We took a family trip to Yosemite and Lake Tahoe the first part of July. We watched the fireworks over Lake Tahoe the night of the 4th, then drove on down to Yosemite the next day. I think it was a bit farther than we both thought. Actually, I didn't really know. When Bill and I were dating, his parents invited me to go with them to Yosemite, and that was my first and only time. I didn't remember the mountain passes and windy roads AT ALL. We wondered if we were ever going to get to where we wanted to go!
We spent 2-1/2 days there and saw a lot of the country. We arrived from the east driving up over Tioga Pass. We spent some time at the top. We were inquiring about a simple hike to a scenic lake -- we are not experienced hikers, we are experienced couch potatoes! -- when the ranger suggested another way to the lake that was shorter, about a mile total, and more popular. I thought 'oh, good, I won't kill the kids the very first day'. Well, it turns out that the hike was STRAIGHT UP and over a mountain. You couldn't tell because the brush was pretty thick to begin with, but we weren't a quarter of the way there when my breathing started getting pretty heavy and my calf muscles kicked in. My 3 oldest children were setting a terrific pace like they were born to do this, and we had to call a halt for several 'rests' so Jacob and his parents could catch their breaths. It sure was beautiful, though. We made it and lived to tell thetale. We stopped at another beautiful lake along the way that had a white sandy beach, so we all got out and laid on the sand, played in the sand and cooled our feet down in the coldness. It felt WONDERFUL after the hike. I could have fallen asleep right then and there. We visited Tuolumne Meadows and a few more scenic stops, then spent the rest of the day getting down the mountain and finding our hotel in Mariposa. We could tell that the area was starting to get a little smoky from the fires. Not too bad -- just hazy.
The next day we went to the Mariposa Sequoia Grove and drove along the Glacier Point Road. Such beautiful places! The next morning we rented bikes and rode along the meadows and then rented 2 rafts and floated the river. It sounds idyllic, and it was except my family started getting sick! Kyra's stomach was too upset to ride the bikes, so she and I went to find some 7-Up while the others rode. She was still feeling sick when we got the rafts, but we didn't know what else to do. I guess I felt she could sit in a raft just as well as sit on the shore, so we went anyway. When her stomach finally got rid of whatever bug, she was feeling okay for a couple hours then started feeling yucky again and she didn't eat for almost 48 hours. Whatever it was, it went right through all of us from that point forward at different times! And it was nasty!
I've heard of families going on vacation and everyone getting sick, and I guess we had our turn. BUT lucky for us, our accommodations at Lake Tahoe were free, so it wasn't like we had paid for passes to Disneyland or some other type of amusement and then felt too ill to go. At Lake Tahoe we just all "hung out." We were within walking distance to the beach, so whoever was feeling healthy enough went, and those that weren't just laid around all day. We were supposed to leave home on a Saturday, but Bill and I were still too weak, so we stayed another day lounging around. I could function, but I knew if I had to use my reflexes for any defensive driving, it wouldn't have been pretty. Plus, the night before we were to leave, Jacob got sick and was the sickest of the 6. Erica and I got off the luckiest as far as least amount of time in the bathroom and/or laying prostrate.
We knew it was going to be a very relaxed vacation at the lake, but we didn't think it would be THIS relaxed! We saw a lot of movies and I got a TON of cross-stitch done. I had brought some games from home for our nights' entertainment, but there were only 2 nights where everyone felt up to play. It was pretty pathetic! There was one day right after Yosemite where everyone felt okay and we were able to take a bike ride along a forest trail that sometimes peeked out to the beaches on Lake Tahoe. It was a beautiful, paved path. We even got to meander through a little historic site where they had old wealthy "cabins" right on the shore (Tallac?). It was a property built by some Gatsby-type family and I could just imagine them strolling along dressed to the nines. The butler had his own cottage as well as maids and cooks and guests. You can tour some of the homes, but we didn't go in. Just peeked in a few windows.
I came home very tired, but with some beautiful pictures. I don't think I've ever cleaned up after so many sick people in my life! I was constantly doing laundry and cleaning the carpet. I hope Heavenly Father is merciful and only lets this type of experience happen only once! But if not.....oh, well.
To see the photo album of this trip, look for the box labeled "Photo Albums" on the right hand side of the screen, and click on Yosemite-Tahoe trip. It should automatically take you to the Flickr site and start up a slideshow. It doesn't show titles or descriptions very well, so I'll have to keep working on a better system. I'm just thrilled I learned that much today -- linking a photo album and editing video files!
The top picture is of new wallpaper in our laundry room -- yes, I got a little wild and decided to throw some up in this tiny room. I found the pattern while looking for something else and couldn't get it out of my mind. I suppose my house is like everyone else's and your socks get tired of living together and divorce. And for the life of you you can't figure out where they went!
