Colorado, Vegas & JOYsemite!

Aloha all,

after the European part of our trip, we flew back to Denver to spend a week with our Colorado ohana. We were glad to see how well Kelly is doing compared to just two months ago. We would have been happy to just be there to help, but there also seemed to be at least one fun activity for every doctor visit. Then again, even going to a doctor can be fun with Kelly. 

But of course it’s even more fun to play games, go to a soccer match or have lunch or dinner with Bunt & Ann. We also took Bunt to a Beach Boys concert with the Colorado Symphony at the Red Rocks Amphitheater…or “The biggest Rock in Rock” as they called it. This was right up Bunt’s Alley: Legendary 60’s music about Surfing, Hot Rods and California Girls….and all in the arguably most scenic concert venue in America. We love it when we can do someone a favor and enjoy it ourselves just as much!

The Beach Boys at Red Rocks!

Fun, fun fun!
Bunt & Sandra feel the 'Good Vibrations'

We took a short trip down to Colorado Springs and at least saw our friends Jeff & Lucas. We also did a quick museum visit, a short hike…and ate the best Irish Nachos we ever had. 

In Vegas we stayed at the New York New York,
but saw the Eiffel Tower from the Bellagio 

Joy spent her winter in Las Vegas, so we flew there next. Usually Vegas drives us crazy after 3-4 days, because it can take 25 minutes to cross the street. At 110 degrees Fahrenheit, one day was plenty. Just enough time for one fun Cirque de Soleil Show (“Mad Apple”), four water fountain shows at the Bellagio and to pick up Joy and get her ready, washed and stocked up for the trip. Joy survived her hibernation very well. The only issue we had so far was when the fridge door fell off, but so far the super glue is doing its thing. And by “its thing”, I mean it fixed the door, not the other thing where you get your fingers glued together for days.

Joy is on the Road Again!!!

Now we are very excited to be back on the road with Joy. To our surprise, even on short notice in August, we were still able to get campground reservations in Yosemite National Park for 5 nights. In our typical, meandering slow way, we took three days to get to Yosemite. After all, who wouldn’t want to see the International Car Forest? 

Just one of the cars growing
out of the desert at the Car Forrest

And why not see yet another silver mine, especially if it’s ironically located in a funky small town called Goldfield. Our claim to fame is that we stayed out drinking in Goldfield until after the only open bar in town shut down…and still made it home before 9pm.

Goldfield Midnight is even earlier
than Maui Midnight

On Sandra’s birthday we made it out of the desert and into the Sierra Nevadas. We somewhat randomly stopped at Mono Lake, just because it was on the way and looked pretty cool on the map with an island in the middle and these funny looking “Tufa Towers” along the shore. When we got to the parking lot at 5:40pm, Sandra spotted a sign that there’s a guided tour at 6pm. It turns out, Mono Lake is a very special place, if you are interested in geology, water rights or shrimp. 

Tufa Towers along Mono Lake

Mono Lake does not have an outlet. Any water that flows into the lake (plus the water that bubbles up from underground springs in the lake) eventually evaporates. This makes for a very special ecosystem. It is threatened since 1942 when Los Angeles began diverting so much water that the water level of the lake dropped drastically. After much lobbying, many compromises and several law suits, the worst disaster seems to be averted for now. 

Sandra canoeing on Mono Lake

We enjoyed Mono Lake so much that we booked a naturalist-guided canoe tour on the way out of Yosemite a few days later. We even swam in the lake…or rather floated on top of the lake…it is VERY buoyant!

Me and a trillion shrimp
in Mono Lake

Since the lake is more than twice as salty and much more alkaline as the ocean, only two animals survive in it: The Brine Shrimp and the Alkali Fly. But the lake is still teeming with life, since there are millions of flies and trillions (!) of shrimp. Our guide made us randomly scoop a cup of water and everyone caught several shrimp.  But don’t plan your next BBQ around Mono Lake, at only about a quarter of an inch, these shrimp are hard to grill. Fun Fact: Brine shrimp are one of the very few animals that lay eggs and also give live birth. Yep, they do both. Also,…two of them had sex on my hand. 

Great hike above Fantail Lake 

Even before Yosemite, the scenery just east of the park is already spectacular. One of our favorite hikes was actually outside of the National Park. It took us through the deserted mining town of Bennettville and along four beautiful lakes. Great views, cold plunges and just the right length and elevation gain to feel accomplished. 

We spent the first and the last night in the park in the high country. Our first hike in the park took us next to North Dome with a spectacular view of Yosemite Valley and Half Dome. Luckily, the trail description was way off. Had we known how much elevation it really was, we might not have done this hike, but it was worth every step!

Half Dome seen from North Dome

Indian Rock Arch on the way back up

The next day, we spent in Yosemite Valley and did three different ranger programs. My favorite was the tour of the historic Ahwahnee Hotel. We had been to Yosemite only once almost 30 years ago. Back then, we only had one day and basically only saw the valley. Obviously, Yosemite Valley is a beautiful place, but I am glad we now had more time to explore the rest of this spectacular park.

Almost 100 years of history
 at the Hotel Ahwahnee

We walked through the Giant Sequoia groves of Mariposa and Tuolumne. Always impressive to see these majestic trees. They sure look like trees, they are just the wrong size. By volume, they are the largest trees in the world. But I guess that’s what happens if you don’t stop growing for over 1,000 years…

I like Big Trees and I cannot lie

Our favorites views of the park were from the top of the Sentinel Dome. That’s the hike to do if you want the most ‘bang for your buck’: Only 2.5 miles of hiking get rewarded with spectacular 360 degree views of Yosemite. Or if you are even lazier than us, just drive to Glacier Point for the best views of the valley below.

Yosemite Valley from Glacier Point

Ranger Theo made our last day in the park: First we went on an intriguing two hours history walk across Tuolumne Meadow with him, then he did an inspiring campfire program about bears at the campground. And he was the one to tell us about the canoe tours on Mono Lake. Boy, do we love the National Park Service…America’s best idea!

Thank you, Ranger Theo!

And that’s the news from Lake Yosemite, where all the Joy is strong, all the park rangers are good looking and all the views are better than average.

Chris & Sandra