Story

When you’re a standard poodle living in Santa Cruz, you’ve got to have that Santa Cruz style. A little help from Gabe and she’s looking hot. It’s so nice that Gabe has a little sister he can play with.

The Santa Cruz upper harbor has been pretty deserted lately with the lack of salmon fishing and high gas prices. Just the thing for this local to finally get a chance to keep my boat in the water. This sure is a million times more convenient. She looks very nice in her new slip. Can you spot her from up on the hill? Though Gabe is much happier now that we’re taking out the boat much more frequently, we’re not catching any bigger fish. It’s still a load of fun. ...

It’s a beautiful morning on Laurel Lake on the second day of our backpacking trip to Hetch Hetchy in Yosemite. There’s no one else around except the yellow jackets buzzing around the tent. I’m definitely sore from yesterday’s effort, but I feel a whole lot better after the rest. It certainly would have been even better if I actually fell asleep. After a great breakfast, Gabe spots a black bear walking along the edge of our campsite. I throw the last bits of food back into the bear canister, then throw Gabe and the packs in the tent and give the bear some room. My “Hey Bear” calls keep him from being surprised, but clearly he’s done this thing before. Sneaky bear thought he would surprise us during breakfast and get a nice meal. I can tell he’s seen a bear can before as he just gives it a lick and then walks on. His next step is to approach me and the tent, likely to try his next strategy of going through our packs. I stand my ground and he finally backs off and continues around the lake. ...

It’s been a long time since Gabe and I did a backpacking trip together. School will be starting soon so there’s no better time than the present. Backpacking permits for the less traveled parts of Yosemite are easy to get, so we’re off to Hetch Hetchy. It’s an area I’ve always wanted to visit, though doing it in August will be much hotter than I like. Gabe and I leave the house very early in hopes of getting on trail before it gets too hot. We’re loaded up and on our way. ...

Our first day on the coast included a couple of very nice hikes. Today we’re heading south along the coast towards Ano Neuvo. Looks like we’ll be able to hike the whole way on the beach! Unfortunately when we finally got to this rock outcropping, a number of posted signs warned us not to enter. I was really looking forward to walking all the way to the point across from the island. ...

I was thinking that a night on the coast with my most excellent wife would be a nice time, especially sinceI haven’t seen her for some time while she was driving back from Michigan. I’ve wanted to stay at Costanoa since it’s across the road from my favorite beach. First stop is over at the Pigeon Point Lighthouse in Pescadero. There are two nice hiking loops from the hotel. The first one goes up into the hills with some great views of the ocean. I really liked the chairs at the top of the hill. ...

One more long day of driving for everyone. The last stop of the trip is the Salt Flats in Utah. Gracie was really freaked out by it. Makes me want to hop in a really fast car and just go.

There are still plenty of elk hanging out in Estes Park this morning over by the Stanley Hotel. Monica has been looking forward to visiting the hotel given her love of dark horror stories. The area around Gem Lake is as beautiful as I remember from our days in Boulder. Then it’s the drive on Trail Ridge Road intoRocky Mountain National Park. Now that’s a great road! Charlotte was looking forward to some hiking in the area, but the kids are in a rush to head home. Looks like the short walk to the observation area is going to be the extent of the hiking. ...

No great photos to show off. I’m sure Charlotte was dead tired from another long day of driving and was just looking forward to heading off to bed. The elk just wander the streets in this town.

Charlotte, Nick, Monica, and Gracie are back on the road again. Today they left Bootjack very early in the morning and plan to make a few visits, and do a whole lot of miles. Some very pretty waterfalls along the way. Charlotte’s been looking forward to stopping in Madison to visit her sister Karen at her house for the very first time. Next stop is a visit with her friend Kim in Iowa. ...