2017 Pacific Coast Trip - Columbia River Gorge & SE Washington

Photo link:

https://goo.gl/photos/EsLNiwr8qmNJ56BV9

Friday, June 23^rd – Sunday, July 2^nd

Timberlake RV Campground, Happy Valley, WA

After leaving Oregon, we drove eastward toward the Columbia River Gorge National Recreation Area.  We drove through Portland, and made a wrong turn… ugghh. Had to drive through some side streets to get back on the interstate. After leaving the Portland area, we were both surprised to get views of Mt. Hood on the south side and then Mt. Adams to the north. WOW, they are so high we could see them many miles away. This central Washington location along the Gorge is filled with amazing mountainous, rocky landscapes on both the northern Washington side and the southern Oregon side. The drive was on the Oregon side, until we reached the Cascade Locks and crossed over the Bridge of the Gods in Washington. This is an historic river crossing as described by Native Americans as a gift from the Gods. “Scientists believe that about 1,000 years ago, a giant landslide from the north shore of the Columbia River blocked the Gorge and stopped the river’s flow. This natural dam created an inland sea in eastern Oregon, Washington, and into Idaho. Over time, water eroded the dam and created an awesome natural stone bridge. Eventually, this bridge fell, creating the Cascade rapids.” After the area was developed by pioneers, the current modern bridge was built. This area along the Columbia River is also historic as the Lewis & Clark Expedition followed the river towards the mouth and the ocean. After crossing the river our campground was just a few miles away up in the Washington mountains and forest.

After arriving and setting up camp, we gathered some information on local events and recreation. There just happened to be a Brews & Blues Festival that weekend. On Saturday, we headed about 3 miles west to the Skamania County Fairgrounds. We enjoyed the music and beers; yes, I actually tried a couple of craft brews. Not too bad for a non-beer drinker! With three more days to explore, we mapped out our activities. The next day we drove along the Oregon side to the waterfalls area. We hiked back to a couple of the falls, but at most trailheads there was no parking. The crowds were thick; but then again, it was Sunday.  We didn’t even get to stop at Multnomah Falls, the premier waterfall that didn’t require a hike. Oh well, we did see it as we drove by. Another day, we hiked along a beautiful trail on Dog Mountain. We took the dogs as they needed to get out and play. The trail was very steep, with four miles of uphill climbing. Kody and I turned around at the two mile point, Kurt and Luca continued to the peak. The pictures and the views were amazing, wish Kody and I could have made it.  On our last day there, we did a day trip back south in Oregon to Mt. Hood National Forest to get a closer look at the mountain. The dogs also went with us to explore. What a beautiful, scenic drive. We crossed over into Oregon at Hood River, then headed south through a gorgeous green valley, filled with orchards and vineyards. We were able to drive around Mt. Hood and closer to the base on the south side. This side has two ski resorts, which at this time were not operational. There was still a lot of snow on the mountain, but not enough for skiing. We had a great time in this part of the Gorge, was looking forward to moving eastward in Washington.

Beach RV Park, Benton City, WA (Tri-Cities area – Richland, Kennewick & Pasco)

Our plan was to head eastward to an area called Tri-Cities in southeast Washington. We were immediately surprised as we left the Gorge and found the landscape was changing into the “high desert”. We had no idea that Washington had desert. Even though the desert was all shades of brown/tan, the landscape was filled with green agriculture (anywhere they could irrigate). There were vineyards everywhere on sides of mountains and in valleys. There were also other crops; including onions, hops and wheat. This whole area had so much agriculture and there were sprawling new housing communities. In the Tri-Cities is the location where the Yakima River and Snake River converge with the Columbia River. We were fortunate to stay in a very nice, small RV park that was right on the Yakima River.

We decided we had to get the kayaks on the Yakima, as we hadn’t had many kayaking opportunities recently. So we found put-in and take-out locations. We were able to paddle right out of a boat ramp across the road from the RV park, then take out at a local park 11 miles downstream. Kurt had arranged an Uber driver to pick him up at the take out, where he left the truck before we paddled. This allowed us to take our time on the river, with our truck waiting for us at the end. Even though we were on the river, the scenery again was desert, with green along the riverfront. The water was not too clear or clean, so we didn’t really get in the water. Oh well, at least we go the kayaks wet!

There were some mountain biking trails nearby in the desert hills, so Kurt decided he would get some exercise. I chose not to go, as the weather was getting hotter by the day. He did ride to the top of a local peak with great views of the valley. The trails were surrounded by our much hated “tan spear grass”, which we had encountered in California… same stuff!

Our last day there, we drove around the area, crossed the Columbia River and picnicked on the riverfront. The boys enjoyed the day with us also. The Columbia was beautiful and full of boaters, both motor and kayaks. It was nice to relax in shade on a hot day. Now we were ready to head to Idaho and spend the Fourth of July in Coeur d’Alene on the lake.

 

2017 Pacific Coast Trip - Oregon Coast

Photo link:

https://goo.gl/photos/Z7BhjyMdzLkvDDig8

Monday, June 12^th – Thursday, June 22^nd   

Winchester Bay, Windy Cove C.G.

After spending a wonderful time in central Oregon, we headed to the Oregon Coast. This was one of our premier bucket list items, as we had seen pictures of the amazing rocky coast and beaches. We drove west through the Willamette National Forest, with beautiful views of the tall Douglas fir trees and some small mountain passes. We also passed though the city of Eugene on our way to Florence on the coast, then headed south to Winchester Bay. We quickly found out that this area of the coast is famous for the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area. This is a wonderland of beach dunes and lakes that is the playground for off-road vehicles. The Dunes are filled with campgrounds (on the sand), lakes, hiking trails and forests. The town of Reedsport is known for their annual chain-saw sculpting contest. There are wooden art sculptures all around town, it’s very interesting to see the talent there.

Our County campground was on the bay and close to everything. We began by touring the closest lighthouse, Umpqua River lighthouse, originally built in 1857. This is an active lighthouse with a distinctive Fresnel lenses that emit red and white flashes. We drove around the area and found an elk viewing meadow, didn’t see one elk. One day we drove south to Coos Bay to check out several state parks along the coast there. This area had the rocky, craggy coastline that we expected to see. We saw another lighthouse from a distance, the Cape Arago light. This is not a functional light and is owned by the local Native American tribe. Another amazing area was the Shore Acres S.P. This was once a coastal property owned by a wealthy timber baron and was ultimately donated to the state. The estate was filled with beautiful gardens and also a whale viewing area on the shore. There were amazing coastal vistas of rugged sandstone cliffs along the shore. We also visited Sunset Bay, a lovely crescent shaped beach with rocky shores and cliffs.

Depoe Bay, Fogarty Creek RV

After spending one rainy day inside, we decided to move north to the Newport area. Along the drive north, we stopped at various overlooks for more views of the amazing coastline. Cape Perpetua was particularly beautiful and has history of Captain Cook landing there. The only bad part was the weather was overcast, foggy, rainy and gloomy (June & Gloom). We stayed in the small village of Depoe Bay, which is famous for its whales that hang out there all year. After we setup camp in Depoe Bay, we found that right across the highway was another viewpoint on Fishing Rock. We took the dogs, crossed the highway and hiked over to the lookout. Even with the rain, it was quite beautiful. While staying in this little town, we headed north for more coastal gazing. This stretch of the coast was mostly composed of black volcanic rock with amazing vistas. We stopped at Cape Foulweather and was able to see some whales just offshore. There were several whale watching boats and whenever they sighted one, we could watch around their boats and get a glimpse of the grey whales. Along with the stunning vistas, there were huge beaches surrounded by rocky cliffs. The hikes up to the cliffs provided great views of the beach. We headed down to Newport for lunch and found a great little Mom & Pop seafood shack, the clam chowder and fish & chips were wonderful. We then toured the Yaquina Head Lighthouse. Again, we saw more spectacular views of black rocky coasts.

Seaside, Circle Creek RV

Our last location on the coast was in the area of Seaside, Oregon. This coastal beach town is a prime beach vacation town. The town has all kinds of activities for families and everyone. We stayed in the RV park just a mile south of town, it felt like we were in the country. Seaside is a very busy summer town, with the Necanicum River flowing through the town, and is a favorite place to kayak, stand up paddle board and paddle boat.

The first day we headed north to the city of Astoria, right at the mouth of the Columbia River. This fishing town has grown into a tourist stop. We rode the town trolley along the Colombia River waterfront with a great tour guide that explained the history of this town. We also drove up a hill to the Astoria Column, a huge tribute to the Lewis & Clark expedition and early pioneers. The column is painted in bas-relief drawings of the historical times in the area. We were able to take the stairs to the top and take in the 360 views of the inlet, bay, town and the Columbia River.

Ecola State Park was just a few miles south, so we went there to hike and see the coastal views. The dogs went with us and the hike was amazing. The lookout on the trail was a great view of the Tillamook Head Lighthouse. This light no longer is functional and has simply just been left alone. Even the views of the beach in the park were beautiful.

Kurt took one afternoon to go on a hike just east of Seaside. He took Luca and they hiked to the peak of Saddle Mountain Summit Trail. The pictures and views were amazing and they both had a great hike.

On our last day there, we headed just south to Cannon Beach to check out this beach town. It was quickly apparent that this beach town was upscale compared to Seaside. What a lovely town and a great beach. Nice little downtown with all kinds of shops, restaurants, art galleries, wine shops and breweries.  We took the dogs and walked onto the beach to get closer to Haystack Rock. This rock is a moss covered sea bird rookery, filled with all different species. We were in awe as we watched two bald eagles fly onto the rock and rob the nests. The seabirds all tried to fight them off, but the eagles had babies to feed also. The eagles got what they wanted. We were speechless after witnessing this act of nature, we will probably never see anything like it again. Wow. We wished we had spent more time in Cannon Beach, but we just ran out of time.

Had to head back inland and up into Washington State.

2017 Pacific Coast Trip - Central Oregon, Bend & Redmond

Photo link:

https://goo.gl/photos/fdDTyQP7tWUxNDTQ9

Saturday, June 3^rd – Wednesday, June 7^th   
LaPine State Park, Bend

We drove north out of Crater Lake area toward Bend. After meeting some RV campers in Sequoia, they had advised us to not miss the Bend area. They live nearby in a town called Sisters. They were correct! There are so many outdoor activities there and the regional area is all about being outdoors and dogs! They love their dogs in Bend, everything is dog friendly. Our kind of place.  

On our drive north to central Oregon we began to see more of the Cascades in the distance. It was an easy drive to LaPine State Park, which is about 20 miles south of Bend. This is a lovely remote park, so remote that we didn’t have any cell signal, but we managed without it. The Deschutes River flows right through the park and provided opportunities for paddling and hiking/biking trails along the river.  When we arrived there, we were informed that this area is in the “high desert”. Wow, it didn’t look like desert to me, but the altitude definitely qualifies. The main vegetation there are ponderosa pines, juniper trees and sage brush on the ground. It was actually quite beautiful with forests all around. Also, this area is part of the Cascades Volcanic Arc, and it was visible with most surrounding rock structures being volcanic in nature. While there, we hiked and biked several trails that were extensive within the park.

Just southeast of Bend is the Lava Cast Forest and the Mt. Newberry volcano, with obsidian and volcanic rock flows throughout the area. Also there is the Lava River Cave, which we toured. They rented high power lanterns to carry inside the cave as it was pitch black. The cave goes on for about 1 mile, we hiked back in a little over halfway then turned around. It was really interesting; we have been in many caverns, but nothing like this one. It was very unique. We also visited the Lava Butte, which is a non-erupted volcano that collapsed and became a butte. We hiked the short trail around the top of the butte and had great views of the surrounding valley. Mt. Bachelor, Mt. Newberry, Broken Top Mountain and the three Sisters Peaks were easily visible from there.

We went into Bend a couple of days to check it out. This city seems very new, the architecture looks like western/lodge/modern. Very interesting place with a lot of great ideas for living and tourism. The Deschutes River flows right through downtown and they have built a water park in the river that includes white water, small rapids for kayaks or tubing and simply swimming and playing in the water. Part of the park includes hiking, running and dog walking trails. Another afternoon we went into town to walk around, visit a brewery and eat some dinner. We were in the older part of downtown and it was so much fun to experience this wonderful city.

One day I ran a kayak shuttle for Kurt, he really wanted to get on the Deschutes River. He paddled about 10 miles downstream where I picked him up at a boat launch. The weather was perfect and he had great views of the surrounding mountains.

There was also a large mountain biking trail system west of Bend. We spent two days there biking Phil’s Trails. There were over 100 miles of trails for all skill levels of mountain bikers. The trails I rode were not very technical or difficult, but were so much flowy fun. Kurt enjoyed the black diamond trails and we really had a lot of fun. Biking is so popular in Bend, the trails were packed both times we were there, even on a weekday. I wish that we had the time to ride once more.

Thursday, June 8^th – Sunday, June 11^th   

Deschutes County Fairground RV Park, Redmond

After spending 5 days in the Bend area, we decided to move a little further north to Redmond. This area also has so many outdoor activities. We also found out there was a rodeo in Sisters that week, which is much closer to Redmond. Redmond is a laid back smaller town, filled with country people and surrounded by agricultural lands.

Downtown Redmond has a unique feature, the Dry Canyon. This is a shallow canyon that has been developed for recreation purposes. Along with hiking and mountain biking trails, there is a dog park with two fenced areas where dogs can run off leash. There are also baseball fields, an amphitheater, disc golf, playgrounds, tennis courts, skateboard park, and a soccer field.

Several miles north of Redmond is Smith Rock State Park. This amazing landscape has numerous hiking and mountain biking trails, along with rock climbing trails. Smith Rock is a volcanic creation, once a caldera the overlying rock collapsed into an underground lava chamber. The rock and debris then solidified into rock, creating the rock as it is now. The Crooked River runs through the park and provides a lush base for the park. We spent the day there on hiking trails with the dogs. We all headed up the Misery Ridge Trail, Kody and I made it up about 1 mile, then we headed back down to hike some of the river trails. Kurt and Luca continued to the peak, then hiked down the back side trail and around to the river trail. What an amazing stunning rock park. We really enjoyed our day there and would recommend this to anyone visiting the area.

We attended the Sisters Rodeo on Saturday night. We drove to the town of Sisters for the afternoon, walked around this quaint little mountain town and had a great Mexican food lunch. It was so exciting to finally see a rodeo on this trip. Typically, rodeos start in early summer out west, so we were too early for any other city’s rodeos. This was a premier rodeo for the northwest region. This was a PRCA event, so the cowboys were very good at their events. The performance was typical rodeo; bronco riding, bull riding, calf roping, team roping, steer wrestling, barrel racing and a special entertainer. This cowboy brought out in an old car his wild mustang that he had trained and his herding dogs and put on a very special show with his animals.  I was not able to get many pictures of the event riding since it was getting dark and the performers moved so fast that the pictures were just not great. We really had a fun time at this event, even though the weather was so cold, around the low 40s with wind. Wow, good thing had clothing for the cold weather. We hope to find more rodeos along our path forward. Maybe in Montana or N. Dakota!

After visiting this part of central Oregon, this would be a “go back” destination for us. We really enjoyed our time here; the activities, the people and the beautiful countryside.

2017 Pacific Coast Trip - Crater Lake National Park, Oregon

Photo link:

https://goo.gl/photos/t4NngHRgZG9WhqGY7

Monday, May 29^th – Friday, June 2^nd  
Crater Lake RV Park, Prospect, Oregon

After spending seven weeks in California, we finally crossed the border into Oregon. On the coastal drive out of northern California, the views still included redwood trees in the forest and rocky coastal waters. The weather was still rainy and foggy. We were ready to leave behind the gloom and fog.  We headed back eastward toward Crater Lake.

The first Oregon destination was in the Crater Lake National Park area. We camped at an RV park that is about 20 miles from Crater Lake. This RV park lies inside the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest, near the small mountain town of Prospect. This little town was once a prosperous gold mining area. The local people were very friendly and helpful.

The forest was filled with many hiking trails, with overlooks of the Rogue River and waterfalls. There were even trails right out of the RV park that we enjoyed. The premier trails were those that followed the Rogue River. This is another raging river that is filled with the record snowmelt. It’s so amazing to see the power of the water flow in the river. The trails included a gorge lookout from the highway bridge, Avenue of Giant Boulders, Mill Creek Falls, Barr Creek Falls, and various Rogue Gorge viewpoints from short hikes. There were so many places and not enough time.

We visited Crater Lake National Park for one day. We took the dogs with us as we didn’t want to leave them alone for too many hours. Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the United States at 1943’ and was created by volcanic activity. The lake is in a caldera created 7700 years ago when the Mt. Mazama volcano collapsed following a major eruption. Later eruptions created Wizard Island within the lake. Crater Lake is also part of the Cascades Volcanic Arc, which stretches from Lassen Volcano in northern California, to Oregon’s Mt. Hood and Mt. Jefferson, Washington’s Mt. Saint Helens and Mt. Rainier, and others up into Canada.

When we visited, there was still so much snow on the ground and only about one eight of the rim road was open. They were just beginning to plow the remainder of the rim road. We were able to go to the Visitor Center for information, drive to the Rim Village, and visit the Rim Lodge (where we had our lunch with a lake view). The only hiking trail open was the Discovery Point trail on the southwest side; even though this part of the road was plowed, hikers had to walk on the road about a mile to get to the trailhead. The good thing about this visit was that it was not crowded; however, since the access was so limited it was disappointing to not be able to drive the complete rim road and do some hikes. We were lucky that the weather was sunny and there was not fog on the lake, which is common this time of year. It was still an amazing visit and the views were spectacular. I think it is better to visit later in summer when there is no snow!

Our Oregon adventures continue!

2017 Pacific Coast Trip - Northern California, Orland (valley) & Arcata (coast)

Photo link:
https://goo.gl/photos/wvibcXJXrThtTTfG6

Wednesday, May 17^th – Sunday, May 21^st

Black Butte Lake, Orland, California

The Army Corps campground at Black Butte Lake was remote, quiet and beautiful. It reminded us of the last ACOE campground at Lake Hensley, only prettier. It was nice to relax by the lakeside for a while. The town of Orland was nearby and proved handy for shopping and fuel. There were some decent mountain biking trails around the lake, which we did enjoy riding. The first couple of days the weather was very nice, high temps in the 70’s; however, the remainder of the days became very warm with highs in the upper 80’s. It would not have been so bad, but the campground had no electric hookups. So we depended on our generator to keep our battery charged, forget about any air conditioning. We spent most of the day outside in the shade, which was bearable. At least it cooled down at night. While we were there, our RV battery went dead so Kurt had to go into Orland and purchase a new one. Thank God for Tractor Supply! Since it was too warm to engage in many activities, we used our time to take care of some maintenance issues and then relax. Kurt did take the kayak out on the lake for paddling and fishing. After five days there, we were ready to move back to the California coast.

Monday, May 22^nd – Sunday, May 28^th

Mad River Rapids RV Park, Arcata, California

Again, we had to cross back over the coastal mountains to get to Arcata, which is just north of Eureka. This drive was on decent mountain roads, but there were several delays due to road repairs and one major landslide causing a one way lane. The drive took us about an hour longer than normal. The first day we drove around the area to check out the beach and the surrounding area. The dogs had a blast running on the beach again. We found there was again a lot of agriculture along the coast. We found a nice hiking/biking trail and the beaches were dog friendly. The Mad River passed through town on its way to the Pacific.

The northern California coast is all about the redwood trees. The RV park in Arcata was located midway between Humboldt Redwood State Park to the south and the Redwoods National Park to the north. The weather was chilly and cooler on the coast. We first went south to Humboldt to drive the “Avenue of the Giants”. This part of the coast is not as rocky with cliffs as some further south. This scenic drive is about 31 miles in length, driving a two lane road among the giant redwood trees. There were several trails to get back in the woods. The forest floor was covered in giant ferns and was very green and moist. We took the dogs with us for the drive and on a few hikes. We didn’t drive the complete length, but still spent most of the day on this tour. On our way back to the campground, we drove through a small coastal town called Ferndale. This was founded in the 1850’s and was built in Victorian style, which was popular at that time. The well preserved homes and buildings are beautiful.

Another day we headed north to the Redwoods National Park. This was a huge coastal redwood forest with the biggest redwoods on earth. There were a couple of amazing hikes among the trees and waterfalls. On the drive back south, we drove the road that went right along the ocean. The views and rocky formations were stunning. As usual during our time in this area the skies were cloudy, and it was windy and chilly. The locals told us this time of year is their rainy season, they call it “June and Gloom”. Wow, we had no idea. The sun did peek out a little, but not every day.

On Memorial Day weekend each year, the city of Arcata hosts an annual event called Kinetic Sculpture Race. Contestants have to build artistic vehicles that must be driven on the road and also be able to float and navigate in the water. Kurt went down to watch the crazy event. The town was packed for this annual event to watch the amazing creations.

This was an amazing part of California which is filled with diverse environments; from dry deserts, to high mountains, fertile valleys, coastal mountains and amazing Pacific coastlines and beaches. After 7 ½ weeks in California, it was exciting to move on to Oregon. Looking forward to some different places to see there.

2017 Pacific Coast Trip - Lake Tahoe, Nevada

Photo link:
https://goo.gl/photos/YdvmFkhBph3Xoc8T9

Friday, May 12^th – Tuesday, May 16^th

Zephyr Cove RV Resort, Zephyr Cove, Nevada

Reluctantly we left Lake Hensley, as we had a relaxing time there. We headed back out into the valley and north on I-5, skirted around Sacramento and then headed west on Highway 50, which took us into the south end of Lake Tahoe and to our ultimate destination of Zephyr Cove RV Resort on the Nevada side. As we approached the foothills and then started climbing up the mountain road towards South Lake Tahoe, we drove the mountain roads through a beautiful forest and around to the southeast side of the lake to Zephyr Cove. The altitude change was from the valley at around 500’ to almost 6400’ at the lake. We didn’t realize how much it affected us until we both woke up in the middle of the first night with headaches. Some ibuprofen was an easy fix. After we had setup our RV that first evening, we walked over to the resort’s private beach. It was really beautiful with great sunsets and we could see it from our campsite.

The next day we drove the scenic road around the south side of the lake, through the town of South Lake Tahoe on the California side, stopping at Emerald Bay, and up to Meeks Bay on the west shore. As you cross the state line from California to Nevada, the multi-story casinos rise from the ground. The drive was very enjoyable, even though there was a lot of traffic. And it wasn’t even on season yet. There were still a lot of closures of Forest campgrounds, recreation areas and trails, due to the snow still in the mountains.

We were disappointed that we were not able to ride any mountain bikes trails, as they either still had snow on them or were muddy from the snowmelt. So we were able to hike a nice trail just to the north of our campground. There is a huge rock outcropping called Cave Rock where there is a tunnel for the road. We took the dogs and hiked this trail which was mostly dirt, until at the base of rock where it was rock scrambling up to the top. We all enjoyed the hike and the views were spectacular.

The first couple of days the weather was nice, 60’s for highs and low 50’s. The remainder of the days we were there it turned really cold, with highs in the 40’s and lows in the upper 20’s. It did snow a couple of days, but not enough to stick to the ground. It was still very frigid for us and the dogs. They were really glad to have sweaters and we were glad we had heavy jackets and gloves. We made the best of the weather and still enjoyed being outside.

There was a paved bikeway on the California side, which mostly followed the lake, with some areas through preserves and some through town. We rode several miles and even back into an area called the Tahoe Keys. This was a series of small inlands with houses and marinas. There was a public beach around the Keys where we were able to get some great pictures of the lakeshore and mountains.

After five days we were ready to get out of the cold and head back to California and some warmer weather. We really enjoyed Lake Tahoe, especially the amazing views of the lake and mountains. It would be fun to visit there in the summer and enjoy all the summer sports and being on the lake.

Our drive out of the lake was around the east side scenic road heading north, which is mostly part of a Nevada State Park. Then up around the lake and through Truckee California. From there we headed back on I-80 west to another Army Corp lake which is a stopover heading back to the coast and where we just needed to relax.

2017 Pacific Coast Trip - Yosemite National Park

Photo link:

https://goo.gl/photos/2JWqtBRyQ9VSesCU6

Sunday, May 7^th – Thursday, May 11^th

Hidden View Campground, Hensley Lake, California

The drive to Yosemite area took us back to the San Juaquin Valley, north through Fresno and up to Hensley Lake. This Army Corps campground is 40 miles southwest of the main entrance to Yosemite, which was the closest campground we could find with availability. But that was okay, because we loved this campground on the lake. It was so quiet and peaceful. We had already planned a one day drive into the park to visit all the sights we could. We have begun to cringe when we enter National Parks, as they are now so crowded and parking space is a premium to find. We knew this would be the same at Yosemite and it’s not even on summer season. There were still closed roads on the northern side of the park and some areas in the mountains still had snow on the ground. But the crowds were still there. We have found that many of the people are foreigners, mostly from Europe and Asia. We just have learned to deal with the record crowds and enjoy what we can of our beautiful National Parks.

After spending a relaxing full day at the lake, the next day we headed up to Yosemite. We took the dogs with us as we knew it would probably be at least a 10 hour day. The drive up the mountains was not so winding, but the traffic was heavy. As we entered the park, we found there were still a few roads closed, due to the winter storms that caused some major road damage. The main road entrance was closed to one lane, as the two bridges crossing the Merced River were now temporary, as the previous ones had been damaged. It would have been nice if this had shown up on the website alerts; this extended our drive by about an hour. After we finally entered the park we drove into the Yosemite Valley, the main area to view the special attractions in the park. After finding a parking space, we walked with the dogs along the main paved walking/biking trail. There we viewed Bridalveil Falls and Kurt was able to hike back on the trail to get a closer view. Dogs are not allowed on any unpaved trails in the park, one of our pet peeves about National Parks. As we drove through the main road in the valley, we were able to pull over on street parking and view El Capitan, Half Dome and other falls. There were a few falls that are usually not there, but due to the heavy snowfall and the early heat wave, there were more falls to enjoy. We brought a picnic lunch and found a river “beach” picnic area. We stopped there with the dogs and had a peaceful time. As the afternoon passed, we stopped on our way out at Yosemite Falls, Upper and Lower. Kurt was able to hike up to the Lower Falls and get some great views of the falls and the valley. I stayed with the boys in the truck, we did walk around the area and by the river. We decided to leave the park by the south entrance of Wawona, so we could see the park from a different perspective. What a pleasant surprise! The park was labeled Tunnel View, which we had no idea what that meant. Prior to the mountain tunnel, there is a huge parking lot and a viewing overlook back toward the Yosemite Valley. This was the place where Ansel Adams photographed his iconic pictures of El Capitan and Bridalveil Falls. WOW, we were so glad we took this southern exit; otherwise, we would never had known about this spectacular view. I think they should label this area as Valley View, not Tunnel View… As we headed south on this road, it quickly became a major winding mountain road. It was beautiful, but very tiring. This took us longer to get back to camp than we expected. It was almost 9pm by the time we arrived. All four of us were exhausted and hungry (except the dogs because I had taken their dinner with us), but we survived. I still have to say it was worth the time and effort to see this amazing National Park. Now we can check this off our bucket list!

We spent two more days relaxing at the campground and riding the trails. It was so nice to just chill out and enjoy the beautiful lake. Now we were ready to move northeast to Lake Tahoe. So excited to see this place!