After stopping off to say hello to the elephant seals, who were mostly out to sea, we went for a hike on a gorgeous San Simeon day.
We spent all afternoon on San Simeon Point, surrounded by the ocean, walking along the cliffs and through the trees. The boys enjoyed exploring the rock formations flowing into the ocean.
The boys enjoyed playing in the water and collecting sand dollars at a nice beach in Cayucos, off the beaten path. I used to play at this beach when I was their age.
We started off our day of hiking at Montaña de Oro, walking along the cliffs. Then we headed further inland, to the Elfin Forest by the back end of the Morro Bay estuary. We had the mini oak tree forest all to ourselves for exploring.
We spent our first afternoon in Joshua Tree learning about the geology and wildlife at the visitor center. Then we did a short hike to Barker Dam, getting some up close experience with joshua trees and meeting some friendly ground squirrels.
A cool desert iguana greeted us at the desert oasis we explored to kick off our second day of the trip. Then we headed further into the park, to hike amongst and climb around the boulders. Somehow, no bones were broken in the process.
We finished off the day at Keys View, admiring the dust storm and smog filling the Coachella Valley. Before Los Angeles had so many cars, I’m sure that the view was amazing.
We bid Joshua Tree farewell while visiting the Cottonwood Oasis in the south section of the park.
Kings Canyon was a beautiful area for a hike, although it was a bit hot this day.
While on the trail, I had sat on a rock waiting for the others to catch up. I was faced looking up the trail where they would come around a bend, so I didn’t notice the bear that was sneaking up behind me. When it was about 10 feet away, Aliciana came around the corner and screamed “Bear!” at me until I realized what was going on.
We slowly backed away, and the bear decided to carry on its way off trail. It wasn’t very big, probably just a few years old, and not aggressive in any way. I think it was just curious. Either way, it was a memory I won’t soon forget. I just wish I would have had the mindset to get a better photo when he was so close.
We took in two of the biggest trees in the world, the General Sherman and General Grant. Along the way, we met a beautiful young buck, just hanging out under a tree.
The fire damage from the Creek Fire in 2020 made the mountains look like a moonscape. But the lakes persist and we enjoyed visiting them.
Huntington Lake, where I used to go to Scout camp, was still freezing, as I remembered. But Shaver Lake was pleasant so the boys and I decided to have a swim.
We started off walking around the California State Capitol. Then ventured down to Old Town Sacramento, where the boys talked me into buying them way too much saltwater taffy.
We took a short walk along the Tualatin river in Cook Park, near my parents’ house. Then the boys talked Michaela into playing a little wiffleball.
My mom wanted photos of the entire family, since it has been so long since we were all at the same place. Then we had a BBQ and celebrated Zander’s birthday.
My parents showed us their zoo, where we got to meet one of the elephants during feeding time. The zoo in Portland is the perfect size for a nice afternoon visit.
We learned a lot of Oregon history at the site of the first provisional government on the West Coast… before a flood washed away the town. There was a nice trail along the river where we hiked and ate wild blackberries.
Smoke filled the bowl that the lake sits in, so it wasn’t beautiful like it should have been. We’ll have to visit again when the world isn’t on fire.
