Wow... time flies like a rocket around here! It's been three weeks since I posted! Yikes! Needless to say, it's been exciting around here as of late! Well, not necessarily super-exciting, but busy nonetheless... :)
Warning - This is a long post. Buckle your seatbelts and hang on! :)
So, I should cover the last two weekends before delving into this past weekend, which was an amazing trip to Yosemite National Park!
But, first things first, two weeks ago, we went down to San Jose to meet up with some friends for dinner. They were gracious enough to invite us over, so we brought a ourselves (weren't allowed to bring anything) and they whipped up some amazing shrimp and salad. They weren't together, but they were fantastic! After dinner, we went to downtown San Jose for dessert. We went to this cool restaurant with a 2nd-story porch. And since it's California, they had the cool radiant heaters for the "cold" summer evenings... It was like 65 out and people were bundled up.... Lightweights... :) Anyway, it was a great time.
That Saturday was pretty chill. So chill, in fact, that I don't even remember what we did. I think it involved tennis, which is still a work in progress. Bridget got a new tennis racket (her old garage sale racket was in need of replacement) so it's even more unfair now...
Sunday morning was the usual with our young marrieds group and then the church service. In the afternooon, Bridget had a baby shower for the wife of one of my colleagues. And since guys don't attend baby showers, all of the husbands went go-karting! Which was actually alot of fun. It was an indoor track, which didn't make sense because the weather here is so nice, but oh well. They did their best to make it feel realistic, including jump suits and helmets! The jumpsuits were a little awkard, but kind of made the go-kart feel like a fighter jet. :) We had a short "time trial" for a few laps and then had a "race" based on the positioning from the time trial. I unfortuantely got stuck behind a slow guy who kept cutting me off, so I didn't place as high as I would have liked, but there's still something innately exciting about skidding around a turn in a little go-kart and nearly slamming into a wall of old car tires. Well, maybe just for me... :)
After the go-karting, the guys went back to crash the baby shower, by request, I might add... :) Bridget had to nanny, so I stayed home and got some work done.
Phew... that was two weeks ago. It's tough to remember... good thing I've been blogging so I can help myself remember what I've been up to... :)
Anyway, last weekend, Bridget's parents were in town! So, she was quite the tour guide for the days they were here. We went to the Palo Alto Creamery on Friday night, which was alot of fun. Burgers, salads, cookies, and homemade pies! Loads of good times and calories. :) We played Euchre after that and Bridget and I actually won! Twice in a row too! :) That is quite the unusual occurrence and quite enjoyable, I might add. :)
Saturday began with a leisurely morning and then a nice hike up in the coastal range above the bay area. We went for a nice couple-mile hike over the San Andreas Fault and had a picnic up there by another trail. It was quite nice. Weather was great too. The afternoon was pretty chill, and we got some Mexican food for dinner. By the time dinner was over, everyone was ready for bed, so it was a pretty relaxing evening. :)
Sunday began with church and then San Francisco. We got lunch (pizza) in Menlo Park and then made the trek to S.F. and hung out in the Golden Gate Recreational Area, which is a huge park near the Golden Gate. After that, I split off and had to meet with my team for meeting. But Bridget and her parents took the rest of the S.F. tour. :)
Alrighty... that was a typeful... kinda like a mouthful but on a computer... :)
Anyway, last weekend, we left bright and early on Saturday morning and headed to Yosemite National Park. We picked up our friends from San Jose on the way. The trip was around 4 hours, and by the time we had our picnic lunch and made it to the trailhead, it was about 2pm. Which was more than enough time to do a short 8-mile hike up to some neat waterfalls. So, quick lesson on the part of Yosemite we were in. We drove into Yosemite Valley and then hiked from there. Yosemite valley is quite possibly one of the most picturesque places in the world. You really can't turn around without losing your breath yet again from the magnificent mountains all over the place. This valley is home to Half Dome, which is literally, a huge dome-shaped piece of rock that looks like it was cut in half. It is also home to "El Capitan" which formidably rises roughly 4,000 ft. from the floor of the valley. And then there are waterfalls streaming down the sheer rock faces at every turn. Truly the epitome of breathtaking without giving it back. Unfortunately, I volunteered to drive, so I was having to work so hard to focus on the road amidst the squeals of delight from the other passengers... But enough drivel and on to the action!
So, the hike we did on Saturday went past Vernal Falls and up to Nevada Falls, which doesn't mean a whole lot unless you know the area. In case you aren't up on your Yosemite geography, those are two waterfalls from the same source. Vernal Falls is a pretty easy, short hike from the valley and Nevada Falls is more challenging. I don't remember the distances, but the first part of the path was paved and then became a little more rugged. Which is nice for some people because pavement is easier, but doesn't quite have the same "man vs. wild" feel to it. Just a personal preference... And there was quite a bit of traffic along pretty much the whole hike. And once we started climbing a bit off of the valley floor, it was quite easy to see why... Instead of belaboring the point any further, here are the pictures from the hike...
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| Just getting started... |
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| Vernal Falls |
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| Liberty Cap |
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| Nevada Falls |
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| Me atop Nevada Falls (notice the shoes...!) |
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| The breathtaking view over Nevada Falls |
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| Yes, I guess trees grow out of rocks in California... |
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| A panorama view from the trail on our way back down. Half Dome is on the left and Liberty Cap is on the right. (Definitely want to click on this to make it bigger) |
So, that was a spectacular first hike in Yosemite. We were optimistic about finding a better hike the next day and spent some time strategizing after a quick soak in the hot tub at the hotel. :) We decided on a 13.5 mile hike up to Eagle Peak, the top part of the Three Brothers Formation, shown below (the three peaks kind of leaning on each other).
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| I didn't take this picture. Got it from here. | | | |
The next morning started bright and early around 6:20am. We grabbed some breakfast and hit the trail. The hike had us climbing up to the top of Yosemite Falls, which is the highest waterfall in North America (over 2,400 ft.). Since the falls were over 2,400 ft., that meant that we had to climb over 2,400 ft. of elevation to make it to the top! That part of the hike had quite a few switchbacks, but each time we turned around, it was another spectacular view. Almost made you forget your were working so hard... :)
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| Yosemite Falls |
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| The view partway up. Definitely want to click on this one too! |
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| The view a little bit higher |
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| The view from whence we came |
Once we summited the waterfalls, we followed the trail for another 2.3 miles and gained another 2,000 ft. of elevation to the top of Eagle Peak. The trail on top felt and looked like a standard walk in the forest. It did not feel like we were walking over 3,000 ft. above the valley. The trail was nice and soft and there were trees and moss everywhere. Didn't see any bears or mountain lions, but did see a fair number of lizards and blue jays. :) But we also didn't see many other people until we started back down. Anyway, once we made it to the top (in just a hair over 3 hours), the view was amazing. I feel like the English language doesn't have enough superlatives to describe it, so I apologize for the cliche descriptions. Maybe awe-inspiring would be better.
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| Yep, the trees get pretty big. |
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| Walking through the forest |
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| Us atop Eagle Peak! |
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| The view. And, yes, we were extremely high |
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| Yes, the ground really ends at the edge of the sand. 4,000 ft. to the bottom... |
After eating a picnic lunch (and taking our garbage with us, of course), we started the hike back down. We stopped and took a look at/over Yosemite Falls, which was cool.
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| The view over the falls |
After that, we hiked/ran/walked back down the dizzying trail back to the bottom. But the cool part was that all of the views looked new since we walked the other direction the last time, so it was a whole new experience. Also, the sun was now on the other side of the sky, so the lighting was different too.
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| One of the bazillion amazing views on the way down |
By the time we reached the bottom, we were breathless. Part due to the views and part due to the exertion. Not sure which was the greater part. But it was an incredible day nonetheless.
The last leg of the journey was the reverse 4 hour journey back home, which would have been quicker if I hadn't have been stuck behind 2 RVs. Oh well. We made it safe and sound.
Whoa... that was alot of typing. But I guess I did it to myself. Bridget and I may just lay low(er) this weekend. And then again, maybe not... :) Guess you'll have to check back and see! :)
~ Jeremy
