Jellystone... oh wait, that's Yellowstone National Park, and the Grand Tetons

Our first pool, amazingly clear.

We left Mammoth and drove up some very interesting highways towards Yellowstone, as Leif always likes to take the path less traveled.  I'm getting used to it, although I tend to be the one hell bent for leather to get to our destination, instead of enjoying the ride.

One of the bubbling pots.

You'd think they'd run, but they don't.  At least not right away.  

 We arrived in Twin Falls Id. and spent one night there, leaving early for West Yellowstone as our final destination.  West Yellowstone is just outside of the park, and an easy place to start each morning for the trek into the park.  The attendant at the gate became our long lost friend as we met her each day on our way in!  The idea was to be there in September after the children were back in school.  Well, that was a great idea, but the senior citizens were out in full force, as well as many foreign tourists.  The park was absolutely full of buses, RV's and cars all wanting to see the infamous elk, moose, bison, deer, antelope, bears, and of course the bubbling pots and geysers.  We had no idea it would be such a scene!  I recommend going towards the later end of September or October.  It was still unforgettable, but the wildlife was hard pressed by the tourists.

One of the antelope hanging out near the road.

 If there was anything moving near a road, the cars would back up for pictures for a mile or so.  Having been to Catalina, we have seen many bison, so they were not a big deal, but it was amusing to see the other folks ohhh and ahhh at them.  I have to say they were much healthier than the ones on Catalina.

Bison with a scratching post, alias large pine tree.

   We tried our skills at fly fishing, to no avail.  The fish here are pressed daily and are quite challenging to catch inside the park.  Not that we'd keep them anyway.  We hadn't seen any bears, and wanted to see wolves as well, so we visited the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery center in West Yellowstone.  I thought it would be a sad day seeing captive animals in their unnatural states.

It was an interesting setting for the bears, somewhat realistic for them at least.

 Wrong,  This is a center that rescues animals that would otherwise be put down for either attacking humans or their animals, or coming too close to civilization.

Sleepy after eating.

Pack # 2, searching for the food placed in the trees or under rocks.

The grizzlies were kept in large pens then released into an acre or so of natural habitat, with a running stream, pond, waterfall, and then they'd have to hunt for the food that the volunteers would hide under the rocks.  It was fascinating to see them work with the crows which would point out the food sources and lead the bears right to the food.  Apparently they coexist in nature in a similar manner.
   The wolves were kept in a similar manner, the keepers would hide food and hang it from trees, then release them to search for it.  True, it was still sad, but at least they were trying, and the education part of the exhibit was excellent.  And... we got great photos of grizzlies and wolves!  It was surprising to learn of the decline of the grizzlies, as they are amazing animals.

This was a real live wild grizzly.  I hope he stays away from humans so he can remain so.

   So... as we left Yellowstone headed for the Grand Tetons, the cars stopped along the highway.  We figured there must be an elk or something, well, there was a large grizzly strolling alongside the highway!  Some idiots jumped out of their cars and were headed towards it as the ranger arrived and yelled" Get in your cars now!  I'm not telling you again!!"  We stayed safely inside, but passed so close, it was awesome to see the large hump on its back and know that it was truly wild.  
   Next on my list was to see a moose.  We had heard they were in Yellowstone, but none were near.  So, I asked at a ranger station, got some inside info. and headed out in search of my first moose sighting.  Sure enough, one evening we hiked down a dirt trail, and down a cliff, to see a female eating.  I was ecstatic!!!   My first moose!  Then, a day later, we saw a bunch of cars stopped alongside the road, and sure enough, a male moose was lounging in the muck nearby!  I was beside myself.  Could have stayed all night just to see it move.  Which it didn't.  We finally left, satisfied that the poor thing was happy sitting while there were probably 100 people walking in and out taking pictures of him.

Mommy Moose

Macho Mommy Moose

Daddy Moose hiding out, not moving.  Don't blame him at all.

   The Grand Tetons are truly grand,  We hiked up a small part of one of them, met a ranger who was a former fireman from New York.  It was beautiful, lots of ferns, water, lightning and thunder, rain, and rock climbers.  The weather was sporadic, from hot and sunny to torrential downpour.  It was so wonderful to have weather again.

One of the beaver lodges that were along Moose Creek road.  

 We also saw beaver dams, elk, antelope etc.  If you haven't been to Yellowstone, you must go.  It's amazing, and awe inspiring with the dramatic sunsets, mountains, clouds, animals, and miles and miles of forest.  Oh yeah, there's Old Faithful too.  Yes, we did finally see it erupt.  It erupts about every 90 minutes now, as the drought has affected it a bit.  We went one afternoon and missed it, then returned and saw it twice.  Once from the balcony of the Old Faithful Inn, which is not to be missed either, and once from the benches nearby.

Old Faithful Inn, with the natural tree supports and all.

Old Faithful, captured by the millions...

   It was a fantastic trip, one to celebrate Leif's 65th birthday, and one to get out of town and see America.  I highly recommend it!!!  And, driving up there is an experience too...

Summer events of 2014

We returned to Southern California with the idea that we'd work on the many upgrades for the boat as well as take a trip north.  The upgrades included taking off the old teak and sealer from the cockpit seats and stern, and replacing with plasteak, adding spreader patches to the jib, replacing the membranes on the water maker, and a multitude of other items.

Plasteak installation in progress.  Biggest challenge was taking off the black goo from under the old teak.

   So far, we have the teak almost installed, and have ordered new seat cushions for the cockpit as well.
   The trip turned out to be an outstanding idea, especially as the weather in So. Cal. has been quite hot.  Leif added a shell to his truck, which allowed us to put bicycles, hiking gear, and luggage in without worry of theft or rain.

It was a bit creepy walking through the caves, but what an experience!!  

 We first headed out to Pinnacles National Park, formerly a national monument, but upgraded to the newest National Park.  It was a surprise for me, but Leif had it planned all along, and brought along a flashlight for the caves inside the park.  I scoffed at that idea, but they turned out to be a spelunking experience that was really exciting.  The pinnacles themselves were dramatic and hiking around them was beautiful with extreme heat and the cool of the caves.

Some of the amazing perched rocks at Pinnacles National Park.

   We then left for my cousin's house in Berkeley, and a thorough cruise of San Francisco bay on their sleek Grand Banks yacht.  The weather cooperated and we had awesome views as the fog lifted and then the wind piped up later that day.

Joanne and I enjoying the views and trying to stay warm!

 Joanne had packed a delicious lunch of sandwiches, salads and libations which were enjoyed as we motored downwind towards Giants stadium where a game was in progress.  So fun to see the boats anchored with kayaks and dinghies scuttling all around in search of home run balls.  We didn't think that the World Series would soon be here!

Giants stadium, lots of cheers during this game.

   The next stop was my brother's house up in Nevada City, where they had recently redecorated several rooms and added a hot tub to the newly landscaped yard.  It looked like a totally different house as we arrived, very upscale and lovely.  This is not to say it wasn't prior, they live on several acres up a mountain road with beautiful trees and an inspiring view.

My brother Brian, getting our tubes ready for our rafting experience!

    We arrived early and stopped in at a winery for a tasting of the local wines.  This led to us being asked if we would like to help harvest the sauvignon blanc grapes the next day, which sounded like an interesting affair.  So, up early, we headed out to Sierra Starr vineyard, were equipped with clippers and told where to start.  Three hours later, we understood how difficult it is to harvest grapes, leaning over and bending under each vine to snip off the multitude of bunches clumped tightly on each branch.  It was a truly interesting experience, which was recorded by the local TV news station.  I heard later that we did make the morning news, as I was miked up and interviewed about our experience.
   While visiting my brother, we enjoyed relaxing in their new hot tub, hiking the canal trails nearby, and tubing on the Yuba river.  Of course it was great to catch up on all of their doings that we missed by our travels in Mexico.

I'm always a sucker for wildlife, and this little one walked by with a friend as we had coffee one morning.

   Next was a side trip to Mammoth Mountain, where we have a small condo near Canyon Lodge.  This was a chance to relax and get in some long distance hikes and bike rides around the local mountains.

Who's to say that Mammoth is not dramatic?  It is so beautiful up here, even glaciers high up.

 The weather was beautiful, cool, crisp mornings and warm afternoons.  We hiked McGee Creek, Rock Creek, and rode our mountain bikes around the lakes and a park outside of town.  On the McGee Creek trail we heard there was a beaver dam and lodge up a ways... so we kept going.  Sure enough, there was a very intricate dam and tidy lodge mid-lake.  This was a highlight for me, being the ultimate "OSU Beaver".   This vacation stuff can be quite exhausting!  Sooner than desired, we needed to head out to our next destination, Yellowstone National Park and the Grand Tetons.

This is up Rock Creek, near the Gem lakes.