Over the extended Memorial Day holiday 2012 Curtis and I met up with our favorite backpacking Midwestern friends – Jacquie, Dan, Kris, and Kate – to spend 5 days backpacking Isle Royale National Park. It was amazing to get to one of the US’s least visited national parks so near to our alma mater Michigan Technological University and once again feel the chilly breeze, see snow hardy forests, and smell…
It is hard to believe, but Curtis and I have been living with Yosemite as our “backyard” for a little over 2 years now! Sometimes we like to fancy ourselves old pros, people who have visited many time a year and taken hundreds of photos. But then I looked at the map. Over our two years here we have only went on 2 backpacking adventures in the park! This is rather like…
Trailhead: Lundy Lake Rd (off of Hwy 395) past the lake & cabins down to dirt road pullouts near an Outhouse.
Distance: We hiked ~3.5 miles before we hit the snowline (Just beyond a dayhike to Mill Creek Falls), making it 7miles out and back. Trail was fairly hilly and required you to ford past runoff streams and cross some good old fashioned shady log bridge.
Did you know that it a not-so-secret time honored road biking tradition to travel over mountain passes after the snow melts but as the road remains closed? I didn’t, until we heard about being able to cycle Tioga Pass in the park! I cant tell you the last time Curtis and I REALLY road our bikes, other than going into town, so this was quite the change – and physical…
April 8th, 2012 was both Easter, my birthday, and my very first half marathon! It was a good reason to go to the coast anyhow- to Pescadero CA (South of Halfmoon Bay/San Francisco, north of Santa Cruz). We went down to Pescadero and tented it up at Costanoa KOA, which was pretty luxurious because I brought my twin sized pillow-top mattress cover as to not be sore before the race. That evening in my state of perpetual…
Point Reyes, since I went with my Mom last year, is one my favorite places in California. Curtis treated us to a weekend-cation for valentines day to visit again… and really to see what I was so excited about. Some highlights We hiked out to Tomales Point, geting up close and personal with many Tule Elk herds Visited Drakes Beach Hiked to chimney rock and viewed some elephant seals nearby! Walked the many…
The California Native Plant Society (CNPS) Redbud chapter sent me on a scholarship to the CNPS Conference down in San Diego to learn all about different types of native plants and how to use them to help non-profits and anyone working with water quality use these plants in helping to reach their goals… right? Right! In other words it was an awesome, and sometimes overwhelming for an engineer not botanist, learning fest! Not all work…
Our Original Halloween Plans: Attend the Jam-music-fest Hangtown Halloween Ball in Placerville as 1 MC Hammer and coordinating Hammerhead Shark. But when it comes down to it, who wants to make a hammer head shark costume and pay mucho $$$ to see music? Exspecialy when you know our new cat Herman will be intent on trying to make you stab him with the needle and thread you meant to make…
In early June Mom kicked off summer with visit to California. A very wet, rainy, and mild weathered trip to California. Despite the lack of sun in the state I think she managed to enjoy herself in our whirlwind tour of Yosemite/Groveland, San Francisco, Point Reyes, and Grass Valley/Nevada City. Not sure if I managed to convince her it was WAY better than Southern CA, but she is getting there…
Hello! I am a 30-something outdoors-lady, backpacker, and resident of Groveland, California - 
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