New Lake Hogan

I know I mentioned my Birthday a bit back, but what I forgot to mention was all the fun we had during the day. We went back out to New Lake Hogan.
View Larger Map A nice Lake in the foothills of Northern California. Our friend Cory brought out his ski boat, and we went for a ride. I really like riding in boats, the bouncing around and hum of the engine is so relaxing that I even got a good nap in. But this time, I did more than just nap. Dad got in a great ride on the wake board and on skis, Mom can still single ski (it took her a few tries to get up, and I just didn’t like it when she would fall down, so I needed a big kiss when she was all done), we had a nice picnic lunch and got to swim around in the water. Then we broke out the big fun, the TUBE! Dad got in some good rides, and some good tumbles. Cory had fun, and Mom even got out there. After my nap, Dad and I even gave it a try. After just waking up, I wasn’t so sure about it. However, I did like driving the boat. It was a fun adventure when Dad tried to grab a quite large dead fish, but it was a bit to slippery. We even got to see a beautiful sunset. Perfect summer Birthday on the Lake. Thanks for all the fun Cory! Do you have a favorite lake you like to play on?

Mount Diablo

On our last trip to San Francisco to watch a baseball game, we took a side road (surprise, surprise) and happened upon Mount Diablo. You can find it on purpose by taking North Gate Road east of the Highway 680.
View Larger MapIt’s a beautiful, winding, drive up the mountain to the visitors center. We went and stood on the tip top of the mountain. There are great views (especially if you bring binoculars) and a very informative visitor’s center. Even beautiful wildflowers. There is a lot to do you here, with hiking trails, bicycle routes, and camp sites. It was a great find. If you want more information about Mount Diablo, check out:http://www.mdia.org/.

Big Adventures in a Little Plane

As many of you know, my Dad is a skydiver, so we've spent most of the summer at a Drop Zone (skydiving center) in Northern California. I love it! I spend every weekend looking at airplanes, helicopters, ultra lites, and of course parachutes & skydivers. What could be better?

My own plane ride, that's what! (For full disclosure- I have been on a plane once beofre, but that was in one of theose big commercial jets, so uneventful I didn't even know I was on a plane.) But at the end of the summer Mom, Dad & I got to go on a plane ride in a little Cessna 182. It's a plane used by skydivers, so there is only one seat for the pilot. We got to sit on the nicely padded floo, which has seatbelts sticking through the carpet. I must admit after we took off and saw the ground getting further and further away, I showed a slight bit of concern, but happily spent the rest of the flight curiously taking it all in. The loud plane noise, the view (little & big houses, grape vines, and lakes) out the window, and the fun bumpy ride.
After a ten minute tour around the area, we landed safetly back at the airport. I think I realized a bit more what had just happened after we landed, and I got outside. Then I realized we had just been up in the plane, and smiled. Oh, and I can even say "airplane," and "helicopter"- which is more of a "hetopter." I'm still working on parachute, right now it just comes out as "para," silly tounge.

A special thanks to Pilot Randy for the awsome flight, and a huge thank you to Bill & Cathy for the use of the plane.

So if you want a big adventure in a little plane, or even better a plane ride + a free fall + a parachute ride (which Mom & Dad highly recommend), then check out your nearest parachute center. In Northern California, I recommend, http://www.parachutecenter.com/ and for other places you can always find a good Drop Zone through,http://www.uspa.org/FindaDZ.aspx. Have Fun!!

Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Park

Our springtime fun continued with a trip into Sequoia National Park, in California. It's nicknamed the land of the giants.
View Larger MapWe entered through Highway 180 coming from the Fresno area. Our first stop was to see one of the giants, General Grant Tree, which is a national shrine commemorating those American’s who lost their lives in war and the national Christmas tree. Along a 1/3 mile hike through the Sequoia forest we got to see many cool historical points, like this tree called the Fallen Monarch, which we learned has been used as a stable, shelter and even a saloon. About half way around the hike we got to General Grant Tree, the 3rd largest tree by volume in the world. WOW! (It's so big we couldn't even get the whole thing in one picutre.) It is 268 feet tall, and is 40 feet in diameter at its base. The whole hike is filled with giant trees, and interesting facts.
An AK adventure wouldn’t be complete without some off roading. So while we new the road down to Kings Canyon was closed we found this other detour to take. The road gave us a great view of Kings Canyon from above as well as we discovered a beautiful mountain lake called Hume Lake. According to our map there are 2 ways back to the main road in Sequoia park, the road we took, and the one with this sign. Of course we took the road with the sign, at least for a while. Our trusty Rover got us over a few good snow patches with only a bit of light sliding, (Dad loves to make Mom a bit nervous), but finally the snow stopped our adventure. By our calculations we were less then a mile from our destination. A little frustrating but fun none the less, especially going back over all the harrowing spots. It was a beautiful road along side a river.
We continued down the Generals Hwy, and stopped to see the largest tree by volume, The General Sherman tree. It measures 1487 cubic meters, and is 275 feet tall. To get to the tree there is a ½ mile descending walk. Going down isn’t that bad, but going back up that ½ mile is a bit taxing, especially since you’re already at 7000 feet in altitude. Tip if you keep driving past the main entrance there is a handicap parking area where you can pick up and drop off people and not have to do the strenuous hike.
Our favorite part of the park was continuing along the Generals Highway on the way out of the park towards the Ash Mountain Entrance. The road is descending, long and winding with plenty of switchbacks. As you descend you get an amazing view of the valley below, and the river heading into Lake Kaweah, absolutely beautiful. The old road even let you drive through a rock, now you can only walk it.
This is a place we definitely have to visit again. The caves in King’s Canyon sound especially exciting, during a summer trip there. If you want to learn more about Kings’ Canyon and Sequoia National Park, and plan your own trip, check out: http://www.nps.gov/SEKI/index.htm