Yosemite: Oct 27 - 29, 2011

     Most of our trips are pretty quick, usually only one night away, sometimes even working the morning before we leave. This trip we wanted to be able to take it easy and not have to worry about wearing ourselves out, so we stayed two nights. It was a fantastic idea. That first night we stayed in Curry Village again and played Trouble. The next morning we made our most ambitious hike yet; we took the Mist Trail to Vernal Falls. Again we showed our inexperience, getting passed up by the old and young alike, but we eventually made it to the top! It was really exciting being able to finish that. There were moments toward the end that we both wanted to stop or turn around, but we pushed on and it was definitely worth it.
     That afternoon we relaxed, strolled around the valley, and fell asleep very, very early. It was great not having to make the drive back down the mountain after a hike like that.

Let There Be Log!

I am never fully satisfied with the title of my posts. They always seem to be some cheesy pun or obscure line that I'm sure no one gets and I often think I would be happier just to do away with titles altogether. But I don't. And so here it is:

I'm recommitting myself to this blog. It was always supposed to be a log of my life with no real audience necessary, but I still felt the need to make my posts clever and felt as dissatisfied with my posts as I did their titles. But this isn't for some vast audience with judging eyes. It's for me! Just a log to remind myself of those trips, pictures, friends, and whatnot that I've enjoyed in my life.

I've been thinking specifically of the trips Erinn and I have gone on together and all the fun little bits and pieces that made those trips wonderful. I'd love to share those bits. From the day trip to the beach to our big trip to North Carolina, these are things I've enjoyed and would love to share on this log of my life.

And that's why we're even here to begin with: to share the many lives of Jules (myself).

Original Posting:
http://themanylivesofjules.wordpress.com/2011/09/29/let-there-be-log/

Yosemite: Sep 12 - 13, 2011

     This trip marked the first time we actually camped in Yosemite. Normally we stay in Curry Village's tent cabins, but this time we were staying with family, and besides, we wanted to camp out in a real tent anyway. Much more fun!
     We made s'mores, cooked hot dogs, and kept a keen eye out for bears! Then in the morning we hopped on our bikes and toured the valley (Erinn and I rented ours from a place in Yosemite). Toward the end of the day a storm rolled in and threw some lightning around, but it wasn't dangerous, just fun to watch!

Sequoia National Park - General Sherman: Aug 1, 2011

     It's hard, really, to appreciate how massive these trees are when you just look at them in pictures. Even now, looking at my own pictures, I have trouble appreciating how exceptionally big these trees are. I don't think it was until we were driving through Colorado and Wyoming, looking at all the beautiful trees there, that I realized how small most trees really are. We're spoiled, living so close to the giant sequoias of Sequoia National Park or the amazingly tall redwood trees of northern California, and I often forget that this is not the norm.
     On this trip, we visited the famous General Sherman and all the surrounding giants. Some of these massive trees stand on their own, such as General Sherman or The President, but others stand in awe inspiring rings, like The Senate and The House. It's really a trip worth making.

Running for Senate?

Topanga State Park: July 30, 2011

This was a surprise trip. Erinn is very good at things like that. Planning things out, organizing them, surprises... Erinn's got that down. I get lost in the details, but she pulls it all together and it's always great. This time she just told me to be at her house nice and early so we could hit the road before the sun came up. I had no idea where we were going except that we were headed south.
A little after sunrise, we pulled into the parking lot of Topanga State Park, which is right in the middle of a very nice neighborhood near Santa Monica, CA. We pulled on our hiking shoes and headed for the peak. It was a beautiful hike. I'm sure true hikers wouldn't say it was very strenuous, but for novices like us it definitely tested our resolve. We made it halfway, myself drenched from sweat, and we sat for a few minutes before continuing for the top of the mountain. It's a good thing we came as early as we did, because not only did it get quite warm as the day wore on, but the trail got very busy.
After the hike we took it easy down in Santa Monica. It was a great day and a wonderful surprise trip.

Trail of 100 Giants - Sequoia National Forest: May 20 - 21, 2011

    This trip came about spontaneously. We both had Saturday off so we decided to find a place up in the mountains to camp. We drove to Lake Isabella, CA and headed north, looking for a decent campground to stay at. The Kern River runs from the north down into Lake Isabella and we were following it upstream. There are countless little campgrounds to stay at along this route, but we weren't impressed by any of them so we just kept driving. After a long drive we got a bit lost and came across a bulletin board on the side of the road with a map of the area on it. We used that to get our bearings and headed north again.
     I honestly couldn't tell you how we got there, but eventually we came to Redwood Meadow Campground, which is a lot higher and a lot colder than we had planned for, but it was perfect. It was located right across the street from a little hike called The Trail of 100 Giants. It's an easy hike among some of the biggest trees in the world. That night we set up our tent, cooked up some hotdogs, and hit the hay. The next morning we roamed around an adjacent meadow and then walked the Trail of 100 Giants. They are truly impressive. After the hike we still had a lot of time, so we drove lazily through Sequoia National Forest, zig-zagging our way through the beautiful trees, eventually driving highway 190 down to Porterville and then home. Highway 190 is a beautiful route and I definitely recommend it. Porterville and Lake Success are brown and boring and I definitely recommend driving right past those.
     Also, I just remembered that this was the weekend the world was supposed to end, according to Harold Camping. I remember seeing at least one sign inviting everyone to expect the end of days come May 21st, 2011. Good thing it didn't end. I've still got lots of places to see!

Cambria: March 18 - 20, 2011

     The beach is always a great getaway from the heat of California's central valley. On this trip we visited some of our favorite towns along the central coast: San Luis Obispo, Morro Bay, and Cambria. It rained all weekend, but it was still beautiful, relaxing, and fun.

Yosemite: Feb 11 - 12, 2011

     Back again in Yosemite, and of course back in the tent cabins at Curry Village. One of the great parts of staying in Curry Village is that you get cheap tent-style lodging, but you don't have to set up the tent or sleep on the ground. But one of the drawbacks is that you're not allowed to make a fire or cook your own food. We were both satisfied with bananas and sandwiches, though.
     On this trip, we ventured out a little more. First, since it was winter, Yosemite had an ice rink set up, so we strapped on some skates and fumbled around on the ice for a while. It was pretty fun, but neither of us were that stable on the choppy ice. We then took an easy hike to Mirror Lake. NPS.com lists the hike as easy, but icy in the winter and this is definitely true. I remember slipping around on the ice in my sneakers. We were definitely not prepared for serious hiking. But it was beautiful. Everything was covered in snow and felt cool and fresh.