Day 7 - Yosemite, here we come

We woke up early.  Not because we were eager to get up and get going, but because the two brothers in the tent trailer across from us were, as brothers do... fighting.  Something about one brother claiming both of the sleeping bags as his. There was a lot of screaming and calling each other a big jerk.   Hey!...I think that I have actually lived this scenario with my brothers who were born 18 months apart.  Of course, they are in their 50's now, but some of their arguments still have this childish quality of one brother (always the eldest) laying claim over something that wasn't his...

I was waiting for their mother to hit them both with the cast iron pan. It didn't happen.

Anywho... aside from the fighting brothers, waking up lakeside was wonderful. Waking up lakeside has always been a dream of mine.  'Course, I have woke up lakeside before, but this time I didn't have sand in every crevice...and in all my food, no trees anywhere and my tent full of black flies. (Where was this enchanting spot, you wonder?  Lake Powell...great for scenery and watersports,  Not so much for grit-free camping)  Now, this place was perfect.  What a lovely spot.

All good things must come to an end, although, I would have liked to stay another day.  On our way out of town, we stopped at the local coffee place - Shaver Coffee and Deli.  It was a great place to have breakfast.

We headed north toward Yosemite.  We had reserved a zipline tour through Zip Yosemite, just outside of Oakhurst.   We had to take a dirt road for a few miles but, luckily, it wasn't too steep or rough because we were pulling the trailer.  We had chosen this Zip Yosemite because 1)they got great reviews and 2)they were close to Nelder Grove, which is a secluded Sequoia grove.  Yosemite has a sequoia grove but we heard that it could be a zoo in the summer, so we decided that we wanted to check Nelder Grove out.

Kolton and Elizabeth went ziplining and both LOVED it. It was a fantastic experience for both of them. The guides were a lot of fun and the views were spectacular.  How often will you be able to zipline through sequoias?  I was so happy that they were able to do it.

I love that it looks like Elizabeth's foot is touching the tops of the trees.

After ziplining, we headed to Nelder Grove.  I had read reviews that this was THE place to come for peace and quiet and that was definitely true.  We only saw two other people in the whole grove.  We did see something else, though....as we came around a big sequoia, we heard rustling and saw a big black shape.  BEAR!  No, not really...it was a big black steer.  Apparently, grazing is allowed in the grove or that steer was really lost.  I saw cow patties scattered around so I wasn't too surprised but Rick about had a cardiac incident. And possibly needed a change of shorts.

BEAR! No, but still big and black. You can see why we got a little freaked out.

So, onward, again. The week before we were to go to Yosemite, they had a big fire that closed Tioga, the road, through Yosemite.  Luckily, I had reserved a campsite (six months in advance) for two nights at Summerdale Campground on the south entrance to Yosemite...and also a campsite in Tuolumne Meadows on the east entrance for the same two nights (again, in advance.  Yosemite campsite reservations are notoriously ruthless to get)  because we weren't exactly sure which way that we were going home. I was planning on canceling one of the reservations when we finally decided, but when the fires broke out, I just kept both.  Just in case.  This was a smart move. Ultimately, we decided to stay one night in Summerdale and one night in Tuolumne Meadows.

Summerdale was very picturesque. It is a meadow with bordering trees and a stream running through it.  You can't reserve a specific site - they are assigned when you get there. We got what they called the 'princess site'.  I think that we got it because of our trailer.  Because it is stinking cute....

We wanted to see as much of  Yosemite as we could before it got dark, so we headed into the park.  It is quite a drive into Yosemite village - a least an hour and a half.  Once there, we looked around and asked..."where are all the people?"  We had expected crowds and crowds because it is Yosemite.  And it's summer. Usually, that means that we are doomed to shove-with-love hiking.  The only thing that I could figure was that the fires scared everyone away.

still smoky from the fires, but amazingly beautiful

Cook's Meadow Hike.  I loved this one because it was a great introduction to Yosemite Valley.  You were able to see the majesty of  Half Dome, Sentinel Rock and Yosemite Falls.  Being August, there weren't any Falls in the Falls, but it was pretty nonetheless.  We hiked to Lower Yosemite Falls, but again, no falls.  All was good though.  The valley was AMAZING.  It really took my breath away it was so awe inspiring.  There is a real reverence that you feel when you drive through the tunnel and get your first glimpse of the valley.  Your heart is so full of wonder that it feels like it will burst.

See? No people. Really! Who would have believed it in the middle of the summer?

Day 6 - Hello Sierra Nevadas!

ERT  - DAY 6
*Note to Self:  next time you come to Kirk Creek Campground, stay more than 4 days.*

The patient and long suffering husband.  Isn't he so cute?
 Not many men would let their wife plan a crazy vintage trailer trip with such blind trust.

After breakfast, we reluctantly took down the tent, hitched up the trailer and, sadly, moved on.  We had so much fun here and stay here again in a heartbeat.

Back up Highway 1.  It wasn't as scary with the trailer this time because I was on the mountain side of the road.  We, then, cut due east through California on CA-152 and onto CA-145 to Camp Edison on Shaver Lake.

The trip through California's Central Valley was very pretty.  My sister lived in Stockton for year and I remember being amazed at all the things that could be grown in California.  I know that my view is clouded by growing up in a desert, but still.  We stopped several times to stock up on fruit at the roadside stands...heaven!

When we passed through Madera, it was about 100 degrees.  I thought "ohh..we are going to be so hot. It can't possibly be that much cooler at Shaver Lake" but then we started to climb and climb. By the time we hit Shaver Lake, it was 75 degrees.

One of the reasons I picked Camp Edison as our next camp spot was because they had showers and laundry facilities...two things I figured that we would be in desperate need of.  And I was right. Luckily, we aren't overly sweaty or stinky people...anyway, I think we're not...but the shower was heaven.

Our site number was #124.  It was primo.  The best pictures of Shaver Lake are the ones taken from our campsite.  I, again, had to get it 6 months in advance, but I had to fax in requests and wait for them to contact me.  Lots of work, but well worth it.

Elizabeth and Rick went paddleboarding.  No pictures but they had a blast!  Kolton read.  I did laundry...

We heard that THE place to eat was Shaver Lake Pizza.  It was terrific but not someplace to go if you are in a hurry - that place was busy!  However, it gave us time to give the town a quick look.

We had a great time on the lake.  We swam and relaxed and ate lots of great pizza.  Camp Edison is wonderful

Peaceful...

The Camping Gods

I've been gone for a while.  Actually, like, a year and a half. Trying to catch this blog completely up to date sounds like torture and, since I am not a masochist, I am just going to leap ahead and blog about what I really want to blog about...OUR WONDERFUL, EPIC, COMPLETELY INSANE ADVENTURE!

So, after a few experimental trips (I'll blog about those later-don't worry!), we decided that it was time to put our big kid panties on and take this tiny turquoise trailer on a real road trip.  We had read amazing things about the Kirk Creek Campground in Big Sur, California, so that's where we set our sights.  Now, be warned, trying to get a campsite in Kirk Creek takes major planning.    Recreation.gov is pure unadulterated madness.  Only seriously insane people hope for these much coveted campsites.  I qualified for the being insane part, so I sat anxiously huddled over my cell phone on February 3rd, hoping for an August 3rd campsite.  I'm not going to tell you exactly how you score these campsites (because I have my own tricks and, honestly, I might be up against YOU for my next campsite), all I am going to say is have an account and a good wifi connection, wait for the witching hour when the sites go online and pray to the Camping Gods that they will smile on you.  I scored my dream site at Kirk Creek - #17 - and when  I went back (less than two minutes later) to see if any sites were still available...there wasn't any.  All gone! So, at least I had the Camping Gods smiling down on me for that one minute of my life. Whew!

Luckily, I got to do that several more times for each of the campgrounds that we stayed in.  Insane. That's what it is. It gave me the shakes for a week.

Our itinerary was to spend: (starting in Utah, because that's where we live, ya'll) one night in Elko, Nevada; one night in Truckee, California; three nights in Big Sur; one night in the Sierra Nevadas; two nights in Yosemite; and one night on the return trip through Nevada.

Ambitious.  I was more than slightly worried to take this little 50 year old trailer on such a extensive trip.  The hubster was hoping that we wouldn't come back hauling a pile of kindling that used to be my lovely trailer.  He is such a naysayer...but I was worried about the same thing.  I just wouldn't say it out loud.  Saying it out loud sounds like inviting the Camping Gods to have a good belly laugh at my expense.

Oh yeah, and I repainted the bottom.  This was just a better color.