Camping at Mammoth

Lake George

Uncle Nick, Kirk, Adam, Ben and Kelsey

Kirk and the boys playing Nintendo DS

Uncle Nick helping Ben fish

Proof that Ben caught the fish himself

Not bad for a morning of fishing

Learning how to clean fish with Kelsey

When we arrived at Mammoth Lakes, I had no idea where to camp. I drove around and came upon the old library complete with the longstanding librarian. I asked her advice on camping with the boys and she suggested Mary's Lake. I drove up to the Lake but the spots were too filled with RV's. I decided to go on up to George Lake at 8900 feet and found the perfect spot in more ways than one. There are only 16 campsites, all among the trees around the lake. But more importantly, we found the best camping neighbors we could ever imagine. Kelsey is a 35 year veteran of teaching 8th grade history and the epitome of patience. He was camping with his 23 year old son Kirk who is also studying to be a teacher and their Uncle Nick. They cooked for us, did our dishes, taught the boys how to fish, taught Mom how to camp and even gave Ben one of their fishing rods and set both boys up for future fishing. Most importantly, however, they were great role models of how to be generous, patient and kind men. Ben became very adept at casting and caught all sorts of fish which Kelsey taught us how to clean. Adam caught some fish as well and Ben even ate a fish eyeball (reportedly a mix of crunchy and mushy without much flavor). We also learned how to make camper's stew the best of which was prepared by Adam. The boys hunted for Bigfoot in the dark and even got to play video games on Kirk's Nintendo DS. Overall it was an incredible three days that we will remember forever.

Tioga Pass

View of Yosemite Valley as we climb Tioga Pass

View of Half Dome from Tioga Pass

Tenaya Lake

Ben in Tuolomne Meadow

The day after Ben’s birthday we left the Yosemite View Lodge and traveled over the Tioga Pass to Mammoth Lakes. It was a trip filled with incredible scenery, pristine alpine lakes and the beautiful Tuolumne Meadow. As we passed the 9000 foot marker, the boys were even able to play in the snow in June! At one point, we were as high as the top of Half Dome and could see it in the distance.

Ben's Birthday at Yosemite

View from our room at the Yosemite Lodge

Ben with El Capitan in the distance

Yosemite Falls

Adam in the Ahwahnee fireplace!

After two nights regrouping at the Oakhurst Lodge, we made our way to Yosemite. Our original plan was to camp there and stay in a motel in Mammoth but we decided to switch things around. We ended up at the Yosemite View Lodge in El Portal in honor of Ben’s birthday. We had a beautiful room with a balcony and view of the river as you can see in the first picture above. We also had a fireplace that Adam enjoyed lighting (over and over again). It was a lovely respite and much enjoyed by all especially Mom.

We spent Ben’s actual birthday in Yosemite. As we were driving into the Park Ben was waxing eloquent about how blue the sky was and how perfect a day and a place to celebrate his birthday. He then paused and said there was only one place where he would rather spend his birthday (all you friends of Ben know what’s coming) – AUSTRALIA. Nonetheless, he thoroughly enjoyed his day at Yosemite Valley. We started with a hike to Bridalveil Falls and much rock climbing. Adam was fearless on the rocks and Mom now has a few more gray hairs. We had lunch at the Ahwahnee Hotel and the boys loved playing in the huge fireplaces. I decided to take my soot-covered boys rafting on the river but they require two people over 12 on the raft. We switched gears and rented bikes to ride around the valley. As there were no bikes with training wheels, Mom carted Adam around in the kid cart and sufficiently worked off the entire Ahwahnee lunch. We left the park for swimming and relaxation back at the hotel and celebrated Ben’s birthday with cake at the hotel restaurant. Ben ordered carrot cake and it was gone in about two minutes. Overall, it was a wonderful day to celebrate Ben’s entrance into the world.

Ben and Adam Catch Fish!

One of my hopes was that the boys would fine some fellow campers to help them fish (so Mom wouldn't have to bait the hooks). That wish became reality both afternoons at Lake Hume. We met a family who showed Ben and Adam how to fish and let them use their rods. Ben caught 3 fish and Adam caught 2. By the second day, Ben was very proficient at casting and the boys had a super time.

The Largest Living Tree in the World

On Friday we drove to see the Giant Sequoias in Sequoia National Forest. These trees are incredible. In this grove is the General Sherman tree which is the largest living tree in the world. It is not the tallest or the widest tree but it is by volume the largest tree in the world. The top is dead but the trunk continues to live and each year it grows enough trunk to equal the size of another whole large tree. While we wandered around the grove, Adam used my camera to take pictures of the trees. He said "Mom, if we ever feel sad we can just grab the camera and look at the pictures of the trees."

Waterfalls and Rock Climbing

Our first morning we decided to drive up through King's Canyon to Road's End. I blearily went to wash my face with very cold water and met a mother on the way. We were discussing how great the Hume Lake area was for kids and she happened to mention the coffee shop about a hundred yards down the path. I said "did you say coffee shop"? Yes, just around the bend was a Christian Camp for kids that had a coffee shop, snack shop, dinner buffet and grocery store. I made my daily runs for a chai latte and fed the kids pastries for breakfast. I decided I would work my way up to the Coleman stove and was just proud of myself that I cooked dinner every night over the open fire (we did not go to the buffet!).

King's Canyon is a beautiful spot complete with two waterfalls, rock climbing and river rapids. In case you were wondering, we did not do the white water rafting on this trip. The boys had a great time imaging all sorts of figures in the rock walls and never once asked "are we there yet". Adam even made a friend in a very unlikely spot.

S'Mores Anyone?

We successfully made our first fire from pine needles, pine cones and wood the boys gathered. What an accomplishment! We all gorged on s'mores and roasted marshmallows. I taught the boys the fine art of a perfectly brown marshmallow but as you can see Adam liked his burnt.

Camping by the Lake

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We made it to King's Canyon on Wednesday and set up camp at Hume Lake. Mom pitched the tent to chants of "go Mom, go Mom" and much cheering. We set up camp as quickly as possible in order to go swimming at the nearby lake. Ben made some friends and spent time playing with them on a huge log in the middle of the lake. Adam kept a close watch on a nearby fisherman hoping for a chance to fish.

Furry Friends

No road trip would be complete without some furry friends. Accompanying us on our expedition is Rexy the T. Rex, Ranger the dog, Fluffy the tiger and Rhino. If you look really closely at our pictures, you may see one or all of the furry friends in some of the photos.

Is this really Squaw Valley?

After a late start, we decided to stay in a motel near King's Canyon rather than put the tent up in the dark. We stopped for pizza and the waitress recommended the Squaw Valley Motel. I thought great, I've been to the Squaw Valley Resort and it was really nice. Well, as you can see it was not exactly the same caliber. Ben took one look at the motel and said "Mom, we are not staying here. Motels are creepy and bad things happen". I'm thinking --- what is he going to say when we get into a tent?! We ended up staying and it was a really great room with two Queen beds, satellite TV, a microwave and a fridge. Ben's life lesson number 1 was never judge a motel by how it looks.