Merry Christmas

Wishing everyone a very 
Merry Christmas!

~ The Roby Family

These photos are from my Grandfather Richard Roby's collection of slides, dated 1961, probably when they opened for the season.

Mancuso Brothers at Rock Creek

Joe Mancuso just shared these photos with me, so I thought I'd share them with all of you. He and his brother Carl visited the Lodge in November...

View from the upper bridge

Carl enjoys the autumn sun

Dining Room in snow

And as usual, Joe's talents perfectly capture the Lodge...

Late Season Lodge 8x10 oil

Thanks for letting me share, Joe!

A Different View of Rock Creek

I ran across a trip report by someone who rode their mountain bike up the road and then down the Sand Canyon trail along Wheeler Ridge. Thought you might enjoy the photos too (click on "trip report").  This is a nice one of the store...

Roby Invasion at Rock Creek

We Robys have a reunion with extended family every three years. This year my mom and I were in charge of organizing it, so naturally we chose to hold it in Mammoth Lakes. This was fortuitous for many members of the family who had not been to the Lodge in many years—and for those who had never been there, even though they'd heard stories about it all their lives.

Craig London graciously allowed us to park our caravan at the Lower Corral and I stood on the cabin porch to share a brief outline of the Roby history at Rock Creek.

Photo courtesy of Martha Roby Bader.

We managed to gather almost everyone for a group shot in front of the store.

Note: included in this group are Bob Clark's three kids and one grandson with their spouses, and three of his nieces & nephews with their families—I have noted previously that he built and repaired some of the buildings.

Below are four of the Robys present: Martha, who made an appearance as a little girl in my last post, my cousin David Roby (Jim's son), and of course me and my dad.

We toured the Lodge grounds and shared a few stories before heading up to Rock Creek Lake to spend some time playing in the water.

As you can see, it was one of those perfect July days. It was nice that the canyon welcomed all of us back so generously.

View from the Lower Bridge

My great-grandmother, Clara Roby, was a photographer. She had her own darkroom and produced beautiful, professional-quality images of her children and grandchildren throughout their lives. Naturally, she also photographed Rock Creek when they were there. This photo was taken from the lower bridge sometime in the late 1940s or early 1950s. You can click on it to view it larger. In the lower right corner, you can see my aunt Martha just above the rocks, and my dad standing next to the tree further downstream. We're not sure if the fisherman by the logs is my grandfather or someone unrelated. Those of you who have spent time there know how little this scene has changed in all these years.

Old Postcard

First, I apologize for the long absence here. I got distracted with other things and didn't realize how long it's been since I posted. Here's something quick to share. I just bought this postcard...

If you can make out the handwriting, it says, "Mack's Lake, Rock Creek Basin, Near Rock Creek Lakes Store" and it is a Frashers Foto. What's amusing is that this is not Mack Lake! For those of you who have been there, you might recognize that this is actually Serene Lake. Frasher somehow mislabeled the image. The postcard was never mailed (unless it was sent in an envelope), but someone did write a brief note on it:

"North of camp. We are right near this Lake so Elmer can launch his boat." So whoever wrote this also failed to notice this is not actually "Mack's" Lake. We Robys got a good chuckle envisioning Elmer trying to get his boat to Serene. We suppose it's possible, but certainly not as easy as getting one to Mack would have been. In the early days, you could drive there.

I'm sure this person and Elmer ended up having a wonderful time, regardless of which lake they were near.

Speaking of 1969...

Check out this snow bunny! Ha! Just ran across this in a box of old photos.

Yes, this is me on June 9, 1969, according to the handwriting on the back, which looks like my Grandpa Clarence's (Mom's dad).  He was obviously there helping to open as usual (and this particular year, rebuild buildings). So when did I make my first appearance at Rock Creek? 

Two years earlier, in 1967, when I was just months old. Looks like a proud Papa, huh? And I look as if I'm still trying to figure out where I am. Mom will show me around...

By later that summer, I seem to have settled in...

And by the next year, 1968, I own the place! Look out, here I come...

"I like it here, Daddy!"

In 1971, I am Susie Homemaker, busy with one of my favorite activities, making mud pies.

"Coffee, anyone?"

But wait... now there's someone else hogging the sandbox! One-year-old Kib Jr. interrupts my peace...

and it seems he's decided he likes it here too. (Or is that a scream?)

And this is how it was for the next few years until we were allowed to roam on our own. We spent countless hours in this sandbox and on the slide that dumped into it. And throughout the summer, a stream of other children joined us there. I can almost still taste that wonderful dirt.