Day 44

We were awakened at 4am by Brayden who said he didn't feel well. He hasn't ever gotten up in the middle of the night on a trip so I knew this wasn't good. He said he felt better on our way back from the bathroom but I gave him a sick bag to take back into the tent just in case. I didn't go back to sleep again and was glad I gave him the bag at 6am. The kids had rarely been sick on the trip and now each of them had been sick on this one - yuck! Being sick is never fun, but on vacation in a tent has to be pretty bad.

He said he felt a little better when he got up a little later so we packed backpacks again after a quick breakfast. We met Grammie and Ryan at our visitors center to drive to our morning ranger hike. We decided to drive today because we wanted to get back a little quicker to fit in an afternoon hike.

On our way to the parking area we made sure to go under Tunnel Log - a sequoia that fell about 300 years ago. We were early to the hike so I took some time to read about the High Sierra Trail. This trail was 60 miles across the Sierra Nevada Mountains to Mt McKinley at more than 14,000 feet.

The hike to Tharpe's Log was easy and quick. The ranger stopped a few times to tell us a few things but most we'd already learned in our time there already. I was elbowed again as the kids spotted the ranger who is following us everywhere.

Laney was most excited to see the one-log cabin so Dave handed her the camera. According to historical accounts Hale Tharpe created this home inside a downed sequoia tree so he could bring his cattle in the summers to graze in the meadow just outside the front door. He befriended the local Potwisha Native American tribe who showed him all around the Giant Forest and Morro Rock. One more settlers came to the area they brought disease that killed most of the tribe while the few that remained left the area completely.











Brayden still wasn't feeling well so he walked back to the parking area with Grammie while the rest of us continued down the trail to Chimney Tree. The heartwood of this tree was burned out but the bark still remained. We all easily fit inside it was so big!

Our next stop was Morro Rock. This rock has been popular to scale since only the Native Americans lived in the area. Back them people scaled the granite rock by climbing in the cracks between rocks. Once it became a national park they added wooden stairs to the top. These stairs were rickety and had issues with rot from the snow during the winter. Finally an architect was called in who created steps carved into the rock or made of concrete. They snake around the rock to maintain the integrity and shape of the rock for visitors to enjoy.









We lucked into one of the 10 parking spaces and grabbed the camera for the climb. Brayden opted out so he sat in the shade by the trail head still looking miserable. The rest of us made the 400-step climb to enjoy the view of the Sierra Nevada Mountains and the foothills of the park. We even spotted some of the hairpin turns we would be taking the next day when we left!

The car ride back to the campsite did Brayden in so he decided to lay down in the tent for awhile. Dave bought him some Gatorade to see if he could keep it down for awhile. The rest of us ate some lunch then Grammie and I got ready to hike a trail to Topokah Falls. Dave stayed behind with the girls and I was hopeful he would be so kind to do our laundry while we were gone.



The trail to the falls was beautiful although a little bit warm. We are used to hiking mostly in the forest and there were big open sections in the sun. The river we hiked next to was refreshingly cold though!

There were lovely meadows about every 1000 feet that grabbed my attention off the trail. The mountain we would be hiking to popped up into view in one of the meadows as well. The bees were happily buzzing to every single flower in the meadows so you could hear a constant buzz all around.

About an hour into the hike we made it to the falls! I was so warm I thought about swimming but wasn't thrilled about hiking back wet. The water fall was running well but I can only imagine how strong it was in the spring!










I said goodbye to Grammie at the trailhead and was greeted by the girls on my walk back to the campsite. They had been having fun with their Rip It journals while I was gone. Brayden didn't have as much fun since he got sick again. We tried graham crackers and bottled water to see if that would be better. Dave was (HOORAY!) away doing the laundry! I was able to finish my book before we made some veggie chili for dinner. Brayden requested a grilled cheese and we were all hoping he was starting to feel better.

The girls asked if I'd felt the water in the river and I said I had but I wanted to go put my feet in after the long day of hiking. They and Dave joined me for an extremely cold and refreshing soak. Ryan and Laney even got all the way in to their shorts!

Laney had enough after a minute or so but Ryan loved exploring the river. She found rocks for everyone and threw the ones back she didn't like. She might as well have gone swimming!

We had a visit from a few younger mule deer while we were eating but they didn't stay too long. We ate quickly because we had another program to get to tonight. This one was about the CCC in Sequoia so we were all very interested in going. Brayden even felt relatively well enough to go.

We have learned a lot at several parks about the impact the CCC had on the infrastructure and buildings in each park. We've also seen numerous buildings attributed to the hard work of these young men. It was no different in Sequoia with roads, walls, and buildings built by these guys.

This ranger's program was unique because she took us on a drive through the park and showed exactly what projects the CCC accomplished during their few years in the park. A few of the stops we would be making the next day on the way out of the park were on the list. Sequoia credits the CCC as making the biggest contribution to the park in its history. Shortly after the program started our friendly ranger that we see everywhere sat next to Laney. We joked after the program that she would be hanging out at our hotel next!

We forgot to bring headlamps to the amphitheater so we tried to walk real close to a few other people until they turned off to their site. This park was incredibly dark at night! The moon wasn't up yet so we slowly walked back until we saw our familiar neighbors.

About 30 minutes after we said goodnight Brayden was up not feeling well again. Dave offered to switch tents with him and that seemed to make him feel a little better. We tried a couple different things before he eventually got sick again. About an hour later I heard him breathing heavy finally asleep. Tonight was his night for using 2 sleeping bags but we ended up proping him up with one of them so I forfeited my hammock underquilt for his feet. I was hoping I'd be ok with just my sleeping bag and wearing a sweatshirt!

Day 40

I set my alarm just in case but of course I was up well before the sun. I edited pictures until Dave woke up and we decided to start breakfast. Dave made a big pot of cheese grits while I prepped all our sandwiches and snacks for the day. The kids were not at all happy when I woke them up at 6:30 but a warm bowl of grits helped a little bit.

We made it to Grammie's spot about 30 minutes early so I got the angry stares from Brayden and Ryan. That meant they could have slept for 30 more minutes! They forgave me a little bit when they realized they had a few minutes to play mini-golf while we waited.  I expected a little shuttle bus to be driving us but it was a very nice and comfy tour bus bringing us into the park. This was definitely worth the investment!

It took us about an hour to get into the park and down to the valley. The views were spectacular with us up high in the bus. I was excited to get my feet on the ground and start hiking the area. I already could tell this was a park I would want to spend at least two weeks hiking on another visit.

Since we weren't staying in the park we didn't have a program schedule or map until we walked into the visitors center. I asked for some advice from the ranger and we were off to see Yosemite Falls. This hike was super easy but the payoff with the view of the falls was wonderful. I could only imagine how huge this waterfall would be in April or May with the snow melt!

 We have definitely gotten used to the 70 degree days and were not enjoying this 90 degree one! We sat in the shade to get some water and let the kids climb around the rocks for a few minutes before continuing on.




The trail was very busy and we overheard accents from all over the world. I would imagine this was an easy trail the majority of people took if they had just a day or afternoon in the park like us.

Our next hike was the Cook's Meadow just across from the falls. Not many people were opting for this trail in the morning heat so we were able to enjoy it a little more. The view of Half Dome and the falls was awesome. We also learned a lot about the Native Americans who called this area home like in many other parks we've visited. The meadow we were standing in was set on fire by the Awaneechee every year to encourage new growth. Once they were pushed out by gold seekers and other settlers they later returned describing the meadow as overgrown and ugly. Today the National Park Service performs prescribed burns in the area to lessen the changes of a fire from lightning as well as to return nutrients to the soil for meadow plants to thrive.

Our next bus took us to Cathedral Beach for lunch and the cool waters of the Merced River. There were ravens staring at as as we ate so we didn't take too long. It was nice to lighten the load of carrying lunch around for a family too!  Dave took the kids down to the water to cool off for a few minutes and check out the view of El Capitan. He made a new friend while he was there!


Earlier this year we went with Grammie to watch the Free Solo movie about the first person to freely climb El Capitan without ropes. It was inspiring, funny, and a little scary too! We gained a whole new perspective once we were standing at the base of the sheer wall. None of us were willing to say we would try that climb!








We hopped on the bus back to the visitors center to enjoy the air conditioning and the movie next.
The kids all placed their votes for the coolest hair first.

This movie was a little different than most with less to learn and more about the beauty and spirit of the area. We stopped by the giant gift store for post cards and stickers then Ryan and I ducked into the museum for a few minutes. We were leaving the park on the first bus to be able to make it back for Lola. We all feel sad for her to have long days locked up in the RV. She probably loves these naps in the AC though!



After we returned to Grammie's spot and everyone got their Lola licks in the kids went to play volleyball with Brayden's mini soccer ball. I ran to the corner grocery story to pick up some kind of fresh something as we were pretty much out of everything fresh. Dinner was quick then the kids were sent begrudgingly for showers. I was excited for mine!




We all smelled so much better as we walked to tonight's outdoor movie - The Goonies! Grammie helped the kids pop the bags of popcorn I'd grabbed so we were set for the night. Well except all of us forgot sweatshirts so by the time the credits started rolling we were more than ready to pack up our chairs and head back.

Brayden and Ryan were excited about being able to sleep in the next day as were Dave and I. We begged Grammie to make her homemade biscuits in the morning for us since she was plugged into power at this park. I had the easy job of just showing up with yogurt and strawberries in the morning!

Day 38

I was up early ready to pack up our canvas houses and hit the road for our next spot. We had a relatively easy drive through small towns and national forest so Dave drove while I tried to catch up on editing pictures and posting. We decided to skip any stops and head straight to Lassen Volcanic National Park to enjoy the area. It seemed like the kids might need a down day to relax and play too. We entered California with a very different, quiet reaction than the first time about a month ago. While I am looking forward to being back home the reality is setting in that it will be in less than 2 weeks!

Our first stop in the park was the visitors center for the park movie and hiking advice.  The movie was interesting teaching us more about volcanoes. This park is one of the few areas in the world where all four types of volcano can be found—plug dome, shield, cinder cone, and stratovolcano. It also doesn't have any glaciers but instead has 14 permanent snow fields. Lassen Peak is the largest plug dome volcano in the world. There are also mud pots and other hydrothermic features in the park that we would drive by the next day.

As we drove through the park I was hoping to get a get view of the peak for a picture. Since we weren't hanging around for a day to hike I wasn't sure that I would see it again after the entrance. It did peek out from the trees at one stop.

Dave and I are curious why this isn't a more popular national park. It was small but definitely has a lot to offer. I was disappointed we were only staying here one night and I will absolutely be back!

We were definitely returning to warmer days so after we set up the kids decided they wanted to swim. The lake next to our campsite looked refreshing and was sprinkled with people swimming and paddle boarding.There was a perfect log floating in the lake where the kids got in so they were able to put their log rolling practice to the test. Except for Ryan accidentally falling in no one actually swam as the water was quite cold, especially in the shade.

Our site was still hot in the sun so we decided to walk to Grammie's site to cook dinner. There was a nice trail between our campgrounds around the clear little lake the kids tried to swim in. It also had a tiny little view of Lassen Peak.  I was excited for a picture in the early morning with a quiet, calm lake and maybe even a little sunrise colors the next morning!

Grammie had us a nice fire ready after dinner where the kids made s'mores and we talked about our plans for our next stop - Yosemite National Park. It was one I was looking forward to except for the sheer amount of people that would be there.  We had a long drive ahead of us the next day so we decided to get some sleep and pull out early in the morning. I was excited to drive through the rest of the park in the morning!

Day 37

It was very cold overnight so we woke the girls up with hot chocolate in their sleeping bags. Dave cooked a tall stack of french toast while I put together sandwiches for our hike today.  After the girls prepared all our backpacks for the hike they had just a few minutes to practice their log rolling.

We had a schedule to keep today so once we picked up Grammie we headed straight to the visitors center to watch the park's movie. With our long day we were thinking we wouldn't be able to fit it in any other time. I didn't know that much about Crater Lake except the island in the middle was a volcano. I found out the whole mountain - Mt Mazama - was a giant volcano that erupted and collapsed to leave this huge crater. The island  cinder cine in the middle was formed with later eruptions similar to the lava dome in the center of Mt. St. Helens.

The lake was the most impressive part holding some of the most pure water in the world. It is the deepest lake in the U.S. at 1,934 feet and has exceptional water clarity with scientists recording sight more than 100 feet deep. The lake has no streams flowing in or out.

Next we parked at the Cleetwood Trailhead to hike down to our boat that would take us to Wizard Island, named because of its sorcerer hat shape. The hike was only 1 mile but there was a 700-ft elevation change. The walk down to the water was very easy with switchbacks all the way down which meant it was going to be a strenuous hike up!  I couldn't get over how blue the water was and how clear! These pictures don't even begin to capture how beautiful blue it was.

Once we reached the bottom we had some time to look around the area. There was a large amount of people on the trail and I saw now most were coming down to jump off Jumping Rock and swim in the frigid water. I'm all for jumping off a rock and swimming but I think I'll save it for warm water. Ryan said she might try it after the hike.

All down the trail and scurrying around the dock were these adorable little guys trying to make friends with us. I was shocked with the park ranger said they have food for sale for them. Then he said the only problem is they carried the plague and I got the sarcasm. They are so cute though you just want to make them yours!







The shuttle to the island was quick and gave us cool views of the layers of rocks inside what was the mountain. The kids grabbed a quick snack and we started up the trail to the top. This was also a 700-ft elevation gain in a mile - tough work for all of us! The views were spectacular of the water all around us.

With so many rocks around from the volcano we found tons of heart rocks. I kept a red one but the kids wanted to make sure I got pictures of the ones they found. 

I noticed on the boat as we were getting close to the island many of the tree trunks appeared completely bright green. As we were hiking up the trail and were closer we couldn't help but notice the florescent green Wolf Moss on the trees. If the moss had fallen to the ground it especially stood out on the gray rocks.

Once we made it to the top the kids found a shady spot while I explored with the camera. The sun was hot but it seemed as you slipped into the shady the temperature instantly dropped about 20 degrees. It wasn't too long before Dave made it with our lunch. He was the lucky one with a big enough backpack to carry everything.  Grammie wasn't too far behind him and we were all quiet looking around at the view. 

The girls decided to go down into the crater of the cinder cone with me and the rest hiked around the rim. The trail was steep and gravel-y so we slipped and slid quite a bit the whole way down.  See us down there at the bottom!?

Grammie was quite a bit ahead of us this time as we all met back up at the trail to head back down. This way was much easier and we were able to really check out the view. The kids talked about their plans for the house once we got home as well as a potential zombie apocalypse. Several of the families of their friends made the list of ones they would like to be sure to live in a compound with.

We made it down to the Fumerole Bay trail split and almost decided to go see the bay but a guy coming up the trail discouraged us.

We had about 40 minutes until the shuttle boat came back so we decided to enjoy the water at the dock instead. We all stuck our tired feet in and enjoyed the cold water and the beautiful view. The cold water instantly cooled our entire bodies! We even drank our fill of the pure water. It was refreshing and delicious!  Dave talked Ryan into walking into the water around the bend because she wanted to go swimming.  She was all smiles as she wobbled around on the rock bottom.

Our boat arrived as scheduled and we were headed back to the dock before too long. There was a bit of a traffic jam of boats where we were to get off so our captain took us to see the "Old Man of the Lake".  This 30-foot tree has been bobbing up and down in the lake for more than 120 years. The water was so clear today we could see the roots of the tree down in the water. This tree travels all around the lake daily depending on the weather. The week before it had been hanging out at Wizard Island.              

The hike back up to the parking area was tougher than the Wizard Island hike. The switchbacks were helpful but grueling with little time for recovery. By the end we all just had our heads down waiting for the clearing in the trees to signal we were at the end. 

We brought all the kids back to the campsite so Dave could unload all the things he'd brought for them. The girls spent some time looking at the characters he'd drawn for them and Brayden shuffled through the selection of books he'd brought. We also gave Dave the gifts we'd purchased during our travel stops. Everyone was all smiles again!

I gathered the ingredients for dinner and we walked over to Grammie's RV to cook. Even when you are cooking in an RV it seems everything takes twice as long so Dave took the girls over to the village area of our campground. Brayden wasn't feeling well so he retired to his loft bed in the RV.

The hot sauce we bought Dave definitely lived up to its name as being the hottest on earth. He put his usual 4-5 shakes into his serving of soup and regretted it almost instantly! I'm not sure he tasted much after that!

The Rim Drive of Crater Lake was on my must-do list so we headed out after cleaning up. Brayden stayed in the RV as he still wasn't feeling well and Lola was going to keep him company.

We decided on a couple definite spots we wanted to see - the first being the Phantom Ship. This is a 17-story rock formation in the middle of the lake that appears to be a floating pirate ship.  This formation was actually a small volcano that pre-dated Mount Mazama but was strong enough to withstand the eruption to remain in Crater Lake.

The sun was starting to set so after a quick picture we decided to visit our next spot very quickly and come back for the rest of the sunset. The Pinnacles was a fascinating set of spires jutting out from the rocks below. Laney commented that it looked like some of the formations we'd seen in many of the caves we'd visited.  We learned these formations had been created from gases trying to escape through a fumerole where they came into contact with volcanic ash instantly cementing it. Over time the softer rock around the structures eroded away leaving these cool spikes.
We stayed briefly to enjoy the view then hopped back in the car anxious not to miss the sunset.

By the time we got back to the overlook there was gorgeous color all around! We sat to enjoy and admire the changes but I was a little frustrated to only have one or two spots to photograph through the trees. I wanted to get higher!

We had one more stop on our list that we had decided would be dark by the time we got there after the sunset. I suggested we keep going up to get above the trees and once we got there we were so glad we did! The colors were breathtaking and we could keep our eyes off the view.  We were definitely above the treeline now!

Laney took a bunch of panoramic shots of the sunset as that was the only way you could capture the 180-degree view! 

This ended up being one of my favorite shots Dave took because the water ended up looking like clouds. 

This sunset was the perfect end to our stay at Crater Lake. The temperature dropped about 20 degrees while we were there so we were all ready to get deep into our sleeping bags.  Tomorrow we would be moving further down the Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway.