Long time no see...

Any of you who spent a good deal of time at the lodge over the years likely remembers Leonard Hunsicker. He was officially an employee in 1972, 1975, and 1978, but he spent much more time than that helping us out through the years. When he met his bride-to-be, Ginny Bruce, she also worked at the lodge in 1985. Seems to me the wedding occurred (in Mammoth) around 1988.

They lived in Mammoth for many years, but also spent some time in Colorado. Now they're back in the Eastern Sierra, in Independence. My parents discovered that they were working at a restaurant there called Hooligans, so on our caravan to Mammoth last week, we stopped for lunch to say hello. None of us can even remember the last time I'd seen them. Let's just say it's been way too long. Of course, none of us has changed a bit!

So... if you are headed through Independence any time soon, you now know where to stop for an excellent meal. Hooligans is across the street from the court house. With Leonard as chef and Ginny as server, you can't go wrong. Our lunch on the shaded patio was delicious and a nice respite from the road. And it's always fun to see familiar faces from the past...

The Von Rohr Family

Some of you who stop by this site may recognize members of this family if you've spent as much time at Rock Creek over the years as they have. The Von Rohr family's history with Rock Creek is even longer than the Roby family's. My dad and Ken have known each other since they were boys. Kibby and I grew up with his sons, Eric and Mark. We always looked forward to their arrival for their annual visit and never failed to find creative ways to entertain ourselves. (To protect the innocent or not-so-innocent, I will say no more.) And I still have vivid memories of my parents and Ken and Connie laughing so hard they were crying as we all gathered around the fire in the lobby in the evenings (especially if they had enjoyed some dinner & drinks in Mammoth).

The entire family still stays at the lodge every year, sometimes more than once, passing the tradition on to the next generation. Mark shared photos from their recent trip and he kindly allowed me to post some here. They perfectly capture what it's like to spend family time at Rock Creek.... and how some things don't change all that much (thank goodness).

Mark grills some dinner on the cabin porch after a day of fishing...


Ken and his grandson (Eric's son) at Rock Creek Lake...


Connie peeks through the willows (I believe this is at Big Tire)...

Eric and his daughter Jillian enjoy some laughs...

The youngest generation has obviously learned how much fun can be had without much effort...

Mark says this young guy started feeding right outside their cabin door as they were having breakfast...

Remember the spot we called Big Tire? Remember why it was called that? Remember diving into that icy water on a hot day? (Not while Mark was fishing, of course.)

The lower end of the pond...

The pond...


Anyone else ready to jump in the car right this moment?

THANK YOU, Mark—and the rest of the family—for allowing us this vicarious visit.

"The Bridge View"

Summer is almost here, so folks are starting to make their pilgrimages to Rock Creek and other parts of the Eastern Sierra. Joe Mancuso recently posted this painting of the creek from the upper bridge at the lodge on his Painting Every Day blog. He so skillfully captured the scene, I thought others would enjoy it too.

Norwegians at Rock Creek

Beret Hallenberg, Eva Bogen, Soren Christie, Sigrid Christie, and Nils Hallenberg

Several Norwegian families visited Rock Creek every year. A couple of the kids ended up working for us at the Lodge (Peter Aarnaes, Anne Bogen). Peter just sent me several photos. They came from George Bogen, who had scanned his father’s photos to use in a slideshow for a reunion.

Thank you to all of you for providing a lot of really good times and wonderful memories! I will personally never forget my rain-soaked horseback rides with Annie Christie (not pictured – granddaughter of Soren & Sigrid Christie).

Aarnaes Family Photos

Jens Peter Aarnaes recently shared these photos with me, so I have added them to the slideshow. His parents, Morton & Karen, spent a lot of time at Rock Creek with their three children. As you can see elsewhere on this site, Peter also worked at the lodge. These are wonderful examples of the kinds of experiences so many families had in the canyon.

The Aarnaes men in Little Lakes Valley.

Peter and his dad at Golden Lake in 1971.

Peter at the top of Mt. Morgan. He climbed it with Dana Aanerud in 1976. Has anyone found the frisbee they threw off the top?

Quintessential Kib

Joe Mancuso recently sent this photo of my dad, Kib Sr. It seems to perfectly capture a typical day at the lodge.

Historic Frashers Postcards, etc.

We collect "Frashers Foto Cards" - postcards of photos taken by the famous photographer Burton Frasher. I have scanned some of the ones of Rock Creek and posted a slideshow. A few of them were actually mailed by visitors to Rock Creek (in the '40s and '50s), so it's interesting to read their messages. I also included an old brochure for the lodge I recently purchased. It's from the days prior to Roby ownership and lists the owners as Mr. & Mrs. F. P. Baugh. Note the use of Frasher's images throughout.