On August 29th, Bob took Lisa on a much-needed break from work for a day trip to Yosemite National Park. Due to Covid restrictions, the park operated with limited entrance this year, meaning that they enjoyed a beautiful day in an uncrowded park.
This picture was taken next to beautiful Tenaya Lake where, in 2013, Bob and a couple of his friends started a 20 mile hike over Clouds Rest with a side trip to the top of Half Dome and then down into Yosemite Valley. Yosemite is a remarkably beautiful place.
Bob at Glacier Point with Half Dome behind him. Yosemite Valley is between Glacier Point and Half Dome. If you look past Half Dome you can see Clouds Rest and Tenaya Lake way in the distance on the far left of the picture.
A zoomed photo of Half Dome from Glacier Point with Lisa in the foreground.
Looking straight down from Glacier Point to the parking lot at Curry Village in Yosemite Valley.
Lisa standing at the base of El Capitan, the hallmark, 3,000 foot granite monolith in Yosemite Valley.
Bob took this picture using a low power, wide angle lens.
Looking back towards Tenaya Lake on our way to Yosemite Valley.
Hannah with her boyfriend Tristan Bailey and their good friends Melissa Steele and Ethan Salerno also made a weekend trip to Yosemite and had a wonderful time. Here they are in Tuolumne Meadows with Lembert Dome in the background.
A view of Lembert Dome. This was Melissa, Ethan, and Tristan's first time in the park, and Hannah was happy to show them the sights.
Hannah and her good friend Melissa Steele.
Tristan and Ethan in front of one of the many glacial erratic's sitting on top of Lembert Dome.
Tristan and Hannah near the entrance of Yosemite Valley.
Looking southwest from Olmstead Point to Half Dome.
Hannah and her friends with the beautiful backdrop of Yosemite Valley. So great to see Hannah off on her own enjoying with friends what our family has always enjoyed.
A fun end to a great trip, though it was a bit of a challenge to fit everything back in Hannah's car!
On July 31st we went camping at Fallen Leaf Lake Campground. The campground is only about an hour away from where we live and it is one of our favorites. We often talk that this would be a great place to have another camping reunion like we had done in 2018 at Great Basin National Park. Maybe next year we'll get that done.
Both Hannah and Caleb decided that they would rather sleep outdoors in their own tent instead. Hannah took this really great picture of Bob's old Mountaineering tent she used for the weekend.
Joining us on this trip was Hannah's boyfriend, Tristan Bailey. Tristan was great to have along and is an excellent cook.
We also had a lot of fun biking the many trails in and around the campground. Here Bob is taking off on a ride with Chester on his back. He loves it because he gets to come along and be really close to "Dad".
As a side note, on one of our morning rides we even had the special treat of seeing a mother bear and her cubs!
On Saturday morning, August 1st Bob and the kids headed out on a 10.2 mile out and back hike to the summit of Mount Tallac (9,739 feet). The trailhead to the summit of Tallac is near the Fallen Leaf Lake Campground. You can see Fallen Leaf Lake in this picture behind Bob and Caleb.
Bob enjoying one of his favorite activities, hiking in a beautiful place.
Lake Tahoe and Fallen Leaf Lake coming into view as we make our way up the steep trail that leads to the summit ridge of Mount Tallac.
Tristan nearing the summit.
A wonderful view of Lake Tahoe and Fallen Leaf Lake from the summit of Mount Tallac.
Taking advantage of a photo op in the beautiful wildflowers near the summit of Mount Tallac.
Looking to the southwest and the Desolation Wilderness Area where we had backpacked last year.
July 9th was the first time we had a chance to go camping in our new camper. We had made plans to go earlier, but Covid restrictions had closed most campgrounds and when they did start to open it was hard to find spaces. Fortunately we had made reservations in another one of our favorite places to camp, Lassen Volcanic National Park. This time, however, our reservations were for a remote campground in the northeast area of the park at Butte Lake. Because of its remoteness it turned out to be a great place to stay as Covid has made camping very popular. That said, it doesn't have a lot of amenities and the increased traffic did make it a bit dusty at times.
Both Caleb and Hannah decided they preferred to have their own space and camp in tents. It was really great seeing how they set up their own personal space.
In 2018 Bob and Hannah made a wonderful 13.4 mile hike from Lassen's Summit Lake Campground to Butte Lake. This year they decided to do it again with a couple of variations from their previous hike. In all this hike was 11.2 miles but just as wonderful as they both remembered it.
This picture with Caleb and Chester was taken by Lisa when dropping them off at the trailhead at Summit Lake. Lisa and Caleb spent their day going to the park's Visitor Center and hanging out in camp.
This picture of Hannah was taken over half way through the hike as they neared the Cinder Cone and the Fantastic Lava Beds region of the park.
One the things Bob and Hannah did on this hike that they didn't do in 2018 was to climb to the summit of the Cinder Cone Volcano. The trail to the top is short, but it's very steep with 700 feet of elevation gain. Additionally, the volcanic sand that makes it up has the property of "two steps up and one step back" which can be frustrating. That said, the views from the top are spectacular with Lassen Peak, Prospect Peak, Snag Lake, the Fantastic Lava Beds and the Painted Dunes all clearly visible.
Hannah took this picture of Bob with 10,457 foot Lassen Peak in the background.
Dad and daughter having an amazing day together.
Hannah took this wonderful Pano of Bob looking over where they had hiked from and the high country of Lassen Volcanic National Park beyond.
Hannah looking down into the Cinder Cone Volcano.
One of the other things we spent quite a bit of time doing while camping in Lassen was to kayak around on Butte Lake. Butte Lake is one of the larger lakes in the Park with plenty of places to paddle and explore.
Bob and Lisa paddling around on Butte Lake.
Few people and no other boats. The scene was idyllic.
Bob and Caleb having another great time together.
This was one of Chester's first camping trips and he turned out to be a star at it. We still miss our Christy, but Chester has made his place.
