Gather 'round…
Took the wrong road out of Big Oak Flats this morning. Just out of camp. Somehow we wound up on the steepest, snakiest beast we've seen thus far, and that is saying something. It was paved beautifully, probably preserved by the total lack of traffic. We burned some serious brakes, even in 1st gear the... Continue Reading →
It was predicted to be (and was!) a hot one out there today, nearing 90, so we went into the day knowing that no hiking would be done if the matriarch (that's me) was to survive. Auto Tour Day. The main attractions left on our Yosemite list fit the bill perfectly: Glacier Point and Tioga... Continue Reading →
Now this is what I'm talking about. This is terrain I can manage. Life. Is. Good. First stop today was Hetch Hetchy Dam and Reservoir. The fine folks with the chocolate yesterday told me that they'd just been up to Hetch Hetchy, and there was virtually no one there. Particularly by the standards of... Continue Reading →
"The mountains are calling and I must go." ~ John Muir I've been thinking a lot about all things big and magical. About a greater scale and a deeper reality. The expanse of the ocean. The tall trees. The neverending desert. I've been mesmerized by my own tininess. And today... Yosemite. Wow. I am indeed... Continue Reading →
Driving, driving, and more driving. I'm not California's biggest fan at this point. It's just not tripping my trigger. I'm not sure what I expected, but whatever it was is not being realized. I've just got a not-so-great vibe going. Sigh. We did pass through San Fran today. Made a quick stop of it. Crossed... Continue Reading →
Up at 6, out by 7:15, in search of California's Redwood Forest! We said goodbye to Oregon, and passed through border fruit inspection with flying colors. I was reminded--by my children--after driving away--that we were, in fact, harboring the very kinds of citrus fruits I just denied to the nice fruit policewoman back at the... Continue Reading →
So there's this guy. He draws in the sand. He used to do it just for himself, early in the morning. Giant labyrinths in the sand. Until folks started printing newspaper articles about alien landings and crop circles. Denny Dyke is now the man behind Circles in the Sand, his home-grown mission to bring people... Continue Reading →
Aside from that unfortunate incident with the airbed that let us down, I don't know that I've ever slept better, and more consistently, on a vacation. Attribute it to utter exhaustion if you must. I don't really care. It's been nice. Even on a non-Coleman bed. Our bucket list for the day: Port Orford, the... Continue Reading →
An hour. That's all the sleep we got before--GET THIS--the winner, the only survivor of the airbed apocalypse back home, bit it. Rather unceremoniously, we both woke up on the ground. In the event of this somewhat familiar catastrophe occurring on any normal camping trip, we would simply disinter the backup airbed from the trailer.... Continue Reading →
Well, it wasn't a deluge, but it was raining when we woke up in the morning. Spitting. Spitting vigorously. Almost a week in and this is the first time we've had to tear down wet, so I won't whine too loudly. Dry tents are little miracles, every time. We only had 3+ hours on the... Continue Reading →
Our first day without miles and miles to put undertread. Deep breath. I don't want to get ahead of myself, but I think today we entered the legendary realm of vacation, for real. All disasters have been quenched and quelled, and we're doing nothing but enjoy ourselves. Of course this means that emotions were somehow... Continue Reading →
It's 8:30. I've been up for an hour. Everyone else is still out cold in the tents behind me. I am overlooking Lost Creek Reservoir and surrounded by rhododendrons and all manner of exotic flora. It is peaceful here and I am doing my best to mirror that sentiment. Thank God we're here for three... Continue Reading →
Tales From the Nexus 