Northern California

Tuesday was Yosemite in the morning and what a fantastic morning it was. An early start, we got the camp packed up very quickly and headed to the park. The drive to Yosemite was spectacular and I enjoyed the sports car roads in the overloaded Expolorer. :-)

The parking lot was virtually empty when we arrived and we quickly got to hiking and headed for the Lower Yosemite Falls. One word, "Glorious". We passed the obserservation bridge and headed straight for the boulder fields at the base of the falls. A great bouldering area, the kids and I trudged ahead and then Sharla said "Hey, I want to go too." So I was thinking this will be a wonderful experience... I was right. She kept right up with us and as it got a little more "technical" I hung back to provide a supportive hand... And then it happened, Sharla was doing great and on a simple step, she lost her footing and proceeded to drop into the crisp, clear waters below her feet, all while sliding down a perfectly beautiful peice of polished granite. My supportive hand reacted with cat-like quickness and plucked her out of danger and into safety, with her nervously giggling the entire time. No damage done, barely even a scratch, but a little damp from the experience. I on the other hand, threw my back out again. which made for a very interesting down climb and subsequent hour-long hike and 4 hour car ride.

However, with the help of plenty of Advil, we arrived at my parents house, outside of Sacramento this afternoon, none the worse for wear and with plenty of experiences to share. The kids are having a marvelous time, it will be fun to hear them tell stories later in life about this trip.

And of course I regained my rightful place as in car champion again today.

Tomorrow is the pool, laundry and maybe a movie, but definately low-key compared to our travels so far.