Yosemite: Tuolomne Meadows

Sunday morning we checked out of the Bug and drove up to Tuolomne Meadows--much higher country than the Valley--where we had camped for a week in 1972 when I did the mountaineering school thing. Yosemite is not a place we have come back to again and again, like the Tetons and Winds, but it is very meaningful for us as the place where we did our first backpacking, our first climbing, and our first full imbibing of the wilderness culture. We fell in love with that culture and have sought it over the years in many different places.

A dihedral above Tenaya Lake; I am quite
sure I did this climb in 1972; click to enlarge
and see the person belaying (about a third
of the way down)

Tenaya Lake

Tuolomne Meadows

Lembert Dome, which Vicki climbed, while I was training
on Kitty Dome and Puppy Dome

We turned back short of Tioga Pass and then did a couple
miles' hike up from Tenaya Lake

Granite; everywhere

Looking back across Lake Tenaya to the High Sierra; and
possibly Mt. Dana, which I think I climbed in '72

It was October 2 and the end of the season, with
management burns ongoing across the Park

Ditto

Double ditto; all in all, it was quite a good experience visiting

this place, special to anyone who visits it, and especially so

to us; hopefully, we'll be back in the spring

Yosemite: Valley, More Glacier Point, Happy Isles

The next day we carried on...me hiking from the Valley up to Glacier Point (4.6 miles, 3,200 feet) and back, Vicki taking the Valley Shuttles to visit exhibits, museums, visitor center, and shops. We met up again at 4PM to do a hike to one of our favorite places, Happy Isles.

Classic view of the lower Valley, dominated by El Capitan

At Curry Village, the Yosemite Mountaineering School, where I was a student for 
a week in 1972 (classes were up at Tuolomne Meadows)

Same T-shirt as in 1972

Half Dome, classic view

On my hike, another view of Yosemite Falls

Looking back toward El Cap and Cathedral Peaks

Self-portrait atop Glacier Point

Happy Isles

Vicki, happy at Happy Isles

Granite Domes everywhere...

Yosemite: Mariposa Grove, Glacier Point, and the Valley

So last weekend we drove over to Yosemite National Park, 4 hours away, and spent three nights in a tent cabin at the Yosemite Bug, by day reacquainting ourselves with the great park, which we think we had visited  previously in 1970, definitely in 1972 and 1990, and possibly in 1992. Pretty much all the same sights were there, of course, generating pretty much the same awe and affection as in previous visits. It's an incredible place, the Valley itself, the big walls, the big trees, the high country, the granite everywhere.... Our visit began with a special occasion, a milestone, as it were, obtaining my Interagency Senior Pass ($10), which gets us into national parks and forests and other public lands free of charge, for life. Our visits to these places have spanned five decades now, and we hope they will continue a few more too.

At the Mariposa Grove of redwoods, this little fellow was dragging the pine 
cone across the trail, munching as he went

But then he was driven off by this big fellow, who took over the munching; survival 
of the fattest

The Bachelor and Three Graces

Vicki poses for scale under the lower drive-through tree (forgot 
its name)(the upper one, now fallen, was the Wawona Tree)

From Washburn Point, en route to Glacier Point, Nevada and Vernal Falls

Half Dome, profile, from Washburn Point

Us at Washburn, wearing our New Zealand steady shirts ("not all who wander 
are lost")

Mt. Starr King and some of the high country

Looking up the great valley

To distant peaks; exposed rock everywhere...

Across the Valley, Yosemite Peak and Yosemite Falls; our 
first backpacking trip ever, in 1972, took us on a trail down

Yosemite Creek, to the Falls, and then via the switch-backs 
(click to enlarge) down to theValley, where we stayed at Camp 4

California Quotidian

So it's after the autumnal equinox, and here we are in Middle California, on 8^th Avenue, in Menlo Park, a bit east of Middlefield Road. We're eight blocks from Rebecca and Jeremy, and Penelope, now approaching five months old, whom we care for on Rebecca's work days. Menlo Park is on the peninsula, some miles south of San Francisco, Redwood City just north, Palo Alto just south, and Mountain View a bit beyond that. Of course it's all continuous development along 101 and El Camino Real anyway. The weather has been remarkably consistent for the month or more we have been here: lows in the high 50s, highs in the 80s. Clear, mostly, except at night when the clouds roll in from the Pacific. Generally they are gone early in the morning.

Our neighborhood is mostly working class: people mostly appear to go to work every day and come home at night. The homes are all in the $600,000 to $2 million range. Bay area...but astronomical to us. You'd think working stiffs would be house-poor in such a market, but I've counted five 9lls, a Lotus, and numerous Mercedes and BMWs within three blocks. Maybe they're not all working stiffs.

The neighborhood is of that vintage where many of the homes have been subdivided or added-on to. In our case we are in a small attached cottage, 500-600 feet, one bedroom. It's actually larger, seemingly, than the two-bedroom apartment we rented our last year in dear Missoula. There is a great room, sort of, which is our combination office/living room/dining room; a large completely updated (granite, etc.) kitchen; a laundry/storage room with washer and dryer; the aforementioned bedroom; and a walk-though closet, with built-ins; leading to a tiny but updated bath. It's quiet and seemingly secure. The kitchen alone is much larger than our RV! The cottage lacks curb appeal, however, adjoining the right-of-way for the (underground) Hetch Hetchy reservoir pipeline that feeds the peninsula. The pipeline has been rebuilt and enlarged in recent months, but the right-of-way, a 60 ft or so wide swath, remains fenced-in and un-landscaped. The fencing will come down sometime this winter and the swath will be restored to its previous status as parts of peoples' yards.

Furnishing and decorating the cottage has been interesting. Rebecca and Jeremy had some unwanted pieces of furniture (hide-a-bed, easy chair, table and chairs, etc.) which are now here. Other pieces include furniture we had given Rebecca years ago when she moved to California, now also unwanted (bookcases, dresser, library card catalog, etc.). I am sitting at the white desk, bought in Bexley, Ohio, she and Rachel both used as children. The rest has come through the little bit of stuff we brought back from Europe, the very little bit we brought back from Missoula, and then the kindness of strangers, Craigslist, garage and yard sales, and a few perfectly good things people inexplicably leave on the side of the road near the cottage. (Recycling?). Anyhow, the 500 square feet are now fully functional and crammed nearly full, particularly considering the four major items of baby furniture—swing, crib, high chair, Jumparoo—we are also using. The strategy in all this has been to be functional and comfortable for our few months here, but to do so with items that are almost entirely loaned or expendable. We'll be holding a yard sale of our own in the foreseeable future.

As I said, the kitchen is ample, and a variety of things—the availability of all kinds of interesting foods here, our experiences in Europe, Vicki's watching the Food Channel--have led us to more culinary explorations. As a moving-in gift, Rebecca gave me a Groupon for a nearby nursery which I used to establish a container herb garden, which is, at least at the moment, thriving. Basil really is the tomato's best friend.

Our work-day routine starts with Penelope's arrival, always the best part of the day. She is adorable, fun to play with, very easy to care for. We do Bumbo time, tummy time, singing time, book time, Jumparoo time, music time, feeding time, changing time, and, when she begins to fade, walking time around the neighborhood with the stroller. She rarely makes it more than a block or two before succumbing to nap time. Every now and then she goes with us shopping or visiting the library or park or doctor. Her favorite store is the Redwood City Costco #1042 (the largest I have seen), although the REI in Mountain View and any Trader Joe's are also fascinating to her (and me). Two Buck Chuck is alive and well, 8 years on now, probably the nation's greatest loss-leader apart from the rotisserie chicken at Costco. Penelope is a long way from poulet roti and vin rouge, but she enjoys watching.

Our first few weekends have been spent in shopping and setting up the cottage, learning the lay of the land, and also in helping Rebecca and Jeremy clean out their garage to get more storage space. Vicki spent the last five days visiting Marie and Norm in St. Cloud, with a family side-trip to Miami, and a “last” visit to DisneyWorld. (Marie and Norm are moving to Knoxville). I'll be going to San Fran with Rebecca and Jeremy for a symphony concert this weekend, and the next weekend Vicki and I will go camping in Yosemite. And then the next weekend I'll be in dear Missoula for the Humanities Montana Festival of the Book XII.

So that's the quotidian. My next posts will feature “pix not blogged” from China and Nepal.

Top of every day: Penelope arrives

Grandma loves dressing her in some of the

same outfits worn by Stacey, Rebecca, and

Rachel...

"Our" REI, Mountain View

"Our" Google, Googleopolis

GoogleEarth view

Third Anniverary Of Embarcation

Three years ago we departed Missoula in a flurry--no, an avalanche--of activity, packing, storing, donating, selling just about everything we owned that would not fit into a checked bag and a carry-on each. A day later we were in Tokyo, and a day after that we were in Beijing. Our three years of travel have had their respites, sometimes months long. And, not surprisingly, the most important and memorable events of those three years have not been about travel: rather, the engagements and weddings of our daughters and the birth of our grand-daughter. Now we are back into an extended respite, grand-parenting Penelope by day while Rebecca and Jeremy work, in Menlo Park, Middle California. Not a bad place for a respite!

I am not sure what to do with a travel blog when one is not traveling. It is also a retirement blog, certainly, but mostly about our travels. The coming months will bring opportunities for reflection, editing of photos and blog, and website, and planning of our next travels. Some of those things will appear in these posts.

Daddy's girl: Penelope shows Grandma a coding error in

line 14...

Return To Reality

By Monday, all the guests were gone, our dentist and optometrist and doctors' appointments were done, good-byes said to the Sehestedts, and we returned to our storage unit, to finish the latest round of re-sorting, re-packing, and re-organizing. Things change, plans change, needs change. But we left the place in probably the best shape it's been in since August, 2008, when we headed off to Asia.

By Wednesday evening we were back in Sandpoint with Bob and Beth and stayed another day to see Norm and Marie (back from touring Alberta and BC) and to enjoy yet a second of Bob's wonderful filet mignon dinners. Hey, at this point we were no longer dieting for the wedding!

Our thanks as always to the friends and family that hosted us. We always wish we could have stayed longer in Missoula and seen more people. But duty called in California, and we were back in Menlo Park very late Friday night.

In our unit, Hellgate Canyon Storage Center;

home is where your stuff is; plus, it's a gated
community, great views of Mt. Dumbo, and
has water features too

Rachel's Wedding (And Will's)

The big day was Saturday, August 6th, but it was preceded by a variety of dinners, float-trip, baseball game (Will throwing out the first pitch at the Osprey game), pedicures, rehearsal, rehearsal dinner at Fort Missoula, preparations, decorations, and much more. The bride's parents' headquarters was the Babs, near the Hip Strip, although Vicki and I stayed at Dave and Kim's, house- and dog-sitting and addressing a minor flood in the basement. All in all, it was a great week, finishing with our second perfect wedding and reception...due very largely to Rachel, who put all her abundant planning and coordinating skills to work, with some help from a wedding coordinator and numerous family and friends. Vicki, whose involvment from Europe was difficult, nonetheless saved the day with her seamstress work on the wedding gown. And, for the second summer in a row, for us, it was a joyous occasion with family and friends, seeing a wonderful daughter married.

Ceremony at Washington Park, UM campus, beneath the M; I had a front row seat 
and so couldn't get the entire wedding party in the picture...

Wife and Husband

Get-away car

Pre-reception at the Florence

Groom and Bride

Seated, for just a minute, at the dinner

Me in a more spiritual moment (there was an open bar)

Vicki with my sister Carole, Pat and Jim Mitchell,

and Beth McCoy (Bob's wife)

Vicki and I set a personal best for dancing, and but for our

friends the Mitchells, nearly won the anniversary dance; the

partying went on well after the 11PM close and departure of

the elders; Will updated his Facebook page to "married" at
5:30AM

Of course there were professional photographers and many others taking pictures (and video), and I'll post a few more or link to Rachel and Will's site, when they return from their honeymoon.

Road Trip!

After Vicki's rejoining me, we spent a few days moving into and setting up our new temporary quarters, a small one-bedroom "cottage" in Menlo Park, just a few blocks from Rebecca, Jeremy, and Penelope. But then it was time for a road trip, to Missoula, via Sandpoint, for the big occasion of the year...

Laden with a cargo of bar stools and library card catalog

furniture (true; revealing), and a few personal items and

souvenirs from Europe, we drove the Saturn up through

California and across the middle of Oregon, finally hitting I90

in WA and then 95 in Idaho to Sandpoint; 19 hours of driving;

and then, a day later, 200 and I90 to Missoula; that's

Mt. Shasta above, in northern-most CA; all the volcanoes

were similarly snow-draped, even in early August

Return to America

From Boston we divided forces, Vicki heading to Orlando for a few days of sun and fun (and heat and humidity and insects) at Disneyworld with Marie and Norm and Stacey and the boys, I directly to Middle California, where we will be for a few months, helping Rebecca and Jeremy care for Penelope.

On her third month-day, shortly after I arrived

Looking properly skeptical at her mother; she has given Vicki
and me the same look as we learn her ways and try to imagine
that we understand infant cognitive development