Six Flags - Magic Mountain

After cooking ourselves in Death Valley we decided to treat ourselves to a hotel during our visit to Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, CA just outside Los Angeles. We spent two half days at the park and one full day, open to close.

Six Flags Magic Mountain has the world record for number of roller coasters in one park with a total of 19! This does not include other thrill rides but does include the less fun, kiddie coasters. Of the 19 coasters in the park we went on 15 of them. The other 4 were in the "kid zone" which we steered clear of. One of the great things about this park is that almost all the coasters are different styles from each other.

Six Flags Magic Mountain, Valencia, CA

Death Valley - So Weird. So Hot. So Very Very Hot.

We woke up to a nice breeze on the shores of Lake Isabella. The sun was bright and the boats were just starting to dart around the lake, disturbing the crystal clear reflection of the dry, grassy hills surrounding us. Geoff ate pizza. It was great.

Geoff enjoying pizza for breakfast at Lake Isabella, CA

I watched him chomp down on the Costco pizza we got the night before ever so adoringly as I remembered it was our anniversary. It made me smile. What a weird place for us to be celebrating our years together. And yet it was perfectly fitting. Completely out of the ordinary and definitely outside the box. An adventure. I love our adventures. I love that we enjoy doing the same sorts of things and better yet - enjoy doing them together. We're pretty lucky. We might not live flashy, or come close to making six figures a year but we have each other and that's pretty damn amazing if you ask me.

After a breakfast of pizza we got organized and headed to our destination for the day: Death Valley National Park.

Sequoia National Park - Big Trees, Big Caves, Big Rocks, Big Turns

Sequoia National Park borders Kings Canyon National Park and the two are the same and very different all at the same time. The two parks are connected by Generals Highway, an ode to the giant trees named after many formidable Generals in US history. The trees were named after prominent figures to try and convince them to have the area protected and preserve these natural wonders. It worked!

Me at the top of Moro Rock, Sequoia National Park, CA

Kings Canyon - Fit for Royalty

We arrived at Kings after sundown, partly due to the protests in Fresno, but mostly because we slept in that morning. It was a Saturday Night and the campgrounds were full on arrival. We were tired and didn't see any signs saying otherwise, so we pulled into the Visitor Center parking lot and settled in for the night. The Park Ranger didn't like that...

Sun setting as we reach Kings Canyon National Park after a hot day in Fresno, CA. 

Fresno - A Recharge and Repair

This is just a quick overview of our time in Fresno, CA. Mainly because Geoff's friend John requested a whole post on Fresno. Ok!

We chose to stop in here as it's really the only choice between Yosemite and Kings/Sequoia National Parks with a good amount of resources. Good hotels, a Costco (cheap gas for the win!) and some car parts stores. Yup more repairs.

Yosemite - Part two: This is AMAZING!

Sometimes I forget how many stars are in the sky until I get out and away from civilization, relax and look up. Chilling around the campfire with an adult beverage in hand and roasting hotdogs on the fire (classic!!) and I can feel my muscles starting to finally relax. Take a deep breath, lean back and look up and I can't even make out constellations I recognize with the amount of stars now visible to my eyes now that I'm outside the cities and light pollution. The Milky Way is sprawling across the openness above me and I just feel a sense of peace. Which is saying something in todays' world full of heartbreaking news and non-stop, fast paced life. 

Our first view of Half Dome and Yosemite Valley around sunset before finding our campsite at Bridalveil Creek.

**Side Note: Please understand I'm not spending time editing pictures and uploading the dozens of pictures off our cameras. currently what you're getting is what we've taken on our phones. We'll post a bunch once we have some time in between legs of our trip or maybe not till the end. Thanks for being patient and understanding I really want to be present where I am and enjoy my time with Geoff** 

Yosemite - Part one: Getting There and Slowing Down

After a few more laughs and a fond farewell we took off from Kevin and Rita's place high on the hills in Oakland and headed across the Bay Bridge and into San Francisco again. This time in the van and Geoff at the helm. (Still trying to find the right name for her. Anita? Parker? Beulah? Annie? I dunno...) We had unfinished business with the Golden Gate Bridge. The drive over was stellar, the sun was out and barely a cloud in the sky. By the time we got to the Golden Gate Bridge, the fog had rolled in and you could barely see the bridge standing right next to it. Sooooo, I STILL didn't get my pictures I wanted but we DID drive across the bridge in our awesome home on wheels. After crossing the famous bridge and bay we couldn't see, we set our sights on Yosemite National Park. What better way to spend the 4th of July than seeing a few of America's most iconic manmade and natural sites!

Driving across the Golden Gate Bridge. Slightly Foggy... Classic.

San Francisco

We took the windy road up, up, up, up and up some more. The "two" lane road was  slightly misleading. We really hoped we wouldn't meet any other vehicles on one of the hairpin turns on the way up Broadway Terrace. We didn't. We made it. The views overlooking San Francisco were unreal!

Back in June at a joint birthday party, for Geoff's Grandfather Tom and myself, we were given a family connection living here in Oakland, CA. Geoff's mom contacted Rita and Kevin and let them know we'd be coming through the area. They graciously invited us to come stay with them and offered up a tour of the San Fran area.

The view of San Francisco from Treasure Island. Over on the righthand side you can see a foggy Golden Gate Bridge too!
July, 3rd 2016

From Mountain Passes to Season Passes

We got the call from the mechanic about the van while we were on a hike and out of cell service (of course) so we called back a bit later in the day wondering what the damage would be. Luckily it wasn't the fuel pump, or worse the engine. It was actually the Mass Air Flow sensor and was a relatively easy (and inexpensive) fix. Hooray!

Hiking at Silver Falls State Park, Silverton, Oregon - June 29th, 2016