At the swinging bridge. Another favorite spot to spend the day splashing around the Merced.
Pano from our climb on Sunnyside Bench.
Spent another enjoyable weekend in Yosemite. Man I love that place.... Got in one climb with James on Sunnyside Bench. A very mellow 3 pitch climb... but sure gave me the taste that I crave. I'd love to get out again... soon.
"Cheese"
The bike gang.
back at camp, breakfast was in full force.
Kevin feeding his minions...
Nikko was sure to get in on the action.... "want, want, want..."
back down the trail, we decided to have lunch and explore some rocks... these are the so called "Indian Caves"
Red next to black... a friend of Jack...
playing in the river next to camp.
Kai getting ideas from brave Marian
Kai's turn...
Kai found a "rock egg". It actually matches our kitchen counter. Good work Kai!
This was James' first multipitch route in Yo! Good work! While we were climbing we noticed a small fire across the valley.
The next morning, the boys decided to get up early, so I took them on a bike ride.
Caught a nice sunrise. Check out this E-bike mamachari.
see... look how much happier she is. She usually looks like this.
Laura leading the kiddos in morning Tai Chi.
Later on we explored some of the Indian and Spider Caves in the valley...
Perfect for kids to explore...
Then we spent the rest of the day playing near the swinging bridge in the nude.
Check out this crayfish.
For you aspiring climbing parents... check out this crazy climbing dad...
Had an amazing time at the Hoes Down Festival a few weekends ago. Diana told us about it, and we decided to go last minute. What a great decision. For folks that have kids... it's stupid not to go to this. Go. Next year. Let's all go.
Kai found his halloween outfit at a stop in Fairfield on our way up to Full Belly Farm in Guinda.
Our camp. All the sites were decent as it was in a walnut orchard. Plenty of shade, wind break, and some privacy.
This is the "walk-in" camping area.
On to the festival... they had a gourd painting station...
first you had to pick a gourd, wash it, then dry it...
and Kai was off to paint!
We explored the animal petting stations while waiting for the gourd to dry.
Quite an amazing hay pile. They had constructed it so there were caves running through the mountain. Kids came out and asked... "can I borrow your phone so I can see in there..."
Nikko wasn't afraid of any cow... unlike Kai... who scampered off at this point.
Plenty of yummy food options...
The amazing dunk tank contraption...
That's Kai waiting his turn... I got video...
Then it was time to swim in Cache Creek.
One of three music stages! Quite chill... unlike Hardly Strictly...
Kimbo thinks Nikko will take a nap... I think her success rate is about 2% these days.
Piggies! Behind an electric fence. They need a sign...
Zipline! Maybe next year Kai...
Kai starting the adventure course... first he had to milk a cow...
Take the full milk cup...
Across the bridge of doom...
Put an egg under his chin... over a hay bale... and put the egg in a basket.
Grass Maze...
Kai liked feeding the goats.
Sheep shearing demonstration.
Kai with his gourd!
Then we saw the Vesperian Circus! For the third time this summer!
And the Gentile 5... soon to be 6...
The high wind caused the circus to crash after the show...
Wild Chickens...
mmmm.... at night, I put the kids down while Kimbo volunteered at the Mediterranean Cafe. And after dozens of rain dances, it RAINED! For 30 seconds.... but it rained!!!
The next morning we signed up for the bike farm tour...
See all that rain... .1 inches maybe?
Our farm tour guide...
Nikko was quite happy...
Checking out the botanical gardens.
At River Dog Farms. Talking to the owner was really eye opening.
At the Big Red Olive Oil Farm...
not so surprisingly, these kids slept pretty darn well...
Since it was so nice still, we decided to keep driving on to Crowne Beach so the kids could have a few more hours of playtime...
Next Time:
Invite more families for double the fun!
Bike up to the festival? Would be fun, but the roads don't have much of a shoulder... but you do get in for free.
Getting stoked for ski season! These guys put out the most creative edits, I swear... Not my style, but highly entertaining.
