Yosemite!

This was such a gorgeous environment! Loved the mountains and the temperate clime with no humidity. It was warm enough for the girls and I to get it and swim a bit although Mike didn't join us.

Mammoth Lakes was so Awesome!

Despite our bear encounter we really enjoyed our time in Mammoth Lakes California. The weather was lovely, the views amazing and all in all it was a great time. The condo we stayed in was truly a luxury setting – we were all so spread out and able to relax and unwind without being in each other’s way.

We attempted to see a national monument called Devil’s Postpile that is there three times. The first day we paid for the shuttle bus ($22 for all four) and as we made it up the mountain, or was it down?, the clouds formed and it was raining and lightening by the time we got there. So we just rode up and down the mountain in the rain. The next day we attempted it again and elected to see Rainbow Falls first. Which was a 2 mile hike and the way back was uphill. The clouds formed again and we just missed getting soaked. Besides the girls had had enough of hiking at that point.

The third day we decided to just do the Gondola shuttle up the mountain to the 11,000 feet above sea level peak and didn’t do the Postpile. So now we have a great reason to go back some day.

I love the western part of our country. I now know why so many elect to live there and pay exorbitant amounts of money for their homes. It’s so lovely with no humidity to speak of and the wide open spaces with so many mountains. I could even be convinced to move there some day – maybe when we retire if that ever happens!

Bear Encounter in Mammoth Lakes

Ok here we are in a resort town in the mountains and we are out on the mountain on a bus going up and down the mountain. All of the tourists are asking the bus driver where to see the bears and if we see one will she stop? She says you really need to look in town to see the bears – that is where they hang out. Really? Bears would rather be in town with people instead of out in the wilderness?
 

We have been staying in this luxury condo for the week. It has 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms and overlooks the grandeur of Mammoth Mountain. The kids are enjoying the pool, heated spas, ping pong and riding their bikes. I am enjoying sleeping without hearing little voices – having a bathroom to myself and being able to cook meals in an entire kitchen as well as frequent trips to the very local grocery store – Von’s.

I however have been on a diet these past four months and have lost about 30 lbs. It’s a meal replacement system called Medifast. Each ‘meal’ is packaged foods – shakes, bars, pretzels, penne pasta with sauce, chili, and brownie bakes. They are small and dehydrated – you mix most with water and prepare although the bars and pretzels are ready to eat. They are 100 calories each and you eat every 2 hours and have a ‘lean and green’ meal once per day. They do take up some space though. I was so smart to order some to be delivered to the condo the week we were there so we were already ten days into our vacation and thus I had eaten quite a bit of my stock and it would be time to replenish.

Well my order came on Tuesday and we were due to leave the condo on Wednesday morning. Instead of taking it all in the condo I suggested we put most of it into the RV’s storage compartment that locks up on the side of the RV – It’s kind of like a cooler bin with locks that is built into the side.

Low about 5am on Wednesday Mike and I heard some strange noises out in the parking lot. Yup Mama bear had found the food and the lock did not stop her. She bear handled that bin until she was able to bend it open and she was munching down on my Medifast meals! Very expensive meals I may add! Each box is $18 and change (For 7 packets) and she made her way through at least 9 boxes of the stuff! And she didn’t want to leave as she wasn’t quite done with each packet. 

Mike scared her away and just then a guy came by with a dog who tore after that bear barking furiously. The bear went up a tree and the guy who happened to be one of the personnel who worked at the condo, tossed stones at the bear until she came down and ran away. He said he couldn’t stand bears – that they were like big strong rats and they cause so much damage. He walked away and five minutes later that bear popped her head up over by the tree, checking out her new found food supply. She almost came at us again but we yelled and chased her back up that tree. By then Jamie and Emily came out and saw her in the tree, and Jamie’s sharp young eyes could see that there was a baby bear in the tree! 

Those two bears watched us from on top of that tree for over an hour as Mike disassembled the bin unit and bent the brackets back together and allowed him to put the bin back almost as it was. The top of it is cracked and missing it’s top edge and the bin doesn’t slide quite all of the way in. while he was doing that I swept up my meals and threw away the bottled water she had clawed through.

Now we will probably have to pay at least $1000 for repairs to make it right as this RV Is our friends’ and we cannot return it in this condition. 

Don’t let anyone tell you that a RV vacation is inexpensive. Even if it is your RV free and clear, the gas is quite expensive – We have gone through at least $1000 in gas so far and around $100 in propane to run the units when not hooked up to park electricity. And each night in a RV park is around $40 or $50 unless you find a state park and they book up early. We did have one night in Balmorhea state park in Texas that was only $14 but they charge $7 each for park entrance. Another small park we stayed at in Baton Rouge was only $20 for basic hookup but the one we are in today is $65 or so per night.

 

Anyway it’s worth it. Seeing the country this way is enchanting. I hope to do it again and again. We are contemplating buying our own RV someday. Even with bear encounters, high gas prices and close quarters it’s so much fun!

Balmorhea State Park Texas

When scoping out our route out west I found this hidden gem in the western part of Texas. Balmorhea is a state park that was constructed during the Great Depression by the CCC Civilian Conservation Corps) It has a spring fed swimming pool - and is it ever huge! And Cool! So our campsite looks like we are in the desert and a short walk away is a clear stream heading to the huge pool - which is up to 25 feet deep on one end and has lots of Diving boards.

When we arrived there were about 20 cars at the side of the road as they had closed the park for the day. They close it when it fills to capacity and just let in a car when a car departs. Luckily I had internet and when tto the site where they said all campers can come in so we didn't have to wait. Checked in and hooked up and walked to the Spring fed pool. What a great cool off!

Tombstone was Monday (Throwback Thursday)

Fun in Tombstone - the site of the Shootout at the OK corral. Still a 'live' town with folks working living there etc.  The first guy was a barfly - The sign at the bar said "a bee flies into a bar and comes out buzzed' I read it aloud and the guy who was sitting outside of the bar said "just call me a bee".

Then the next cowboy was standing there at the road block and I asked him something about if he lived there and how he liked it and he replied "what are you doing, Writing a book?" then Jamie asked if that was a real knife he had and he unsheathed it and slammed it into that wood road block (rather violently I may add).

The swirly shot in the middle is my 'Daliesque' of the local catholic church - I tried to do a Panoramic shot and ended up with Jesus up and down, pretty cool eh?

Leaving Los Angeles for Mammoth Lakes CA Condo

Well we are on the way to the week in Mammoth Lakes - This is the whole reason we set off on this adventure. It's ten am so we hope to get there no later than 3pm. We 'won' the week in Mammoth Lakes in our church auction back in April.

Emily arrived to join us yesterday after her flight came into LA from Seattle. Her and her mom were picked up by Stephanies' old college roommate who lives in Long Beach. Stephanie is going to stay with her friend for only a day and then head back to Seattle as she needs to work.


It was great to see her and nice to have the girls together again. They have been best friends from when they were three years old. this photo is when they were five.

They met at the Downtown library when they were both three yrs old. Emily and Jamie were like whirling dervishes spinning and climbing and hit it off immediately. I talked to Emily's mom Stephanie and we exchanged numbers since the girls seemed to be such fast friends.

A week later, Stephanie tapped my on the shoulder at church - we had just started going back to the local UU Church and they were going there too! A friendship was born. Alas Emily and Stephanie moved to Seattle Washington last June and Jamie has been pining for her best friend.

So the rest of our vacation - 3 more weeks or so, will involve two spirited nine year olds and two more than middle aged parents trying our best to keep up with them.

Forget the Alamo?

We are on the 2nd night of our great RV adventure or Westward Ho! as I like to call it. We got here to San Antonio at 12:45 - a far cry from early in the evening we thought we would arrive.

There was a huge crush of traffic jam on I-10 out of Baton Rouge that took over 2 hours to go approximately 15 miles. For some reason traffic was diverted to only one lane.

Then in Houston THE FREEWAY WAS CLOSED! Yup you heard it right, they just closed down part of the freeway and diverted traffic away from I 10 and didn't tell you where to go! WTH?!

So anyway our 7 hour trip took almost 12. I'm getting very afraid of our 12 hour trip from Balmohea to Tombstone on Monday night! It's not like you can make changes - you have to book ahead so I am not quite sure what we will do - get up at four am? To get there by ten pm?

So tomorrow we may just skip the Alamo. Forget it...But Mike really wants to see it. (He is a History teacher and quite the history major and a huge history buff.  He really should see it. We all should.

Tomorrow Balmorehea is only 5.5 hours away (Or so they say....) We shall see.