Wow - we're just getting home from a great vacation. It really was like a postcard at every turn. Yes, it was super crowded. Yes, a few of us had the grumps here and there. Yes, it was a really long drive each way. But really, it was so pretty and great to be away seeing new things.
We headed out to June Lake, CA via I-80 with our first stop at the Bonneville Salt Flats. Who knew all that salt was out there?
We spent our first night in Reno and after a quick dinner spent some quality time in the hotel's swimming pool.
We spent the next day mosey-ing our way down to June Lake, CA. This was the view from the mountain just above our condo - and the view from our front corner bedroom. Just beautiful! Perfect for a full week of adventures!
We decided to spend the next day just roaming around seeing where we were and what was around us. One of our first stops was at the Minaret Vista in Mammoth Lakes.
And that is Mammoth mountain just behind us.
We took a short hike and then found a good spot in town for a late lunch/early dinner.
The next day we headed out early for a long drive up and over Tioga pass down in to Yosemite valley and then back up and out the south end of the park. Here we are at a stop at Olmstead Point - our first view of Half Dome and Yosemite valley far out in the distance.
A quick family picture at the Tunnel View stop looking back toward the valley.
And here we are at our final destination for the morning - the Sugar Pine Historic Railroad. I got a little car sick on the last leg of the trip - curvy mountain roads. But man alive was my upset stomach forgotten the second I heard the steamie whistle and saw it pulling in to the station. What a great surprise!
Here we are on the train. It's a narrow gauge railway that has a great logging history back in the early 1900's. We rode on the #10 Shay engine. What a great time!
After a great little picnic lunch at the railroad station, we headed back in to the south entrance of Yosemite and stopped at the Mariposa Grove. There were lots of people, but we made it on a shuttle bus and headed in to the Grove for a hike to see some of the Giant Sequoias. Here we are with the Bachelor and the Three Graces.
It was a long drive back to June Lake that night, but well worth the long day!!! The next morning we got up and headed back in to Mammoth Lakes for a visit to the Devil's Postpile National Monument. Again, lots and lots of people. We hiked in to the postpile - amazing!!! We liked learning about the geology and how it was all formed.
We packed in our lunch and found a great spot to eat among the rocks. After a harrowing shuttle bus ride back to our car, we decided to relax with a little miniature golf. Mommy won - that was a first and it needs to be documented, so there you go mom!
The next day we decided to go back in to the Yosemite Valley. It was a really great day! Just beautiful every where we turned.
Here we are on a hike at the Happy Isles Nature Center.
Here are a couple of pics of us boys with the beautiful mountains in the background and the Merced river right below us.
And a close-up of me. It was the perfect hike!
One of the things that made it perfect was some great rock throwing. Now that's how you take a hike!
Sam and I had been working hard on our Junior Cub Ranger program and we had a great visit with a park ranger at the Yosemite Valley Visitor's Center. We both finished our tasks and took our oaths. You can see my badge and button. This is at another stop at Olmstead Point on our way back to the condo that night. That's Half Dome back there on the right - just like a postcard.
We spent the next day just relaxing and resting around the condo. But the day after that we headed back up to Mammoth Lakes in the morning.
That afternoon we met up with mom's friend Randi at her family's guest ranch in Bridgeport. Sam and I got to go horseback riding . . . and it wasn't just around the corral. Randi and Ashley led our horses out on the trail around the ranch. It was super great!
Here is a family photo out on the ranch.
My horse was named Butterscotch and Sam's horse was Handy. His horse only had one eye and was very sweet. Butterscotch was a little feisty and kept neighing to anyone and everyone. It was really a great ride. Here we are feeding some carrots to our horses after our ride.
We LOVED Randi - we were instant friends. She took great care of us!
Then we wandered around the ranch and met their brown swiss cow - Latte. She was soooooo big and sooooo gentle and nice! Randi's daughter had raised her from a calf. Daddy petted up an instant friendship with Latte. In fact, we think Latte would have followed dad all the way home if we let her.
After our visit to the ranch, Randi took us up to Twin Lakes - another beautiful place. We met up with her and her friend at dinner and then headed home to pack.
We decided to just drive straight through to home - a lot of driving but it was nice to get home. Today we were all saying that we wished our vacation was still going and that we had more time. It always goes by so fast!
Sam Alert: Hey everybody - Sam here. I loved vacation - although, it's kind of funny. When I'm away from home I just want to get back home. Then when I get home, all I can talk about is wanting to go back on vacation. I'm a little odd that way. But all in all, I had a great trip. Enjoy a couple of cute Sam pictures from our vacation.
Here I am at Olmstead Point. I spent half of our pictures with my back facing the camera (that sun sure can be bright in a kid's eyes!) or striking a crazy pose - just like this one.
And here I am with my new friend Ashley on my horse. Oh how I loved my horse ride!!!
Have a great week everyone!
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