The Mariposa Grove Yosemite NP

Yosemite is by far the grandest of all the special temples of Nature I was ever permitted to enter.”  John Muir

 Today we visited The Mariposa Grove of giant Sequoia trees. The shuttle service as most services in the National parks are not available due to covid restrictions. So that meant we could if we chose drive to the parking lot and HIKE 2.5 miles up the side of the mountains to get to the Grove. I was hesitant with my medical conditions and of course being out of shape. But with Martha’s encouragement and positive attitude… I decided to try to get it done. Well with a plan in place (taking it slow and easy) We made it to the top and dude was it ever worth it! Beautiful majestic trees. Some over 1,000 years old. Think about  that. 1157 the world was a far different place. These trees have stood guard over mankind through so much. And yet they are still there silent, non judgmental. They could care less what your ethnicity is. Could care less about politics, or sports teams, any of the mundane crap we concern ourselves with. These silent guardians are just there. With their dignity in place. For us! You should make a point of seeing this magical place once at least in your lifetime. 

Yosemite NP 9.238.21

 Yosemite is a special place to me. Everyone has that special place that takes them to their "Happy Place" Well this is mine. I first came here in 2003 and it was a real "spiritual journey" for me at the time. There were changes in the works in my life and Yosemite helped me along.... I am connected here to something. Not sure what it is but it\"s really deep. As I sit here in Wawona campground... with the sounds of music coming to my ears from some campers playing mandolins and guitars close by. The sounds of kids being kids... running and yelling at each other. Just being kids... ya know? Honest sounds... true sounds...I am reminded of what life really is.. connections. Music, nature, you know the real shit.

Saying goodbye to Alex our new buddy!

We Met a new Friend

 “Everyone you meet knows something you don’t know but need to know. Learn from them.” – C.G. Jung 

Tonight at our camp a stranger came by on his bicycle. We met Alex Caicedo. This young man is traveling and living on the road! ON A BICYCLE! He has visited 49 states in a little over a year. We hit it off and invited him to have dinner with us. And it was a BLAST! He told us of his adventures and it was inspirational and interesting. Alex is a mechanical engineer by trade and decided to chase his dreams of travel. It was a great night of hanging out. Follow Alex as he travels the world!  https://www.instagram.com/bumon2wheels/

Happy trails Alex!

Yosemite NP area/ Oakhurst California

"The Mountains are calling, and I must go"  John Muir

We arrived in the Oakhurst CA area and found our campground, High Sierra RV campground. Oakhurst is just outside the Yosemite National Park south entrance. We needed a couple days for cleaning, laundry and relaxing "off the road". This morning we walked up to town and found this wonderful little shop called Judy's Donuts. It was a real treat, and we enjoyed some of their confections. We spent a few minutes in the Yosemite welcome center and got some maps and advice for our upcoming explorations. 

Reflecting the community, sadly the campground is not aging well.

Russ modeling his new beanie

Lots of tourist info and more rules than anyone will read!

A very hilly town but the campsite was level

We're doing pretty well at eating healthy on the road

Going to have to stop at this place for local produce

“Finding an old friend is like finding a lost treasure.” – Anthony Douglas Williams

Vivian Campbell was and is a great friend. She moved out west some 40 years ago. Vivian Is one of those rare people you meet a few times in life. You know the kind, fun, talented, no BS kind of friend. The kind you run into after many years and you sit down and chat and it’s like you just saw each other last week. The kind of person you see across a room and her smile just lights the room up. That’s my old friend Vivian. So good to see you my friend. Till we meet again "Busy VivViv"!

9.25.21 Napa Valley Wine Country

Napa is of course all about wine!  Martha had a particular Vineyard (Louis M. Martini) she and her friend Heidi are familiar with as a matter of fact it's the "house wine" at Heidi's restaurant in Connecticut  https://www.elizabethsfarmhouse.com/ . We stopped in for a tasting but alas, it was too early and without "reservations" it was not going to happen. Anyway, it was a little early for vino. So we traveled onward and found a nice tasting room a bit further up the Vally road. The Foley wine room was nice.