Summer 2006 Washington-Oregon-California trip

For my July-August 2006 trip to Washington-Oregon-California, I had my 
laptop with me and access to my account most nights and sent notes to 
my family almost every other day (much to my mom's enjoyment).  The trip 
consisted of 2 family days (with short outings) in Washington, 2 days at 
Crater Lake, 1 day in north-central (Trinity Alps) California, 1 1/2 days
in the coastal Redwoods (north of Eureka), 2 1/2 days in Yosemite, 1 1/2
days at Mt. Whitney, 3 days in Yosemite, 1 day in Sequoia, and 2 days at
the California coast (south of San Fransisco).  These (with some
modifications) are the notes I wrote during the trip.

pictures (23 pictures)


patricia


----

From pbender@eskimo.com Mon Jul 24 20:45:04 2006
(Everrett, Washington)

The ice caves were nice and it was a beautiful day, though a bit warm.
There was a nice breeze coming off the ice, so that made it pleasant and
Geri was surprised that we stayed there so long - she thought it was going
to be a quick up and down because of the heat.  But the breeze made it 
nice and we brought lunch and wandered and relaxed around the ice areas.

The movie was on the schedule for Saturday as Geri didn't want to go out
in the heat.  The weather report came in a few degrees cooler and she 
seemed more willing to go out and asked if there was something I'd rather
do.  For some reason Whitbey Island popped in to my mind - you always 
mention going there and I'd never been.  So we took the ferry over.  
Geri had in mind a hike in the woods and another place she had heard
about but couldn't find.  We stopped in an information center and they 
were able to show us where the place she was looking for was at (and 
we skipped the woods for time reasons).  So we went to Ebey Landing
and had lunch by the beach and then did a little hike up the bluff, 
along the bluff, down the bluff, and back along the beach.  It was 
pretty and we could see the Olympics across the water.

patricia


----

From pbender@eskimo.com Mon Jul 24 21:10:41 2006
Subject: Crater Lake


I got to Crater Lake around 2 pm on Sunday (actually when I thought I 
would get there).  I immediately took the first overlook possible to get 
my first view of the lake.  Very pretty.  There were some clouds rolling 
in, but they wouldn't disrupt my picture taking for an hour.  I did the 
rim drive around the lake (counterclock wise) and stopped at almost 
every overlook.  Eventually it did start to rain and I stopped taking 
pictures for a short bit.  After it stopped raining and I had driven most
of the loop, I decided I was going to do the Watchman hike (1.5 miles
round trip, 500 feet up) to the fire tower view point.  Got my gear all
set, walked away from the tourist at the overlook, and got to the
trailhead only to find that the trail was closed.  Grumble.  But, I think,
I got a pretty picture of Wizard Island (there is an island in the lake)
with a little bit of Indian Paintbrush in the foreground.  So, I decided
to go try Garfield Peak, even though it was getting a bit late.  I made a
really quick go of it and got up in 30 minutes and down in less than 20 -
the trail was partially closed before the top (1.7 miles, 1000 feet), but
it wasn't too far before the top that it closed.

I got up early this morning.  I wanted to get to the lake area near
sunrise and I needed (well, I had been told I needed) to get in line
around 7 am for the boat tickets for Wizard Island.  I took the short trail
(.5 miles round trip) up Sun Notch and was attacked by mosquitoes.  But the 
view was stunning.  Some pink sky (only a couple of clouds) and beautiful
reflections.  It was a pretty morning and the lake was fairly still, so I
took more pictures.  I made it over to the place where you purchase
tickets for the boat ride a little after 7 and there were a whole 2 other
people there.  The tickets go on sale for the day (no reservations) at 8
am and a couple of rangers said to get there early as they sell quick and
there will be a line.  There wasn't a line until about 7:40.  Oh well, I
got what I wanted anyways.  I was a little disappoint as they changed
their policy for Wizard Island.  Used to be that you took the boat out
there and then tried to get on another boat when you were ready to return
(and may have to want until the next boat (or the next boat) if a seat
wasn't available).  Now they had set times and with my 10 am ticket (first
of the day) I had to be at the dock at 12:30 to catch the 12 pm boat.  
So instead of a leasurely day on Wizard Island hitting both the cone and
the bay, it was a quick up and down the cone and only out to an overlook
for the bay instead of down to it.  [I will be complaining to the park
service about this as this is the first year they are doing it and this
set up doesn't give people enough time on the island.]  Anywho, back to
the start of the boat ride.  First up is a little more of a mile hike 
down to the lake shore where you catch the boat (which also means a nice
hike out at the end).  The lake is really pretty from the shoreline and I
was glad I took the expensive boat tour.  Don't worry, I got lots of
pictures.  The boat goes around the edge of the lake with a little bit of
ranger talk and then drops off those of us who paid extra to get off at
Wizard Island about 45 minutes after the start (which meant I had a mere
75 minutes on the island).  So I immediately took the trail that headed up
the small cinder cone that is most of the island and made a quick go of it
with only short pauses to catch my breath or stop and take pictures and
then a walk around the top of the crater (more pictures and I actually 
sat for 2 minutes) and then headed down to try to see if I could get to
the bay.  Nope, not enough time, though I did stop above it (it was a
steep down) and got some pretty pictures with bright green moss on some
trees and the blue water in between.  And then back to the boat dock where
I rested for about 15 minutes before the boat arrived (it didn't get there
until 12:45).  The day had gotten hot and it was a warm boat ride for the 
next hour.  More pretty sights along the lake, including up close to 
Phantom Ship - pretty neat.  I did get too warm and took a long rest near 
the boat dock, including soaking my feet in the water.  Then took my time 
heading back to the rim as I knew my days was done - being overheated for 
a bit meant no more serious hiking for that day.  So after getting back 
to the car and driving more around the rim (the boat parking area was half
way around from the exit I needed) I headed towards California where I 
will spend the rest of my trip.


patricia


----

From pbender@eskimo.com Wed Jul 26 22:32:14 2006
Subject: Eureka!


It's getting late, so not a long one tonight.

And on the 5th attempt I finally made it to Grizzly Lake!  (First 2 times
got to the trailhead too late, 3rd time got to the meadow but couldn't
find the way up and ran out of time, 4th time got to the meadow and saw
the entire shelf above the falls was snowed over).  I should have took
the hint and gave up after the first attempt.  The good news is that I saw
the lake and never have to try that again.  The really good news is that
I'm still alive.  The last .5 mile is a rock scramble that gains 800 feet
and is pure terror.  I said many prayers of "please, dear Lord, let me get
there alive".  Unfortunately when I realized how bad it was, it was
impossible to turn around - the only way to go was up.  But I made it (and
said a prayer of thanks) and it is a pretty lake (but not worth the
danger).  Then came the extra terror of trying to get back down.  More
prayers and then finally a prayer of thanks.  Took 1:30 to get up and 1:30
to get back down.  Rivals the Matterhorn hike with the dumbest things I've
done.  It only took me almost 12 hours to complete the 13.4 miles, 5,400
feet gained and lost hike.  The trail is in the middle of no where of
central north California.

I wasn't too sore today, but decided to make it an easy day and give my
body a break after the torture I put it through on Tuesday.  So I headed
to the coast.  I took a drive up to just past the Paul Bunyan tourist trap
and took the mild 1 mile hike out to one of my favorite places - Hidden
Beach.  It's a small, isolated beach with rock formations in front of it
including a larger one with 2 trees growing on it.  I had it all to myself
and enjoyed the peace and quiet.  Of course, I took my shoes off and
walked in the surf some.  I then did the drive through Prairie Creek State 
Park, similar to the Avenue of the Giants drive.  And then out to Fern 
Canyon and spent a good bid sitting and reading in the canyon, and then up 
in the redwoods (didn't hike very far), and then out on the beach.  After 
getting settled in my hotel (north of Eureka), I went out to Trinidad to 
visit the beach there.  No sunset tonight as the fog rolled in, but the 
surf was out so I was able to walk the entire beach (shoes off, of 
course).  Now to make you all jealous: it was cool enough that I needed a 
jacket.

Tomorrow is another mild day.  I'll go have my crab omlette in the morning
and then take another visit to Fern Canyon.  Then it's a long drive
towards Yosemite (and staying at a hotel some where along I-5 - don't want
to get too close to Yosemite without a reservation).


patricia


----

From pbender@eskimo.com Fri Jul 28 20:23:52 2006
Subject: Yosemite


I started Thursday off with a walk in the surf at Trinidad
beach.  Then over to the restuarant for my yummy crab omlette
(ate half and the other half was lunch as a crab omlette 
sandwiche).  Then out to Fern Canyon where I spent a bit in 
the canyon (sitting at my favorite spot and reading a bit) - 
I had it all to myself and was in heaven.  Then a quick visit 
up to the redwoods, back through the canyon, and then a quick 
visit to the beach - I only spent 1 1/2 hours there (and 
stayed longer than I planned).  The rest of the day was the 
long drive to I-5 and then down to Stockton (south of 
Sacramento)where I stayed the night.

Up early, as usual, this morning and took the drive out to
Yosemite.  First up in the park was a hike out to the 
Tuolumne Sequoia Grove (it's actually at the west side of 
the park, not in the Tuolumne Meadows area).  It was a 1 
mile walk, dropping 400 feet (and then coming back the same 
way) along an old road.  There weren't that many old sequoias
in the grove.  Included, though, was one of the original 
"drive through" trees.  You couldn't get one of today's 
vehicles through it, but it worked fine with the vehicles 
around the turn of the century.  I was glad to see that 
they didn't dig a tunnel through a live tree, but a tree 
that had been struck by lightening.  Of course, I had my 
picture taken with me walking through it.  I also did the 
little nature loop through the grove near the tunnel (and 
it was nice to be on dirt instead of pavement) before heading
back.

Next up was May Lake.  About 1.4 miles and 400 feet up (and 
back the same was) to a beautiful mountain lake.  There 
were views of the ranges along the way including a look at
Yosemite Valley.  But I loved the lake.  After walking around
it for a bit, I found a nice comfty rock lakeside and soaked
my feet, had lunch, and read a bit and stayed for a while.
I'll be returning there (either tomorrow or Tuesday).

Then on to Toulumne Meadows proper and Dog Lake and Lembert
Dome.  It was a steep hike up (which meant slow coming back)
probably about 1 1/2 miles to the lake.  It was a nice lake,
but paled compared to May Lake.  I also feet soaked and read
at this lake.  Then up to Lembert Dome and enjoyed the views
there.  Didn't stay long as there was a big group of people
(one group, not a lot of different groups) - the only time 
I encountered a bunch of people in Yosemite so far (though 
that will change once I get to Yosemite Valley).  On the 
way back down, while I was resting on a rock, I saw 2 young
deer coming my way and I decided to be very still and see 
what would happen.  Sure enough, they passed not 15 feet 
in front of me without hardly noticing me.

Well, the sky has stopped turning pink as I sit here with 
my view of Mono Lake outside of the park in Lee Vining.  
I've got a long hike planned tomorrow to mountain lakes and 
it should be great.


patricia


----

From pbender@eskimo.com Sun Jul 30 16:24:57 2006
Subject: Yosemite 2


Up for Saturday was a nice long about 13.5 mile half-loop (don't
know the elevation gained and lost, but it was a bunch).  An early
morning starting put me at the lower Cathedral Lake around 9 am.
I had a nice rest at the lake and enjoyed the views and then walked
all the way around the lake before continuing my journey.  A half 
hour ahead was the also pretty upper Cathedral Lake.  I again spent
an hour at the lake - more feet soaking and reading than wandering 
as at the lower lake, though.  The trail continued up and one of 
the horse groups passed me coming the other way (there is a high
Sierra camp along the route I took).  At the top was wonderful
views of the peaks 360 degrees.  And then down, down, down to a 
large meadow and through the meadow.  The meadows are one of the 
most impressive things about Yosemite [Glacier's mountain lakes
are better than Yosemite's, but Glacier doesn't have the meadows].
Lots of wild flowers in bloom throughout my visit to Yosemite.  I 
finally reached the Sierra camp and made my way through it trying 
to keep on the trail (they need to mark it better).  And then a 
hard up to a ridge and that was almost the last of my climbs.  
About 20 minutes down from the ridge was the last of the 3 Sunrise
Lakes.  They weren't as pretty as the Cathedral Lakes, but I did 
find spots for feet soaking and reading and enjoying the peace.
The lowest lake was the prettiest of the 3, but also had other 
people there including swimmers.  All combined, I spents almost
2 hours amongst the 3 Sunrise Lakes.  Then a 10 minute climb out 
of the lake bowl and the rest was down.  And it was a steep down
until the last little over a mile - wouldn't want to be coming 
up that.  And finally to the parking area where I caught the 
hiker's shuttle back to my car.  I started at 7:15 and finished 
at 5:15 (with lots of time spent at the lakes).

So a mild day for today.  Not because I did a hard, long hike 
the previous day, but because Mt. Whitney is up for tomorrow.
With another early start, I went up to Elizabeth Lake.  It was 
a cool 44 degrees when I started. It was only 2.3 miles to the
lake (with a mild climb) and I reached the lake in a little 
under an hour.  I had it all to my self.  It was a nice lake, 
but nothing spectacular.  Not many resting spots shoreside, but
I managed to find one.  Soaked my feet very briefly before my 
feet complained that it was too cold.  So I sat there and read 
for a while before the rest of my body complained that it was 
too cold (I was sitting in the shade).  I went ahead and headed 
back.  The clouds had rolled in and it looked like it might 
rain later in the day - it was already raining in Western parts
of the park.  Up next was a drive to Lone Pine (about 2 1/2 
hours away) to pick up my Mt. Whitney day hiking permit and 
where I'll stay the next 2 nights.  Since it was just 1 pm, I
decided to drive up to the Whitney Portal (where the hike 
kicks off) and see what it looks like in daylight.  Nothing 
exciting, but I did find a place next to a big waterfall to 
sit and read (I couldn't check in to my hotel until 2:30).  And
am now doing laundry.

Tomorrow's early start is going to put all my early starts to 
shame.  When I picked up my permit for Whitney, the lady asked 
when I was going to leave and I said I'd probably leave Lone 
Pine (where I'm staying) around 3 am.  She responded that should
be the latest I leave (meaning starting the trail around 3:30 
am) as they want all the hikers off the peak by noon due to the
threat of afternoon storms.  So I said, "Okay, 2 am."  So a nice
early bedtime tonight.  After my laundery is done, I'll take a 
shower and go to bed.  We'll see how much sleep I get.


patricia


----

From pbender@eskimo.com Mon Jul 31 20:26:22 2006
Subject: Starry, starry morning


The alarm went off bright and early and I was on the trail for Mt. 
Whitney at 2:55 am.  I can do without hiking purely by headlamp, 
but the stars were beautiful.  I even saw a shooting star during 
one of my pauses.  As would be expected with a hike that gains over
6,000 feet in 11 miles, there were lots and lots of switchbacking 
all day long.  The first real fun of the morning came with crossing
a creek near the top of a falls by rock-hopping by headlamp.  I made 
it safely, but my nerves were a little frazzled and I spent the next 
hour fearing that I'd be rock-hopping across the falls that I could 
hear while I hiked (turned out to be an easy crossing on logs with a 
flat top over calm water).  So up and up I went.  Around 6 am, the
sky lighted and the sun started coming up and I could put the 
headlamp away - yeah!  It was pretty with the sun coming up behind
some clouds.  And I continued up.  I took a break at the lake next 
to the trail camp - 4 hours into my hike - as next up was the 
96 switchbacks from hell.  Up and up and up, back and forth.  There
were plenty of people switchbacking with me.  I would occassionally
look up and see some hikers way above me and go, "Holy cow!"  It 
only took me a shade under 2 hours to get up that.  Although I had
just 2 miles left, they were not an easy 2 miles with lots of rocks,
a steep drop off, and still gaining elevation.  I had gone through 
one small snow patch near the top of the 96 switchbacks and hadn't
liked that and didn't like the longer snow patch I was seeing ahead
of me on the way up to Whitney.  I got next to it and quickly 
convinced myself not to continue even though I was less than 1/2 a
mile from the peak as I hate going through snow and I didn't like 
the looks of this one at all.  I rested for 10 minutes next to 
the patch while some others went through - some trying to talk 
me in to continue and one wisely saying do what you are comfortable
with and know yourself.  So I got up and turned around and headed
back.  Not very quickly as I wasn't sure I was doing the right 
thing.  With promises that I'd never have to do this again, I 
went back and made it through the snow patch (of course, I was 
really more worried about coming back through it as there was a 
small up to start - the flat middle didn't concern me).  So I 
continued up, up, up and finally reached the peak of Mt. Whitney, 
along with many others.  Only took me 8 hours.  I got my trophy
picture taken and ate part of a Snickers bar to celebrate.  I 
didn't stay too long as the clouds had rolled in (was crystal 
clear until around 9:30 am) and I was concerned with afternoon
showers (never rained).  I managed to make it through the snow 
patch without slipping or getting on my rear and sliding through
it, as I thought I would end up doing.  I took my time heading 
back and ended up talking basketball with someone almost the 
entire way down the 96 switchbacks, which made it go a little 
faster.  I took another long break at the lake next to the camp
area.  I only briefly soaked my feet as the water was way too 
cold.  I then continued down, down, down.  I stopped at Mirror
Lake on the way back - I didn't see it going up as it was still
dark - and rested for a bit there.  Then down, down, down and 
completed my hike at 5:30 pm.  14 1/2 hours, including breaks.
I'm tired and my feet hurt, but my legs aren't sore.  I expect
I'll be snoring tonight.


patricia


----

From pbender@eskimo.com Wed Aug  2 22:27:39 2006
Subject: Yosemite 3


Since I climbed Mt. Whitney the day before you'd think I'd have a mild day
planned for Tuesday.  Not me.  I made my way back to Yosemite and started
off my late morning with a mile hard hike to the Middle Gaylord Lake (in
Tuolumne Meadows area).  Nothing gentle about that hike.  It was steep up
the whole way to a ridge with no switchbacks until near the top - and even
those were steep.  Then a steep 200 feet drop down to a very pretty good
sized mountain lake.  Unfortunately the mosquitoes really liked it too and
I got mobbed as soon as I neared the lake (even with Off on), so I
couldn't really sit an enjoy the lake.  I conintued around the lake
(swatting away mosquitoes) and headed straight for a precious looking lake
that I saw from the ridge - no trail to it, just going across a meadow.
The bugs weren't quite as bad there (though still around) and I did spend
some time there.  On the way back, I was going to walk around the Middle
Gaylord Lake, but quickly changed my mind once the mosquitoes swarmed
again.  So I went back to May Lake and found a nice spot and sat and 
relaxed for a good while.  Last up was an easy hike out to Lukens Lake - 
nothing exciting as it was just a lake with a meadow on one end and trees 
the rest of the way around.  So next up was driving by Yosemite Valley 
and catching Hwy 140 down to Mariposa where I was staying.  Wrong.  I 
only then found out how I got such a reasonable rate for my hotel not so 
far from Yosemite.  Back in April, there was a major landslide that took 
out part of the road and they are still trying to figure out what to do 
with it.  Only on Monday did they start allowing very limited travel 
going through 140 twice a day - a 5:30 am slot and between 6:30 and 7:30 
pm.  So I had an almost 2 hour drive the long way out of Yosemite to 
Oakhurst and then to Mariposa.  Would have been a shorter drive, but I 
(along with a good number of other people) got stuck behind 2 campers 
that refused to use the turnouts and were going 30 mph or slower - lots 
of grumbling for 45 minutes.

Today I did the hike to Upper Yosemite Falls and Yosemite Point.  Only 4.2
miles to the lookout, but over 3,000 feet gained.  It was a tail-kicker
hike, but I got great views of the falls and then good views of the
valley.  On the way back down, I stopped at the creek a little bit above
the falls and soaked my feet and rested for a bit.  I also got to be good
samaritan on the hike and handed out some iodine pills to a couple of
fellow hikers who didn't bring enough water (iodine pills kills the
bacteria so that stream water can be safely drunk).  That hike was my day.
I did have to spend a little time to find out the shuttle information for
Glacier Point and then get my ticket for the shuttle - I'm doing a one-way
hike from the point down to the valley tomorrow (I decided against Half
Dome as I just don't think I could get down from the dome (200 feet with
cables to hang on to) without frying my nerves, and my nerves have been
fried enough this trip).  It was about 6 pm when I finished my day, so I
decided to try to catch the Hwy 140 pass-through time and was able to do
so.  They have a picture of the slide at my hotel and it looked
impressive, but it was even more impressive in person.  The mountain just
collapsed and covered the road and stopped at the stream.  For the
by-pass, it's a single lane road that's unpaved for part on the other side
of the stream - and there's really no way to expand it to 2 lanes without
carving another lane into the mountainside.  They've got one temporary 
bridge just after the slide and are working on putting up another 
temporary bridge before the slide (we crossed on an existing bridge about 
6 miles before the slide).  I have no idea how they are going to fix the 
road long term.  Just goes to show you how Mother Nature can easily undo 
things Man has done.


patricia


----

From pbender@eskimo.com Fri Aug  4 07:55:01 2006
Subject: last Yosemite


Friday started with a nice easy day with a tour shuttle ride from the
Yosemite Valley floor to Glacier Point.  Once there, I looked around the
point area and enjoyed the views before starting my hike.  From the point
you can see a lot of the domes and Vernall and Nevada Falls.  It was
another beautiful day (hasn't rained once nor been too hot or too cold).
The hike for this day was pretty simple - around 8.5 miles from the point
down to the valley and going by 3 waterfalls.  But I planned on making a
day of it with long stops at the falls and the pool above the lowest fall.
So I headed down, dropping 1200 feet in the first 2 miles to Illouette
Fall.  It's a pretty fall, but you can really only see it from one point
along the trail.  After crossing the bridge over the stream above the
fall, I found a nice cool spot streamside and rested for a bit.  Then came
the only really up of the hike - 760 feet up.  It wasn't too steep of an
up, so I wasn't huffing and puffing much (plus I wasn't speeding).  From
the mild walk along the top, I got great views of the entire valley
including Half Dome from the backside.  I soon had views of the impressive
Nevada Falls and was looking forward to getting there.  The trail headed
down, and was down almost the rest of the way.  I tweaked my ankle on the
way down, but it wasn't too bad and didn't really swell up and I was able
to continue with no problem (actually my fried lower lip is bugging me
much more than my ankle).  So I reached the top of the falls and found a
nice comfty spot streamside to relax and soak my feet.  Then more down -
and not much fun down as it was the nasty rock trail where you have to be
cautious doing down.  But the view was awesome, with a side view of Nevada
Falls.  I got to play good samaritan again as there was a man going very
slowly down (even slower than me) and I asked him if he was alright and he
said he was fine but his shoe was falling apart - the sole was coming off.
Quite thrilled, I asked if duck tape would help.  So for the first time, I
used the duck tape I carry.  I saw him again at the bottom and the duck
tape had held his shoe together the rest of the way down.  Still
continuing down next to the falls, I found a nice spot and relaxed for a
while.  While sitting there, 2 young ladies saw me and stopped to again
thank me for the iodine pills I had given them the previous day near the
top of Yellowstone Falls [I figure I'm paying back the dear Lord for
letting me safely get through the Grizzly Lake hike].  Eventually I
continued down and reached the pretty Emerald Pool at the top of Vernal
Falls.  Unfortunally the masses were also there (and some ignoring the no
swimming policy) - the only time I really encountered crowds in Yosemite.
But I still found a nice spot poolside and relaxed and feet soaked for a
bit.  I must have rested too long because my ankle stiffened up some and
it bothered me for a short bit after I resumed my hike (didn't last long
and it's okay this morning).  I was taking the Mist Trail down, which
includes nasty Granite "steps" - slow going and even more fun where they
are wet from the mist from the falls.  But very pretty views of the falls.
I even saw a pretty rainbow in the mist.  I found a nice spot at the
bottom with a view of the falls and relaxed for a while.  With a little
over a mile left on the hike (and no more trail rocky areas*), I made a 
quick go for the rest of the way back, passing lots of people.  To end the
day, I made a quick visit to Bridalveil Falls, near the valley entrance.

[*trail rocky: apparently when some of the valley trails were created,
they laid stones to define the trail (sort of like a road) - which is fine
for flat or slight grade areas, but nasty in steep areas.  Even more so
with some dirt on it.  There were long sections like this on both the
Upper Yellowstone Falls trail and the trail down from Nevada Falls and
Vernal Falls.]

I'm off to Sequioa now (had to start a little later as I need the
entrance station for the park to be open to get the brochures (if it's
not open, you just pass through)).  I'm staying in the park tonight and
won't have access.  Tomorrow I'll drive out to Hwy 1 and head north for a
leasurely coastal drive with stops along the way.


patricia


----

From pbender@eskimo.com Sat Aug  5 21:55:02 2006
Subject: Sequoias and the coast


Friday I drove out to Sequoia National Park.  I drove to the end of the
area I was interested in and worked my way back (as I was staying in
Grant's Grove, near the entrance).  I had a pretty drive through a grove,
including through the tunnel log with the car - they carved a tunnel
through a fallen long.  Then a visit to the General Sherman Tree - the
largest (mass) tree in the world.  It was a paved 1/2 mile walk down to
the tree and then I took a short dirt loop through the area, including
finding a nice spot a bit away from the masses to have lunch and read a
little bit.  I then headed to the Redwood Creek area, where I had planned
on doing a 4 mile hike.  The drive to the trailhead went through a recent
burn area (controlled burn) and I ended up doing a very short hike as I 
was a little concerned when I saw that one of the fallen trees was still
smoldering.  So I went to the General Grant Tree (3rd largest) and took
the short loop in that area.  I found a nice, semi-quiet spot in front of
a massive Sequoia and read for a bit.  I then checked in to my cabin and
got dinner and went up to Panoramic Point to eat dinner with a view.  It
wasn't much of a view, though, as there was a heavy haze over most of
Kings Canyon - should have stuck with the Sequoias.  After dinner, I went
back to my pretty tree spot and read some more.  A fairly relaxing day as
my trip winds down.

Today I took the long drive out to the coast and immediately took the
first turn off for a beach that I saw (in Morro Bay).  I spent a little
bit of time walking bare foot in the surf - one of my favorite things.  I
even found a couple of sanddollars for the kids (if they survive the trip
home).  I enjoyed the pretty drive up Hwy 1 along the coast and stopped at
a couple of places.  There were lots of Elephant Seals at one spot and
they were barking up a storm.  I paided the entrance fee and took the 17
mile drive through Pebble Beach for the first time ever and stopped at a
number of the scenenic points (including some more surf walking).

I'll start the morning with more surf walking and then head out to good
old Big Basin Redwood State Park for several hours.  Then it's off to the
airport.


patricia


----

From pbender@eskimo.com Tue Aug  8 09:03:38 2006
Subject: Last day of trip


For the last day of my trip, I headed out to the beach and started my
morning with a bare foot walk in the surf.  I then hit another beach for
some more surf-walking before heading inland.  At this beach, I saw a pair
of seals playing in the water and even saw a dolphin.  There was also a
partially sunken ship at the tip of the pier that was now a haven for
birds.  There were lots of people at this beach, even at 9 am on a Sunday
morning, as they were about to start a triathelon.  So I headed inland to
Big Basin Redwood State Park.  I took a fairly mild 5 mile loop through
the park.  I had plenty of time before needing to head to the airport, so
I took the scenic drive along Hwy 35 along the ridge in the mountains.  I
had decided that I would drive Hwy 1 in to San Francisco and then either
head to the airport or take a stop in the tourist area, depending on the
time.  I got suspicious about Hwy 1 as I kept seeing signs for mileage
with the distance to San Francisco covered up.  Sure enough, Hwy 1 was
closed ahead and I turned around and went to another beach and did some
more surf-walking - it wasn't too crowded as it was a fee area (and I
didn't have to pay again as a fee for 1 of the State Parks is good at all
the State Parks for that day).  And then the uneventful drive to the
airport and flight home.

So, that was my trip.


patricia