Yosemite National Park

Before heading back east for the holidays I decided to spend some time in Yosemite. People have been telling me for years that the park is a must see destination. Many of those same people warned me about the tourist traffic in the park during the summer months. In early December the weather had been relatively dry and mild and the timing was right for me to explore Yosemite without fighting large crowds.

I arrived very early in the morning and planned to spend the entire day in the park. Yosemite Valley is breathtaking. From the first look as I emerged from the tunnel to the views from the valley floor I felt like I was looking at one oil painting after another. With so little precipitation the Yosemite Falls had been reduced to a misty spray compared to pictures I have seen of the powerful falls in the spring. This photo shows El Capitan from the Merced River. El Capitan is the largest granite monolith in the world rising 3,000 feet straight up. The cold and peaceful morning gave way to a mild afternoon with a slow trickle of tourist traffic.

I'm glad that I waited to experience Yosemite in the off season. It's hard for me to imagine such a serene place packed with 4 million tourists per year. 

Find A Penny...Pick It Up...

I left the coast yesterday to take advantage of some nice weather in the mountains before winter sets in. Today I was scouting the Sierra National Forest for some good camp locations...and generally just enjoying a nice ride through a really beautiful forest. When I came upon this little girl peaking out from the side of the road. At this point I'm about 45 miles into the forest so this poor pup is lost.

We got to know each other while I fed her the ham and turkey sandwich that I packed for lunch. She wouldn't even think of getting in the truck at first. But after a 10 minute pep talk she let me pick her up and put her in. She was scared, cold, skinny and hungry. We headed back out of the forest to try to get phone service again so I could call "Ralph" at the number on the dogs collar. During the winding ride for the next 20 miles I started to come to grips with the fact that this might be my new dog...at least for some period of time. Finally, I was able to make the call and talk to Ralph who was relieved to hear that "Penny" was okay. We quickly realized that we were almost three hours apart and agreed to meet in the middle.

Penny really calmed down about half way through the ride and even nodded off. She was still pretty upset but I think she knew that at the very least she wasn't going to be sleeping on top of a mountain tonight. She woke up to Ralph saying hello and was super stoked to see him. He said she had been out there since last Thursday when they were separated while hunting. That's seven days in the wilderness! She's so lucky not to be cougar food.

Holiday Parade

This is how they do a holiday parade in Santa Cruz. Sailboats, yachts, kayaks and more that were decorated from bow to stern in some wild themes slowly made their way through the marina. Boaters waved and spectators cheered...it was a really cool scene. The harbor and the surrounding neighborhoods were filled with families and friends "spreading holiday cheer". Basically a giant party just like a holiday parade back east except totally different...if you know what I mean. I always knew Santa had a pretty cool sleigh but I had no idea his yacht was so sweet.