A couple of days ago we took advantage of the beautiful weather (although I would rather see snow and rain right now) to visit Matt and Kaleena in their backyard, the El Dorado National Forest. We walked down to the American River at the spot that M & K call Rope to the River.  Look at what we found at the bottom.

 I looked up ladybugs later and read that they hibernate this time of year and cluster together for warmth, finding any cracks that they can, even in houses. I think that I'd rather see them in the forest than in the house.

The day was warm, but In the shaded areas at the river where the sun is too low to hit now there was still frost. Brilliant colors.Looking across the American River. Highway 50 is just up the hill.

We drove to another favorite place of M & K's to see a waterfall. Unfortunately Mill Creek is almost dry right now but we stopped along the way for the view. This is Big Hill, where Matt's helicopter is based. (Well, he doesn't own it, the USFS does, but he'll be working there again in January.)View of Pyramid Peak. It should be glistening with snow right now. Let's hope that the storm coming in this weekend dumps a lot.