Yosemite Valley

In late September, Pauline and Shawn came to visit and we went out to Yosemite for a long weekend.  We rented a house in nearby Groveland and did day trips into the park.

First up, naturally, was Yosemite valley.  Here we are, with North Dome (I think) in the background.

Our first adventure in the valley was to hike up to Vernal Fall from the Happy Isles Visitor Center.  While the trail is mostly paved, it is quite steep.

Here we are on the bridge where you get the first view of Vernal Fall.  At this time of year, especially after a dry winter, it is but a faint trickle.

Eventually we decided that we'd walked far enough uphill, so we took a breather (and some photos) and then headed back.

Happy to be walking DOWNhill.

The Merced River near Happy Isles is idyllic.

After our morning hike, we checked out Yosemite Village, which includes a historic Post Office.

We retired to the bar at the storied Ahwahnee Hotel for well-deserved cocktails.

Next up was climber-spotting on El Capitan.

The view from the meadow across from El Capitan is pretty great.

Boise!

Young Wallace turned 29 this year and we went to Boise to celebrate!

On Saturday, Wallace, Casey & Brian went skydiving. Check out Brian's video here.
We also visited Young Wallace's robot factory.

On Sunday, we floated the Boise River!

The river is mostly calm.

I felt lucky to have the best skipper.

We took a break for swimming...

... bird-watching...

... lunch...

... and sunbathing.

We learned that Brian is not to be trusted.

He sneaks up on the unsuspecting.

Rafting is hard work.

This is about the size of the rapids--huge 8 foot drops.

Brian is on the bridge ready to jump.

Wallace jumps from the rock.

What a great trip!!

Purisima Creek Redwoods

To celebrate our 6th anniversary this year, we took a hike! We hiked the Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve: a 7 mile loop in the Santa Cruz mountains. 

We saw a banana slug before we even hit the trail! 

Eager to start!

The trail climbs through a riparian corridor and features redwoods of many sizes.

These "second-growth" redwoods grow around the stump of an older tree.

The climb to the ridge reveals rewarding views.

What a great hike!

On our way out we saw fields of brussel sprouts!

And fields of flowers!