Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Niagara Falls

After Nora's wedding in Rochester, we went to Niagara Falls!


This is the view from our hotel room. No I'm not kidding. The sun came out once we went inside! On the far left is American Falls on the right is Horseshoe Falls.


American Falls!


Maid of the Mist adventurers!






American Falls





Horseshoe Falls.










A great trip!


Fallen Leaf, Lake Tahoe

For Labor Day weekend we went to Fallen Leaf campground in South Lake Tahoe. On our drive in, we could see the smoke from the Rim Fire in Yosemite, about 150 miles away.




The campground is next to Fallen Leaf Lake.






The dogs enjoyed the water in different ways. Rufus let the water come to him...




 ... Joey tried to swim to the middle of the lake. Brian had to jump in and corral her.



 One afternoon we hiked up a ridge, which afforded views of Fallen Leaf Lake (foreground) and Lake Tahoe (background).











We enjoyed lunch with a view!










We went back to the lake to cool off and Brian and Mike swam with Joey for twenty minutes.







The fire's smoke meant a beautiful sunset.




Pinnacles

In August we went to Pinnacles National Park for some climbing (Brian) and hiking (Anne Marie). Pinnacles was only recently upgraded from a National Monument to a National Park (signifying the diversity of resources and attractions in the area).
Pinnacles is known for its caves - here is our friend Nate trying to capture the light.



The caves are a network of underground passageways created by falling rock (which I tried not to think about when we were hiking through).




Above ground, Pinnacles has more fascinating rocky terrain. Here's Bear Gulch Reservoir.





This Manzanita tree has incredible red bark.






The park also offers astounding views.










The climbers enjoyed their day as well.








The view from the climbing spot!