Smoke And Ashes

Dad and I were planning to camp in Oak Creek Canyon near Sedona, Arizona. However, our plans were forced to change due to a wildfire in the area. Luckily, things worked out fine and we found a nice place to stay.

The air quality in Flagstaff is not so great, so hopefully the fire crews will get the blaze under control soon. On the other hand, it’s good to remember that fire is and always has been a part of life in the West.

The Eleven Percent Solution

What goes up must come down… and then go back up and back down, etc. We descended a very winding road from the Sierra Nevada back to the Central Valley and then back up to camp in a different part of the range. Most exciting was going downhill to Lake Isabella. The road signs warned of an 11% grade for five miles.

Now, I’m not much of a numbers guys, but I could tell it was time for Dad to put it in low gear and be ready to apply the brakes.

On an unrelated note, later in the day we did a day hike on the Pacific Crest Trail in the Walker Pass area. We met a “thru-hiker” who was on her way from Mexico to Canada. I’m pretty sure that’s a lot of trail miles to cover.

The Trees

Let’s talk trees… I’m not just talking about any old trees, but rather the giant sequoias (Sequoiadendron giganteum), the world’s largest living creature by volume.

When we visited the General Sherman Tree in Sequoia National Park there was a group of college age people who surrounded it holding hands and singing in a “flash mob.” I think they were trying to levitate the tree. Good luck with that.

Glacier Point

This is the iconic view in Yosemite. You have to drive quite a bit to get here but it’s worth it. Here’s a partial list of what there is to see: Yosemite Falls, North Dome, Clouds Rest, Half Dome, Vernal Fall and Nevada Fall.

If you have a fear of heights or are prone to vertigo, I suggest that you don’t look over the edge. It’s over 3,000 feet straight down to the Valley.

The Incredible Valley

If you’ve never been to Yosemite National Park, try to go at least once in your life. Because I’m lucky enough to live only a few hours away, I’ve seen the park numerous times. It never gets old.

In the photo I’m looking up Yosemite Valley from the Tunnel View on the road to Glacier Point. On the left, you can see El Capitan, on the right, Bridalveil Fall. I think my head is blocking the view of Half Dome. That’s O.K. because I’m pretty good looking myself.

Family Love

I don’t get to see my father and brother as often as I would like. So, it was great to spend Father’s Day with both of them. We went out for a fabulous brunch at the Putah Creek Cafe in Winters, California and then on to visit my grandmother in Berkeley.

Oh, and did I mention that it’s the first day of my summer road trip with Dad?

Gold Rush People

The Marshall Gold Discovery State Park in Coloma, California is a place I’ve visited several times. It’s the spot where in 1848 James Marshall found some shiny flecks of gold in the river whilst working for his boss, John Sutter. As they say, the rest is history. People came from all over the world to look for gold hoping to get rich quick. (Not many actually did.) Those folks were called “49ers” and they later founded a professional football team.

The park is a magnet for school field trips and there were several going on when we arrived. At one point I found myself surrounded by a gaggle of 5th graders. It was slightly discombobulating.