VISIT TO CALIFORNIA August, 2008

In August we took a trip to California to visit the National Parks and Monuments and enjoy nature. It was a bit of a homecoming because Diane and I had lived in the Bay Area for 9 years. It was also the second visit of the family to the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

We had a great time in San Francisco.



We had fun visiting Alcatraz



Bart thought that Alcatraz was pretty cool!





Then we went to Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. We took a great hike where we saw more than half of the 10 biggest trees in the world. The General Sherman tree is the biggest in the world. Its a monster.




The Sequoias were amazing!



Its hard to appreciate how big they are. Maybe this will help. Here is Diane and the boys with the President tree. The 4th biggest in the world. In the background is Chief Sequoyah. Another huge tree amgonst the 30 largest Sequoias. Its amazing to think those two trees have been growing next to each other for more than 2000 years.



Another highlight of the trip was black bears. Here is one we saw in Sequoia. In the end we saw six bears in Sequoia, Kings Canyon, and Yosemite National Parks.



Then we went from Sequoia-Kings Canyon to Yosemite Valley. We started our first day with breakfast under El Capitan. An ancient tradition from the 80's.




We visited Glacier Point which looks down on the valley. Its my favorite view of Half-Dome.



Glacier Point was also the starting point for a classic Yosemite Valley hike called Four Mile Trail. It drops down 3000 feet to the valley bottom providing some spectacular vistas.



This view was our favorite and a heck of a place to have lunch.



We also visited Olmsted Point. It has a great view of the beginning of Yosemite Valley.



Alex loved climbing and hiking on the domes.



We also did a lot of fishing in Lundy Lake. One of our favorites. We always had great luck there and did again this year.



The best fishing started just after the sunlight left the lake. In the end we caught 38 trout, 2 short of our limit. They made it home fine and we are still enjoying them.



Our old friend Greg (aka Cuda) came from the Bay Area to join the fun for a couple days. We went to Bodie, a very cool Ghost Town.



Many of the buildings still have everything just as it was left when the town went bust. This is a fun picture of the old pool hall with the scene behing reflecting in the window. An interesting mix of the past and present.



We also visited Mono Lake and its tufa formations. Here is Alex with some tufa.



Finally we did a hike to 20 Lakes Basin. It easy access to 10,000 feet and not crowded. A beautiful place with golden trout. We didn't catch anything on this trip but it doesn't matter. The reason to go is the beauty and alpine environment.




Also another great opportunity to run around on some big rocks!



On the trip, Bart and Alex earned 5 Junior Ranger Badges. Alcatraz, Sequoia-Kings Canyon, Yosemite, Mono Lake, and Manzanar. Here they are after completing a ranger led activity to learn about Tuolumne Medows.



Then we went south to the highest part of the Sierra Nevada Range. Here is a fun picture of Diane through the Mobius Arch in the Alabama Hills. Also framed by the arch is Mount Whitney, the highest peak in the lower 48, 14,505 feet.



We also visited the Bristle Cone Pines, the oldest living trees (and things!) on the planet. We took and amazing hike on the Methuselah Trail where we walked among trees more than 4500 years old.



The Methuselah Tree is somewhere along the trail. They keep the individual tree a secret. Maybe this is the Methuselah Tree? It does look pretty ancient.



The Bristle Cone Pines do not have any predators because they grow at such high altitudes. We also visited the Patriarch Grove, which you can see behind Diane who is standing with the 11,000 foot elevation sign.



On the way back we stopped for one last hike at Olmsted Point. We climbed to the top of a dome above the point. A storm was coming in making the scenery very dramatic.



Another amazing Yosemite view. One last peek at the high country.



We had one last visit to the valley. It was a bit windy and the wind did amazing things to Bridal Veil Falls. As you can see the falls were blown upward in a gravity defying manner. Quite a sight!



Bart and Alex also got a chance to swim in the Merced River one last time. One of the many things they enjoyed on the trip. They have become excellent swimmers.




I think that everyone would agree that it was another wonderful Hope Family visit to the glorious wonders of the Nation Parks of the US.