Reliving my Childhood Day 1- Mammoth and Yosemite

Let's start with my birthday.  I made my camping wish happen- one night in Payson Lakes- and it's a good thing I did!  It was our only night of camping all year!

Unfortunately the lake had shrunk down to 1/4 it's normal size, and the edges were mudholes.  me and the kids toughed it out and did a little kayaking, and when Eric arrived we went down and explored the crazy cracked mud.  We found an old Sprite can from the 70's!  I was super grateful to squeeze that trip in before our big CALIFORNIA TRIP!!

The next Monday we were off!!  On the longest vacation and longest road trip of our lives!  

The first day we drove straight west across Nevada- and through several waves of thunderstorms!!  It was crazy.  Arriving on the eastern border of California, I quickly realized that this was going to be a trip down memory lane for me.  I had been to Lee Vining and Mammoth Mountain every year for Cross Country camp in high school.  We enjoyed the huge trees (that we fully knew would soon be dwarfed by the Sequoias), and all my years of smelling trees paid off! I finally got my kids to smell the vanilla/pineapple deliciousness of Jeffery Pines!!  They didn't believe me all that time, and they were shocked to find I wasn't crazy haha.

We took a quick trip to Mammoth ski resort, 

and I got to run for a few minutes on the mountain I ran up 3 times.

Then we ate dinner, and went to see a big faultline, it was cool.

We stayed a a super interesting B&B in Lee Vining, and enjoyed the shared balcony area for breakfast! Overlooking a river going out into Mono Lake.

Then we headed into Yosemite for the day!!! It was SO cool.  El Cap has been on our minds a lot since watching Alex Honnold scale it in Free Solo, and it was so impressive in person!!

We went on kind of a nightmare hike- the Mist Trail.  Took forever to find a parking spot, walked forever to the trailhead (after we couldn't find it for a while and had no cell reception....all of Eric's nightmares!), It was ALL uphill for 2 miles....my positive attitude and encouragement definitely flagged in the face of huge obstacles from every member of the family!  BUT when we made it to the waterfall and got a tiny glimpse of what the mist trail is usually like (it was super low water everywhere this summer), it was pretty much worth it.

The waterfall rainbow was amazing!

Before the hike we ate lunch at a picnic area by the river.... and of course ended up getting in!

The Half Dome overlook was pretty cool. I love Half Dome!! I've hiked it twice.

And we did a little hike to Soda Springs first thing in the morning when we came into the park.  Trying the soda water was crazy!!

And Eric got to see a little stretch of the Pacific Crest Trail!  Maybe someday we will hike part of it.

We liked seeing the wildlife- the fatty fat prairie dog was the best, I don't have a picture

and we played in the river of course.

This was cool- across the street from the Halfdome overlook, there was a big rock hill.  Just like the forests of my childhood!  Most of the kids and Eric enjoyed this big rock, 

(Owen by the big rock, and a closer view of Half Dome)

while Maris said "mom, I just want to run up this mountain" and took off! Here she is part of the way up.

So I followed her- she was cruising!  I could barely keep up!  we had to do a little climbing at the end, but mostly is was just running up a big rock hill.  We made it to the top, it was so cute and fun!! What a great little adventurer.
View back down the the parking lot, and Maris on top of the world. :)

And that was pretty much our day in Yosemite. Overall awesome. We finished the day eating at Round Table Pizza in Oakhurst and coming down out of the mountains in my old Monday Hill Run running territory of Raymond and Mariposa.  And arrived at Grammy and Grandpa Jamie's to spend the night!