Yosemite!!!!

Another weekend adventure starting off with a long bike ride into unchartered territory (... I mean with my bike anyway...)  This time I wanted to ride through Bollinger canyon... which I thought I saw someone do on strava recently... but I certainly didn't make it.  After hopping a fence and passing numerous no trespassing signs, a man on horseback finally caught up to me to tell me that I was trespassing... the ride was quite flat after that, but it was really quite meditative.  Listening to my new favorite podcast Snap Judgement... I rode through the heat past fields of almonds, pumpkins, cows, wildflowers... past a RC airport, dirt tracks, several paintball courses, over Altamont Pass, thorugh Manteca and into Oakdale... where I saw some folks kayaking below.  Sounds like a fun canoe run. http://cacreeks.com/stan-oak.htm  Next time?  

After a burrito stop in Manteca, I met up with Kim and Kai in Oakdale at a shopping center with a thrift store and an awesome new Vietnamese restaurant.  And after another hour + of driving we were in the valley, in upper pines, site 130!

it was HOT!  at 7 pm it felt like it was in the high 80s...

Going for a stroll after dinner

and testing out the new flash for my NEX!!!

We went to bed a bit early... but Dylan and Kat rolled in around 2 am.  We weren't gonna stay up for them... 

Kai, ready to drive up to Glacier Point...

We stopped at Tunnel View on the way.

wee

On our way to Taft Point to eat lunch...

Taft Point!

alpine lilies, monkshood, with some mountain violet?

After lunch, we hiked back to the car, and Kimbo dropped Dylan, Kat & I off at Glacier Point.

to hike down the valley

Illilouette Falls...

two miles in, and this guy was overheating, got blisters, and was dying... 

Liberty cap with nevada fall... site of many deaths.  Tourons... stop swimming in Emerald Pools!

our route above

Got back, and found these two splashing around in the merced

when we got back, Kai's friend Kenji had arrived ready to zoom around the campground with their trucks...

We decided to go on a short ride around the park... Kimbo is blocking Kai in this pic...

This is basically what these kiddos did all weekend...

Tunnel hug!

After an awesome dinner of steaks & sausages by Dylan & Kat, we all called it a night.  The next morning these kiddos were still playing with their cars...

brekky!

Don't know who is driving...

Hi Kiddos...

After breakfast, we did another bike ride around the valley.  Kimbo, Kai & I on the tandem. Dylan on his bike, and Kat on my road bike.  We went up to Mirror Lake... then we stopped at Sentinel Bridge for a dip and cruised back to get back on the road.

Clear Lake Cabins with Kevin & Riley (July 12-14, 2013)

I cruised up to Clear Lake (the oldest lake in N. America) a few weekends back to spend the weekend at the cabins at Clear Lake State Park.  I decided to ride up as far as I could with the intention of having Kimbo pick me up if I didn't make it.  It's a good thing I made it as I forgot to put on an extra bike rack and had to have Kevin bring one up later... 

Crossing the Carquinez Bridge...

Check out this huge frog.  

After a nice ride through wine country followed by some climbing up near Mt. St. Helena I cruised down to Kelseyville where I promptly took a nap at the county park.  I started my ride at 5 am, which meant getting up at 4 am to start packing the car.  And I was up until 2 am celebrating our championship season in intramural soccer the night before.  

We met up for lunch at the Brickhouse BBQ in Kelseyville.... the owner's got quite the mobile rig set up.  Pretty impressive.  He's quite eager to show it to you too, so just ask.  Kelseyville is also known for the "Clear Lake Massacre."  Too bad the place is named after such a d-bag... at least they got what was coming to them...

Entering the state park... I think that's Ranger Wright... he is quite notorious on yelp... 

Clear lake?  Not so much... Clear lake is quite eutrophic and the algae is natural.  

Once you get out into the lake it's not as bad... but I still wouldn't go swimming there...

Great Blue Heron

Riley & Kevin showed up in the middle of the night... next morning they had brekky together!

After brekky we rode out to Lakeport for a fun 10 mile ride.  

A lady and her daughters were stuck in the men's bathroom... the city came to the rescue... 

The Lake County Rodeo was going on near by and there was a parade down Lakeport. 

Kelseyville Brew Co's Brewcycle.  After seeing this we decided we will stop by later.  

the kiddos at a taqueria in Lakeport...

We stopped by Robledo winery's tasting room on the way back, then rode back to our cabin.  Soon the kiddos were in a pool staying cool.  

After nap time we drove up to Highland Springs Reservoir... which we heard was a much better place to go swimming... and turns out has a huge rope swing.  

It's a pretty sweet local spot.  With BBQ pits, horseshoe pits, a 18 hole disc golf course... it's a pretty sweet spot to spend a hot day.  

Kimbo enjoying the water...

Double swingin!

Notice Kevin doesn't have a life jacket on!  What a rebel... 

And stopped by Kelsey Creek Brewing on the way back... ok beers... nothing hoppy.  

But the floor was covered in peanut shells... 

And the kiddos like their chairs... 

night shot

Woodpeckers!  Or as the locals used to say "carpentieros..."

Sharing!

More pool fun!

Check out the Great Blue Heron with a huge frog in it's mouth... 

We couldn't really figure out why this section of the trees were covered in fuzz.

Tunnel!

Went out on a group paddle on Sunday morning... 

In flight!

Team Mexico!

Next time it'd love to spend more time at Highland Springs Reservoir... maybe do the Konocti Challenge.  It'd be pretty fun to do the family fun ride with Kai.  And I passed this area on my ride up, but I'd love to check out Boggs Mountain.  They host a few bike races there too.