asleep while the car is moving.
but...after she wakes up, there is only one thing she wants....the booby. and there is a very limited window of time to give it to her before the real screaming begins, which sends us into a little panic because it doesn't happen very often so we take it seriously.

i learned to enjoy taking time out on the side of the road for nursing. you get a whole new perspective; you stop in unexpected places and sit on stumps and bond with your baby and breathe fresh mountain air.

we stopped in the cute little town of markleeville for lunch.

lucy's first classic summit photo at monitor pass. we stop at the top every time and just enjoy the smell of sagebrush and that view of enchanted valleys. i always imagine riding horseback through these mountains in the olden days.


down into the east side. summer thunderclouds and lightning started up as we got further south. we stopped near manzanar for me to nurse lucy and a nice warm rain started to fall. there was a rainbow in the eastern sky and weird light all around. it was pretty gorgeous.



darin's self portrait: (he took most of these photos on the blog this time)

family portrait

we didn't arrive to our campground until it was almost dark. addie and art weren't there yet and we were supposed to meet them an hour earlier. we worried that maybe they'd seen the threat of rain and left. we don't have cell phones and so we count on good old fashioned planning ahead for trips and meet ups. it was strange not knowing where they were but we went ahead and set up camp.

an hour later they came driving up! addie and art made a nice late dinner of fresh tomato sauce and pasta with garlic bread and pumpkin ale. the stars were crazy and we were almost the only people there.

baby by lantern light...

darin worked on his favorite project: time lapses of the stars. 

and a long exposure group shot round the campfire!



the tiniest camper was so cute and jolly in her jammies.


she is a total morning person. here she is chillin with a beer in a camping chair ;)


addie is the BEST at making up silly rhymes and songs. she does this for her cats all the time, and soon enough she'll have a new little friend to sing for. lucy was lulled right to sleep.



we headed into town for coffee. we love lone pine. it is the gateway to mount whitney and the alabama hills. it is so old fashioned and has an old west vibe, and many hollywood westerns were filmed around here. and for such a teeny tiny little town, it has everything you need.



including the best coffee shop with delicious espresso; we go there every time.

and this funky little place for breakfast.




 after a nice leisurely greasy breakfast we headed out into the alabama hills, a sprawling lunar landscape of huge crazy rock formations at the base of the sierra nevadas, like some alien welcoming committee for the big mountain peaks. there are little dirt roads criss crossing through the hills which are BLM land open to the public for camping and adventure. this is where many of the hollywood movies were filmed over the years.
you might remember them from this trip. (little did i know as i romped these rocks back then i was just barely pregnant!)









i dressed lucy for her desert rambles in a vintage white cotton pinafore with wraparound ribbon ties, a gift from my friend becky. the little seersucker bloomers were thrifted. she stayed fresh and cool all day the old-fashioned way. (not really. she sweats a lot just like her mama)


you can climb, scramble, hike, hop and leap all through these rocks.
you can even nurse your baby in a tiny patch of shade with an albino lizard.
you can drive your car over rutted roads and you can get out and walk for miles and see the remnants of secret campsites, caves, dry creekbeds and desert mysteries.

and always, in the distance, that crazy jagged range and mount whitney's ghostly peak.


there is a gas station we like to go to just south of town that has a farm next door. there are roosters poking about the parking lot, curious chickens and sighing horses in the shade. we paid the animals a visit and took a break under the cottonwoods for a little desert oasis.

this mama goat seemed to know i was a mama too. she wanted lots of pets and scratches and even put her big old pregnant belly right up against the fence for some rubbing. she was so sweet.


my happy girl!



we caravanned up 395 to mono lake on our way home. 
it is an ancient inland sea of crazy briny waters and jagged towers of tufa. 
(i posted about it before on our trip last summer)




art made funny faces for lucy, her favorite pasttime.


my own little tufa.



i was sad the minute they drove away. they headed home to nevada city by way of reno and we headed back through the mountains to placerville. we always have such a blast together and this year's trip went way too fast. we had a long drive ahead of us, around 8 pm lucy decided she did wanted some nonstop nursing and we stayed in the parking lot of the topaz casino for a good hour. made it home by 11 pm. she was a sport about her late night roaming, and darin was a sport about driving the whole time so i could comfort her in the backseat if she woke up. it was kind of dreamy coming down the mountain in the dark with scorpius leading the way in the western sky, leaning against the window and my right hand gently patting my baby's tummy while she slept, my husband strong and sure at the wheel, quiet bits of conversation and emmylou playing on the stereo.

i love family road trips. can't wait for the next one. thank you addie for having a birthday and making these memories with us!

Comments

lasophia said…
Wow! I cant believe how much she has grown! and she is smiling already. How precious. I cant wait till mine starts smiling other than when she's sleeping. Best,

Sophia
Teeny said…
Family. That's what you lot are. I'm so in love with your petal and we haven't even met yet. This post made me miss California and want to see more of it! Your adventures are just wondrous Heather, and I hope you get to writing a memoir or something one day. Your writing makes me want to cozy up under blankets and dream away the evening....crazy bright stars, long midnight-lit car journeys with the quiet and comfort of little ones in the back. Love. x
Heather said…
What a great trip it really makesme want to get in my car and see more of California!! Such cute pics of Lucy! And I loved the nighttime star picture! Looks like you had one fantastic and memorable road trip. love Heather
Moon to Moon said…
and what a road trip that looks like so much fun :)
Andrea said…
I love that you have not let life stop because you have a baby-- but rather have brought her into the fold and are sharing your life WITH her :) It's fantastic! I hope that one day I can half as carefree when/if I have kiddos. What a lovely trip and really fantastic photos! I love the one of the stars :) Props to Darin!
Sadie Rose said…
she is so adorable!

i used to pull what i called "ninja nursing" moves and do this crazy thing where i leaned over the seat and nursed Asher so he could stay strapped in. wild times in new motherhood. xoxoxo
anne said…
well now didn't you just paint the perfect picture in my mind with those last few sentences! beautiful! as is miss lucy.

i like lone pine too :D

when we came up for missa's bday i, as sadie so perfectly put it, "ninja nursed" marianne almost the whole way it seemed! hey, it kept her happy and all of us sane :D
okay you guys are totally inspiring me with this "ninja nursing," sadie and anne!!!

i'm ready for another road trip right now!
Amy Beatty said…
oh lucy is growing way to fast! I hate being so far away. The trip looked so amazing. You are a wild free beautiful momma! love you nursing her out in this magical world. I can only imagine that lucy is going to be the coolest homespun girl ever. I could just stare at these photos all day. her in the tent in that outfit. that is my dream come true!! little chub snug bug. I would love to cuddle up to her all night and hear her little baby breathing and sounds. My other two favs are when ade is holding her. Her body looks all too loveable!! I love that her head just looks like its sitting on top of her back and then you turn and see her sleeping face..... its just too much goodness. I melt every time. I have looked at this blog like at least 6 times already :) I saw emily write porn on a pic of Ashelys man and cat. I do love my cat but this is way more my kind of "porn" sorry if that freaks you out. but its true. I love you guys and I'm so glad you are all doing so great and partyin it up in the des. and on another note. I need to visit all those places. so much beauty to behold in one blog!! love you and miss you guys like mad!! xo
lightwood said…
Heather I love love love that picture of you nursing Lucy out in the great beautiful land with those clouds above x
Kelsie Moore said…
I can't get over her beautiful angel face. What a happy child! Congratulations to you! I'm so happy to see your little family all cute together.

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