15 June 2009

The summer begins ....

Blimey, it sure has been a long time. Lots has happened since the Jesusita fire. Lots. I will not, however, bore my loyal blog followers (yes, yes, I do have those, you know - not many. OK, a number less than 5 if I must really be honest. Still, it's more than my Twitter followers, which is still greater than the number friends on Facebook who bother to look at my profile!)) with boring details. I'll try to stick only to the sensational.

Today felt like the real Day 1 of summer vacation. I started my day with a latte, the NYT, and then a swim, followed by a hot tub soak and a few minutes in the steam room. Now, is there a better way to start the day? It's been such a long time since I was able to have a leisurely start to my day.

Last week, the first week of summer vacation, we were in San Francisco, then Yosemite. Lilli, our niece from Cambridge, came out to California to celebrate the end of exams and secondary school. We tried to show her a good time in SF by making her walk her legs off. We meandered through Golden Gate Park which has beautiful gardens and meadows and little forests. We absorbed the lively, alternative atmosphere of Haight-Ashbury. Then we took the scenic drive up Twin Peaks for a panoramic view of SF. Continuing on the drive we got onto the coast and discovered a fabulous trail with amazing views of the Golden Gate Bridge. We had wine at Buena Vista Cafe, then dined at our old favorite, Greens Restaurant, from where we watched the sun setting behind the Golden Gate Bridge. The previous evening we had dinner at another favorite, Dosa, on Filmore. This place serves up Indian food that really satisfies in every way. So, we had a fun weekend. San Francisco definitely takes on a different atmosphere in the summer compared to winter. Lots more people are up and about having a good, old time.

On Monday morning we drove to Yosemite, and were lucky to get a campsite in the valley - after some effort and waiting around. it was all worth it, though. To get up in the morning and be greeted by the gorgeous granite monoliths of Yosemite is quite special. But the campground was enormous and filled with people. Not the best way to enjoy nature and the wilderness. Daryl made a scrumptious chili and we ate heartily. The next morning we awoke early and set out for Half Dome. The first third of the trail was quite stunning especially when we got to the waterfalls. So much green, and water, and the sheer slopes of the stunning mountains. The strong scent of pine everywhere. Birdsong in the air. The sun was out, but the air temperature a bit cool - perfect for hiking. We were in high spirits the whole time. For lunch we had bread, left over chili, cheese, trail mix and a dessert of cherry pie. Yes, we are well.
We made great progress and then we came to the last bit. First, we had to climb up hundreds of steps carved into a fairly steep slope. This was not easy, especially when the trail narrowed and it seemed like there was just emptiness on either side of the steps! Not something you would do if you had a fear of heights. After the steps the cables started. I quit at this point. Daryl and Lili continued, hoping to get tot he very top of Half Dome. They gave up at the very last stretch. So, we felt good that we had done all but the last bit of the trail.
Going down was easy, but we were tired. We had walked up 8 miles and now we had to descend those 8 miles. We got back to the valley around 7:30 - about 11 hours after we had started. Luckily we weren't camping that night. We drove out of the park in search of a motel. We found a rather cute one in Fish Camp. The restaurant at the motel made us vegetarian pasta which we devoured. Fish Camp was surprisingly chilly. We had to turn the heating on in our room. After hot showers we slept like logs.

So, talk about starting vacation with a bang!!

As if that wasn't enough, we returned home to a fully scheduled weekend. More on that later!

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