I realize I’ve left you all in the dark about our location. We did so much camping in national parks that internet access was hard to find. I found myself falling father and father behind on the postings. In a nutshell we’re back home in good old S.C. The trip was great and as usual it was a whirlwind of stops.
Death Valley….. What can I say other than boy is it dry out there!!!!!!! I know if you hit it just right, the desert flowers in the spring will just blow you away. We weren’t that lucky, but was a very interesting place.The formations, the vastness, definitely worth the drive thru.
We headed to Mono Lake after Death Valley. This lake was real interesting. In the future it will be nothing to speak of for future visitors. I’m glad we got to see it now before it’s lost. The lake will transform into a much better ecosystem.In a couple of years it will hide much of it’s formations as the water level is allowed to rise. The lake is all salt water with its salinity higher than the ocean and the famous Salt Lake in Utah. There is an island in the middle, that birds use as an important breeding ground. The lake has lost much of its water due to streams being diverted to supply greedy L.A. with water. The island became accessible to predators via a land bridge caused by this water loss. The lake suffered, so the government has now decided to save this nesting area by not diverting as much water and allowing its level to rise and save the birds. Unfortunately the beautiful masses you see in the picture will be hidden under water. Score one for the birds.
After our education on the salty lake we headed off to Yosemite!!!!
This place is beautiful, unfortunately its close proximity to major cities has made this a crowded place. I’m not good with crowds that’s why I live where I live. I had to at least experience this place one time before I check it off my list. The hiking we did got us the over all feel of the place. We saw the magnificent Sequoias and the huge water falls. We managed to hike miles and miles, mostly up hill.
There are no pictures that can begin to show you what we saw. To truly see this magnificent view you have to hike 7 miles, brave the water that covers you as you hike along the side of the falls and brave hundreds and hundreds of stairs. Since your all friends I’m giving you this peek. My muscles ached for days but we got to see two rock climbers scaling half dome, we got to see the helicopter pluck someone from the midst of trees with a rope and at the top of the falls we got to take a nap on a stone beach. Not bad for a days work.
Ok I got to go do a few things, I’ll finish my story later.
mom said,
July 7, 2009 at 10:50 am
Glad your home safe and sound and filled up with new great memories. Chas has always wanted to go to that part of the world, but if we did now we would not see the wonders you saw by hiking and braving the natural forses. Hope the realities you came home to are good… Felicie is arriving today for a four day visit. She is not going with the Peace Corps in August as she was planning. Seems they didn’t like her mended broken arm from January… Our wee forest is busy with all kinds of new borns: Sparrows, Wrens, Robbins, Cowbirds,Red Squirrls, Fox Squirrls, Chipmunks, and a Fawn has been seen in the neighborhood. Nuthatches are flitting back and forth and the Doves, Bluejays and Cardinals are battling over space on the plate feeder. It’s a joy, right here in the middle of the city and in our backyard. Good luck with your next batch of wild ones. Happy Birthday Bruce on the 11th. Love Ya All and glad your home safe and sound. MOM
annie said,
July 25, 2009 at 5:30 pm
Wow! those views are stunning and absolutely beautiful! Glad you had such a good trip. I would like to go out west one day. Been all over the east and to Oregon and as far as Nebraska but not in between.