Happy Birthday T!

Happy birthday my love. I hope you had a good day and I am thankful for another year with you. HOpe for many many more!

Vacation!!!!

T and I got back from vacation about a week ago, and we enjoyed ourselves so much. It started off meeting his parents in Spokane for the weekend, where T and his mom ran the bloomsday race. We really enjoyed our time and had dinner Saturday night at this great Italian food place. So tasty and yummy! Then, we drove down to Yosemite for 3 days of backpacking above the Hetch Hetchy reservoir. It was perfect weather and really beautiful. T had to hike in with a bear canister which added alot to the weight of his pack, but we did see bear evidence while we were up there. More on the backpacking trip on down the page. It was hard to come back from vacation, but we really did have a great time seeing family and friends and enjoying sunshine.

If you want to see these pictures bigger, just double click on it.

Day 1 Rancheria Falls

Our first day was an easy hike, not too much uphill and not too far. I think it was about 5 and half miles or so. WE really enjoyed being in the sunshine surrounded by all the beauty around us. There weren't too many bugs yet, and none of the mosquitos were biting. WE were able to go on a smaller hike after we set up camp. This trail was pretty much along the edge of the reservoir for a good long while, and you got to hike by (kind of around) where some big waterfalls fed the reservoir. We got kind of wet then, but it felt good. The trail starts by going across the dam and through a tunnel. We found a deer in the tunnel, and whatever it had found in there it liked. It took much prodding and foot shuffles to even get it to move down the tunnel, and we had to keep making noise for it to keep moving. She was our guide for a while on the trail too for a while, until I think she finally got tired of being followed. T claims that when he was in Yosemite last, he and his friends watched two deer look both ways before crossing the road. Hmm...

Lake Vernon

Day 2 Lake Vernon

This was a strenuous walking day, but so fun and full of adventure. I think we decided it was about 11-12 miles from Rancheria falls up to the lake, but it was all uphill, except for just before reaching the lake. I am not kidding, doing the loop counterclockwise is not for the faint of heart. IT was so beautiful though and sunny. For the first time ever, I actually finished the entire 2 liters of water we pack in our packs every day. You hike through Till Till valley, which is more swamp I think than meadow this time of year. WE put on our gators and everything. So pretty though. I pointed out to T that we there were some bear tracks along the trail every so often, and I don't think that bear was too far ahead of us, because we came across a giant pile of bear scat. Lots of fiber in that diet.

WE ended up hiking into the snow drifts and had some trouble at times finding the trail. T is good at finding the trail though. We ran into some other hikers who had trouble staying on the trail, going the opposite way from us, so we were able to tell them just to follow our tracks to the other side. WE couldn't follow their tracks too well, so we ended up adventure hiking down the side of the mountain to the lake, which we could see, and the trail, which we could also see from above, but not how to use it to get down. Fun fun!!

Day 3

Our last day backpacking we hiked out about 11 miles back to hetch hetchy and the car. IT was beautiful, we went from the snow and tundra type stuff down into the warmth of forests and meadows to rocky slopes. The way down was pretty steep in parts, but it made up for the mostly uphill from the day before. I ended up getting a blister under one of my toenails which pushed the nail up, making walking an interesting experience. I'm still trying to decide if I will lose the nail. WE really enjoyed our time, and that was the first time I have ever backpacked and broken camp every day.

Dinner at a Friend's house

We had the opportunity to see a good friend and her parents and fiance, and we had so much fun. They lit a huge bonfire and we really enjoyed their company. T had never met her parents but he and N's dad really hit it off. We ate excellent food and caught up. The worse thing about the evening was that it was cut short. I felt so sad and kind of rude, because I felt really ill, and we had to leave I felt so bad. We haven't enjoyed ourselves that much in a long time. T is already talking about wanting to go back and spend some time up there. (By the way, I think I got food poisoning that morning from bad milk in my tea. I haven't been that sick in 9 years or so.)

MOther's day

WE were able to meet up with my sister and my parents on our way home on the day before mother's day, so we all had lunch together. It was a lot of fun, and the food was pretty good. I didn't eat too much because I was still kind of sick, but we were glad to get to see mom for mother's day.

Haircut

Not the best picture of the new do, but here you go. This is what happens when the hairstylist asks "shoulder length?" and I responded "a little shorter than that." It is just a little shorter than my chin. I was in shock for a day or so, but it helps that T loves it.