Yosemite and Beyond

Let me ask you a personal question--what is the most outrageous place you have ever played a game of Yahtzee? Have to think about it? That's a shame. Katie and I recently rolled a few games on the bald granite summit of Half Dome in Yosemite National Park.

Yosemite

After a few days with Katie's parents in Loomis we drove south toward Yosemite. We had reserved our permit months in advance to hike to the summit of Half Dome. Under the new permit system only 400 people can climb the final 100 meters to the summit each day. Until the permit system was put in place thousands of people made the climb every day.

The hike is strenuous enough, climbing almost 5,000 vertical feet over the course of the 8 mile trail to the summit. The trail climbs past stunning waterfalls, chilly rivers, and some downright gorgeous views. As the trail nears the summit the grade turns even steeper, switchbacking up the granite mountain on the top of which Half Dome actually sits.

 

The final 100 meters must be ascended with the assistance of fixed cables. This keeps the trek within the realm of hiking rather than technical rock climbing. The ascent up the cables is insane. The rock is steep and slick from the shoes of millions of hikers. The equally polished cables are the only things between the hiker and 5,000 feet of air. One wrong move and you get almost a full mile of free fall to think about it. Still, the summit was relatively crowded when we made it.

The "summit" is not a peak, but rather an open, flat field of granite. It ends abruptly in an enormous overhanging precipice on one side, and gently slopes off into oblivion on the other. A perfect venue for a few rounds of everybody's favorite dice-based game of skill and strategy. Katie and I had gotten hooked on Yahtzee while on the Big Island. We packed the five dice and a notebook to keep score so we could do a little extreme Yahtzee-ing.

We made it down the mountain safe and sound before dark. We enjoyed a glorious dinner and camped for the night.

Chewing Gum Lake
 
Chewing Gum Lake was he next stop on our trek. Chewing Gum is a rather small lake tucked back in the Emigrant Wilderness area of the Sierra Nevada, north of Yosemite near Sonora, CA. My grandfather used to take me there when I was a boy. My dad continued to take me there after my grandpa died. I hadn't been there since I was 15.

The hike in is only about 4 miles. But after hiking close to 18 miles the day before, Katie and I found ourselves running out of gas early on in the hike. Our conversation waned into silence as we focused on putting one foot in front of the other.

 

 

 

The lake was exactly as I remember it as a boy--pristine and undisturbed since the day God himself put it there.

Chewing Gum Lake is not the sort of place you waste your time failing to describe adequately on the internet. It's the sort of place you don't let too many people know about so it's still pristine when you want to take your own kids there someday.

 

We stayed for three nights before hiking back out to our car and the 21st century.

More Honeymoon: The Lake House

California

After our honeymoon jaunt on the Big Island we flew to California. The ultimate purpose of the trip was to attend our second wedding reception, held in Walnut Creek. But that was just one day out of a six-week trip.

We first flew into San Jose where we stayed with my parents for a few days. Always great to see the parents. From there we took the train up to Sacramento to visit Katie's parents. Always great to see them too.

Katie used to ride the train frequently, but I had never had the experience. The trip was charming, traveling by rail up the eastern shore of the San Fransisco Bay--until somebody decided to step in front of our train in San Leandro. We didn't know it had happened until the engineer made an emergency stop. After a two-hour delay, Amtrak sent a bus to pick us up and take us to the next station.

I absolutely love the Langford homestead (that would be my wife's family fyi). Katie grew up just outside the town limits of Loomis, California. Loomis sits just off Interstate 80, about 45 minutes east from Sacramento. Definitely more country than San Jose (where I grew up). Her dad built the house himself. The house sits on a 5 acre property that has everything a home should: blackberry bushes in abundance, a large open field, a dilapidated tree house in an ancient oak tree, and a beautiful-but-not-too-tamed lawn. The living room was designed specifically to accommodate the extra-large Christmas tree the family puts up each year. Pretty ideal. I love spending time there because it feels more like Home than my actual home.

We spent a couple of days there before driving up to the Lake House. Back in the day, Katie's grandpa discovered the gem that is Lake Almanor, a reservoir in Northern California, just in the shadow of Mount Lassen. He bought property there cheap and built a house. These days it serves as a cabin for family weekend getaways and escapes. It fills its Weekend Cabin roll perfectly. Just a hundred feet or so from the water's edge, large porch, surrounded by pines (aka hammock anchors), barbeque, private dock, crawdads, et cetera.

Hawaii Island

Hawaii Island, also known as the 'Big Island', has been a lovely and wonderful place to start off our lives together.  Our first visit to this island, was the beginning journey of our nearly 3-month honeymoon!  We loved it.  We spent our days exploring this exotic land by car, trail runs, hikes, swimming, and even jumping off a 35 ft cliff into crystal blue waters!

When we first arrived into Volcano, we turned off the main road and followed a dirt road that lead into the thick green fern forest that surround Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. The Apapane Lodge where we would be staying for a little over a week, is located within Volcano Village, a quiet small village tucked up in the cool, dark, and damp parts of Hawaii. The temperatures drop into the low 50s at night, requiring blankets, warm clothes, hot cocoa and playing games or reading by the fireplace.  Little did we know that when we came to Apapne Lodge the first time, that in about 3 months time, we would be calling this place home!

Take a look into the wonderful world of Volcano, Hawaii.

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is a geological wonder located just a mile up the road from Volcano Village.  It is one of nature's more interesting playgrounds. Lava tubes, tunnels, steam vents, craters you can walk down into and along the rolling crater floor, sulfur pits, sink holes, and lava! The lava looks like it is only steam during the day, but scroll down and you can see what that caldera looks like at night standing at the viewing deck at Jaggar Museum about half a mile away.  First, a stroll through Thurston Lava Tube. 

The Hilo side of the island is known for it's rocky shores, black sand beaches, and tide pools.  After taking these next couple photos we met two brothers who had just been out spending the morning together spear fishing.  We talked story for a little bit and they directed us towards a swimming hole down the road.  The directions went something like this, "Keep going until the road starts to wind and dip, then when you enter the mango grove park and walk down the first dirt road you come to." This is exactly what we did!

Just the word "Hawaii" brings many  images to mind: sunsets, palm trees, soft inviting beaches, lush mountains, ukuleles, hula dances, and luaus to name a few.  A couple of our favorite things about this island is the unbeatable star-gazing on the top of Mauna Kea and Ka Lae.  Ka Lae, or South Point, is the southern most part of the United States.  Here is what the true southern tip of the U.S.A. looks like. It was rumored to have some cliffs to jump off of, and so naturally Nic had to check it out.  Katie took a little more coaxing to the edge, but she did it! Nic jumped off so many times, we lost track.  Katie took the rickety rusty ladder back to the top, but Nic ventured up the "rock wall less traveled." As soon as he would reach the top, he would turn around and plunge back into the deep blue below.  We met some other folks our age that had been there before and they told Nic that if he jumped through the hole in the ground it would come out the other side! So, yes... Nic jumped down into that too!  They were right, as it opens up to an enormous cave and arch leading out to the ocean. 

Shave Ice recharge before an ice pond recharge!  On the Kona side, we searched out the "Queens Bath" and took a dip. It was c-c-c-old, but was fun to swim under the tunnels and see the crystal clear fresh  water.  The Kona side is very dry and desert-like.  It is the warmer side of the island, just like every island has a dry side and a wet side.  Kona has a more significant amount of sunny days compared to the Hilo side, but the Hilo side also has all the ranches, rainforests, and flower farms.  After our day in Kona, we made our way up to Mauna Kea to see some stars.  It was interesting to take off our swim suits and put on jeans, socks, shoes, long sleeves, sweatshirts, jackets, and beanies!

This last photo is of us and our space ice cream at the visitor's center at Mauna Kea Observatory.  Every night there are few star talks and multiple telescopes out to check out stars, plants, and constellations.  We now live about a 40 minute drive away and we like to bundle up and head up the mountain, with our thermos of hot cocoa and binoculars.  At a little over 9,000 feet, it is easily in the 40s-50s at night.  The peak of Mauna Kea is over 13,000 feet and we are praying for snow!