Vacation Pt 3 - Yosemite

Our last two days of the trip were in Yosemite, a little north of the other two parks. This shot below was taken at the Tunnel View Overlook, right as you enter Yosemite Valley. To the right of me you can see Bridalveil Falls, and right over my head you can just barely see a curved rock, Half Dome. Half Dome is called that because it looks like half of it has fallen away, but geologists studying it say that it really just formed that way. Along with Yosemite Falls, Half Dome is one of those major features of the park that people recognize as being "Yosemite."

We were able to do a bit more hiking in this park than in the others. The trails in Yosemite Valley (the 'main' part of the park development, where all the restaurants and museums and main visitor centers are) weren't iced up or snowed over, so we could actually hike without having to worry about snowshoes or anything. In fact, the trail we set out on was the Upper Yosemite Falls, was on the sunny side of the Valley in the morning hours. Between the sunshine and the steep climb, we warmed up VERY quickly on that trail! Ended up carrying most of these layers we started out with :)

The Upper Yosemite Falls Trail is actually one of Yosemite's oldest historic trails (built 1873 to 1877). It leads (via over 60 switchbacks!) up to the top of Yosemite Falls. This is actually North America’s tallest waterfall 2,425 feet (739 m) above the Valley floor, if you're the type that likes that sort of trivia! There are a few good turn-around points along the route, though, if you don't want to go all the way up. Columbia Rock is the first one, about a mile along the trail, and gives AWESOME views along the valley. It's the point where the first picture below was taken. About a half-mile further is a good viewpoint of the falls themselves. That's the second picture below. If you keep along the trail for another mile or so after that, you reach the top of the falls. Zach kept going all the way to the top, but I turned around and came back down after the Upper Falls viewpoint - my legs had just about reached their limit!

Zach was busy climbing a hillside and since my legs were smoked (I really was shaking coming back down from that climb!) I decided to wander around the valley floor and see the sites down there. Checked out the Ansel Adams museum and made my way over to the Ahwahnee Hotel, another landmark to see in the park. I loved the trail looping along the valley floor, all nice and cozy and wooded. And there was a great view of the pair of Yosemite Falls near the visitor center, too.

The Ahwahnee Hotel is a historic hotel, as well as a fancy one. Built to accommodate rich tourists coming to the park, it was completed back in 1927. Absolutely beautiful building! It has a Native American decorating theme, showing up in the painting on the walls and trim, and in the tapestries and stained glass throughout the building. Very interesting building to walk through.

We didn't stay in the fancy hotel though. We actually stayed at Camp 4, a tent-only campsite in Yosemite Valley. The only reason I mention that is because Camp 4 was important in the development of rock climbing as a sport. It is actually listed on the National Register of Historic Places because of this! Apparently, all the crazy climbers would spend the day on the rocks surrounding the Valley, and then at night would come back to the campsite and chat and swap routes and techniques and so forth. And aside from historical importance, it also has a great view of the Upper Falls!

Even though we didn't need so many layers on the trail, it was still very snowy on the valley floor. So, it's official now, I have camped in snow! It actually got down to about 12 the night we camped out there. I slept in tons of layers, while Zach slept in his toasty 0 degree bag. My bag isn't as warm as his, only a 30 degree bag. Might have to upgrade eventually if we keep up this camping-in-winter stuff! Anyway, it cracked me up to see his nose peeking out of that bag. :) He didn't care - he was toasty warm!

Yosemite is truly worth the trip, but at the same time, we enjoyed the other two parks better this trip. Not that we didn't enjoy it too, just not as much as the others. I think the problem we had was that we were in Yosemite on a holiday weekend (New Year's) so there were tons of people who had taken the weekend to come up and play. Meant that this was the most crowded of the 3 parks that we visited. I think if we came back at another time of year or simply on another weekend, and were able to get away from the main area of Yosemite Valley, we'd be able to appreciate the trails and wilderness a bit more. The Valley itself is a bit of a bottleneck, the way the road loops through it all. One of the results of being a National Park and a tourist destination for so long, I guess - the roadways weren't really designed for the number of cars that pass through nowadays. I can't even imagine how crowded those roads would be in the peak of summer! Still, if you're in the area, it is definitely worth the visit!

Vacation Pt 2 - King's Canyon

Next on the road trip was King's Canyon. Sequoia and King's Canyon are really like one big park - they are adjacent. However, based on when the parks were formed and actually brought into the NPS system, they were formed as 2 separate parks and in some ways run as one, in some as two. Either way, lots of pretty scenery protected for the public.

The majority of King's Canyon was actually closed because of the icy roads. As a result, we spent the least time here out of the three parks we visited, but we still enjoyed what we had access to. Funnily enough, this was our favorite of the 3 parks. It was the least crowded, so we could go hiking and not run into anyone and just enjoy being out in the park.

While in King's Canyon, we did indeed hit the trails. We tried cross-country skis first. I can certainly see why they are such a good workout!! Of course, we also got nowhere VERY quickly. After several falls and not much progress, we looked at each other and decided that the cross country skis could wait until we had a chance to take a class with an instructor! Went back to the visitor center and swapped them out for snowshoes and then were off! After the hikes in Sequoia, we found that we really, really liked snowshoeing. No special skills or coordination required, just strap 'em on and walk! Both Zach and I really enjoyed getting out on them, and we agreed that if we get stationed somewhere like Colorado or NY, then we'll probably invest in some pairs for ourselves :)

Being right next to Sequoia, Kings Canyon was still in the region where sequoia trees can grow. They are incredibly specific on where they can flourish. Only in the Sierras, only above a certain altitude, only on certain sides of the mountains, where they get the right amount of moisture (for example, our side of the mountains gets very little rain, hence the desert)... all in all there are several key factors which limit the sequoia growth. It was one of my favorite exhibits in the visitor centers, showing how the overall range is narrowed down by these factors to show where the groves are actually found. All those ecology classes coming out :)

I'm dwarfed by these trees in these pictures (really, I'm in there for scale!) One of the signs on the trail we hiked talked about a section of a sequoia that was sent back east to an exhibition in Philadelphia in the 1870s. They couldn't ship the whole cross-section, so shipped the bark, which was reassembled at the exhibition hall. The folk in Philadelphia didn't believe it was really from one tree and called it the CA Hoax. The kicker is that the cross-section they sent was 24 feet across - there are much bigger trees, like the General Grant which is 40 feet across! (The tree I'm next to in these pictures isn't the General Grant, but just another Big Tree on the trail - they do come bigger!)

The road into Kings Canyon was long, but SO much easier to drive than the one into Sequoia. MUCH fewer twists and turns. Still had some great views though!

This last picture is just a funny one. To get from the hotel that we were staying at to the Kings Canyon entrance, we had to drive through a good bit of agricultural property. In one of the fields, there was this chimney. Looks like the remains of a farmhouse from some point in time. As we were there the week after Christmas, the decorations were still up. It is a chimney, it must need a stocking :)

Vacation Pt 1 - Sequoia

So, I know it's been a few weeks, but I'm finally getting through all our pictures from our trip after Christmas! Woohoo! Just in time for another trip this weekend! (With all the rain, we're going down to Joshua Tree this weekend to see the desert post-rain!)

After Christmas, the first stop on our parks tour was Sequoia National Park. For those who aren't really familiar with the area, Sequoia is located to the east of Fresno and the San Joaquin Valley, in the southern Sierra Nevada mountains. That puts it about 5 hours driving time away from us.

It was a really interesting drive up there. That area of California has a lot of agricultural property (Selma, for example, is the Raisin Capital of the World) and as we got up into the lower hills, it really reminded us of back east. There were towns and farms and fields and rolling wooded hills and a lot of karst (limestone outcrops - good caving country)... both Zach and I had the feeling that it was very similar to Appalachia - western VA, eastern TN, that sort of area. A bit steeper, and different trees and all, but it was a VERY different feel than the desert we are trapped in now. That's one thing we still haven't gotten used to, how EMPTY southern CA is between towns - just brown, empty land as far as you can see. Back east, even if the land isn't developed as a town or a farm or a field or something, it's at least wooded, not just empty dirt like in the desert. So being in an area with that sort of feel again was a very nice change.

Of course, the rolling hills at the edges of the valley quickly became very steep as they grew into the Sierra mountains. And you certainly felt it, whether hiking or driving! For example, the road up into the park (Generals Highway) was INSANE! It takes a LOT for me to feel carsick, but that road did it to me! The picture below is a view from one of the last turns, where you can see the road you just came up. Craziness!

On the plus side, it gave some awesome views over the valley. And since we had to stop regularly so that I wouldn't lose my lunch, we had plenty of chances to takes some really pretty pictures :) I loved how when you got above the fog, you were just looking out across the top of the clouds, like looking over the ocean.

The General Sherman is the big attraction there in Sequoia. Well, besides the other big trees, and scenic views and trails and such... You know what I mean! The General Sherman is the largest, single-trunked living tree on earth. Sequoias overall aren't the tallest trees on earth - the coastal redwoods beat them - but they get much bigger around then the redwoods, so if you go by actual volume, then the sequoias are the biggest. Either way, they are BIG trees! (The tree in the second picture is The Sentinel, outside of one of the visitor centers - the little figure in the corner is me!)

We also went snowshoeing for the first time! And the second! So much fun!! We tried it at first on a ranger-led hike. That's the picture with the traditional-looking snowshoes (the ones that look like big tennis rackets). We enjoyed it once we got the hang of them, so we rented a pair later at the visitor center and hit the trails!

While we were there, there was fresh snow coming down, and it was beautiful! It's been so long since I've seen weather of ANY sort besides wind, that it was extra pretty. What it boils down to, I think, is that I really miss seasons!

For knitters who may be traveling up in that direction, definitely stop at the little yarn shop in Three Rivers, the town just outside the southern entrance to the park. Creekside Yarns is the name, and we were able to stop by after our first day in the park to browse a little and chat with the ladies meeting there for the Monday night knitting group. Very friendly folk there, and they had some nice yarns from a local lady's etsy shop. Yes, I did walk away with some nice alpaca. It's just about the same rose color as my Odessa hat, so I am picturing a lacy cowl out of it, to match. A nice souvenir, right? :)

Knitting Badges!

In case you hadn't noticed the new additions at the bottom of my page here, they are knitting badges, courtesy of Cast On. Check them out here to see what you've earned! There are some I hope I'll never earn (the divorce ones, for example) but they're still fun to play with!

So far, I have earned (the descriptions come from the Cast On site):

The Proselytize Knitting Badge - A requirement for all Knitting Scouts, the recipient must do his or her bit to present knitting in a positive light, whilst at the same time avoiding all references to “hipness”, grandmothers, and yoga.

As it says, a requirement for all! I KIP regularly (our knitting group meets at Starbucks), I talk up knitting when I can, and the only time I reference yoga is in jest or when talking about the knitted yoga bag set I made :)

The Inordinately Fond of Novelty Yarn Badge - In which the recipient professes an arguably unhealthy affinity for yarn with slubs, sparkles, spangles, fur, feathery bits, and an unconscionable proportion of man-made fibre. Recipient makes no apology for the preference.

This is one that I have earned, but with a disclaimer. Whilst I make no apology for my preference for ribbon yarns, ladder yarns, yarns with metallic-y bits, and lightly feathery yarns (think Tiffany from Lion Brand), there are definitely novelty yarns that I cannot stand. Fun Fur and similar variations I just about refuse to work with. Fancy Fur was, I think, the worse of them, though it was always a tear for me. They had some absolutely gorgeous colorways (the ones I really liked were black yarn and black fur with colored slubs - looked like stained glass colors) but I hated the texture. Also, just because I like my novelty yarns doesn't mean I will avoid a nice alpaca. Just sayin'. I am an equal opportunity knitter; there are just some eccentric novelty yarns in my stash too. :)

The “MacGyver” Badge (Level One) - The recipient must demonstrate clever use of a non-knitting tool in a knitting-related scenario. For instance, recipient has used paper clips as stitch markers, or successfully whittled and then utilized bamboo skewers as dpns.

Paperclips are what I tend to rely on. They have regularly served as stitch markers, and occasionally (but more frequently than I should admit) when unfolded, as cable needles. I also keep a letter opener in my bag instead of a yarn cutter (Bonus: it's one of the ones where you can put in pictures or business cards, so my MIL put in pictures of my bunny - the letter opener was a present in my stocking the Christmas before last - love it!).

The “MacGyver” Badge (Level Two) - The recipient must demonstrate clever use of a knitting tool in a non-knitting-related scenario. For instance, recipient has used a strand of Regia Bamboo to slice cheese, or repaired a small appliance with a metal knitting needle.

No cheese slicing here. But, have used metal knitting needles in non knitting circumstances! Hair sticks, from time to time (the wooden ones work better). And did actually have to pop a key off my keyboard with one. Old keyboard, key got stuck. Long story short, the knitting needle was the only thing tiny enough for slip under there and pop it up. Not incredibly creative, but definitely non-knitting use. Oh, and I don't know if it counts, but Zach likes using knitting needles as kitty toys (I'm trying to stop both him and Scruffy from continuing this habit).

The I Will Impress You With My Math Prowess Badge - The recipient is a whiz at substituting yarns and calculating gauge, can space increases and decreases evenly and is fully comfortable with the basic math encountered in all knitting projects.

Regularly substitute yarns, with the gauge changes that come with that. I think there are few projects that I've actually done with the recommended yarn, and several that I changed yarn weight altogether (my Shetland Shorty was one).

The Knitting Whilst Under the Influence Badge - This applies to both actual knitting under the influence, as well as achieving moments of stunning intellectual clarity about ones knitting under the influence. Presumes talking about knitting whilst under the influence a given.

Haven't had epiphany moments yet whilst KUI, but have definitely had my influenced knitting nights too. Besides Anne (remember B this year?), our knitting group will participate sometimes too (we had a White Russian night one Knit Night before Christmas). Just remember - there are projects that you should NOT work on while under the influence, particularly anything with lace, difficult yarn (think mohair or Fun Fur), or complicated shaping. You'll just pay for it in the morning!

A Romantic Comedy. With Zombies

I saw Hot Fuzz and Run, Fatboy, Run and really enjoyed them (LOVE Hot Fuzz!) and hadn't seen Shaun of the Dead yet. Some would say that's crazy, since Shaun is what put these guys on the map, but as I'm a mystery and action movie person before I'm a zombie movie person, it makes total sense. Still, have been meaning to see it for over a year now, and finally, the Netflix queue caught up to it, so here you go: Shaun of the Dead.

Shaun (Simon Pegg) is dealing with a monotonous dead-end job, playing peace-maker between quarreling flat mates (Nick Frost and Peter Serafinowicz), trying to win back his ex-girlfriend (Kate Ashfield), maintaining family harmony with his mom and step-dad (Penelope Wilton and Bill Nighy), and fighting the undead who are overrunning his London suburb.

The writing was great. I think the thing that made it so good is that they played it straight. It's not a comedy with zombies, it's a zombie movie that's funny, if that makes sense. Not that there aren't quotable lines - the movie's got some great ones. It's more that you have some great dead-pan scenes as Shaun (being so absorbed in his own problems) takes quite a while to realize that the whole of London is being overrun with the living dead around him.

I love the cast. Simon Pegg and Nick Frost said in the extras that Shaun and Ed are really how their relationship was. That explains why the buddy chemistry feel just works. Buddy comedies (like romance movies) just work better when there is a chemistry there. And Bill Nighy is going up there on my list of actors I like. Not that he's particularly charismatic or handsome or anything, but he chooses some good things to work with, and he's versatile. He's one of those actors that you can see him as a washed up rock star (Love Actually), a corrupt politician (The Constant Gardener) or a step-dad-turned-zombie (Shaun) and forget that you're watching "Bill Nighy." I just really like actors like that. I guess it's the liking "actors" and not "movie stars." I've definitely noticed that about myself - the actors I like most are the ones that separate themselves from the limelight so the characters remain the focus. There are lots of those sort of actors, I know; he is just one I've noticed more recently.

Oh, and thinking of actors, did anyone else notice that Diane (Lucy Davis) is Maria from the BBC/A&E Pride and Prejudice? The one with Colin Firth, of course. You know, 10 years later and with make-up and all. Was quite proud of catching that connection :) Or am I the only one with both of those dorkinesses?

As a warning, for those who care about these sorts of things in movies, there is a lot of swearing and a lot of gore. Not horrendous amounts of gore, honestly - it was probably pretty light as far as zombie movies go. But there was plenty of swearing. Just be forewarned.

One of the fun things with this movie is seeing how many jokes were carried over into Hot Fuzz. Things like "What, you've never used a shortcut?" and the multiple references to Cornettos and "Pub?" just became all the funnier when you see how they showed up in one movie and then show up differently in a second. I love shows that do that with the inside jokes for the fans. (The Justice Leage/JLU cartoons were FULL of them - Anne and I regularly squealed like the little fangirls we are)

And for true awesome, dorky goodness, check out what she's made. She has also made a Hellboy, among other projects. Almost surpasses the knitted Morbo toy as my favorite random knitting project. I love knitters, and I love knitting dorks even more :)

Review: 5 of 5. Definitely shelf-worthy!

National Pie Day!

Not to be confused with March 14, National Pi Day! Hehehe, dorky humor :)

No, really, today is National Pie Day. Just check out the American Pie Council's website! I personally found out about through a Runner's World blog (very funny... I mean, educational, filled with pie-focused FAQs).

So to celebrate, I made my favorite pie so that Zach and his coworkers (those also forced to work this weekend) have something to celebrate with. Translation: I wanted to make a pie, and now have both an excuse and a willing audience - everyone wins! :)

And to celebrate, I will share the recipe, as it is just too good to keep to oneself. Not a standard fruit pie, but nice and simple and very rich, melt-in-your-mouth goodness. Enjoy!

CHOCOLATE SILK PIE

Ingredients

• 1 stick butter
• 3/4 cup fine granulated sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 2 squares melted chocolate
• 2 eggs
• 9 inch pie shell
• whipped cream (optional)

Directions

1. Beat butter until fluffy.
2. Add sugar (in blender) gradually, beating until creamed thoroughly.
3. Beat in chocolate, vanilla and salt.
4. Add 2 eggs, 1 at a time. Beat 3 minutes after each one.
5. Turn into pie shell.
6. Let chill thoroughly in fridge.
7. Top with whipped cream, as desired. (Highly recommended!)

A word of caution. This is a chilled pie, so keep refrigerated as long as possible if transporting the pie anywhere. Being in the desert, I did have a pie soften on me last year during the summer, when I took it out of the cooler too early at a picnic. Became more of a chocolate soup. Still very rich, but lost a lot in the texture. Live and learn!

B is for...

Best. Knitting. Ever!

This picture is from a caving trip we took, over which Anne wanted to learn to knit. I'd been knitting for a few years at that point, and she had been cross-stitching for even longer. However, she'd expressed interest in learning to knit, as she had friends she wanted to make gifts for, and cross-stitching presents for people was taking way too long. Ended up being frustrating for her, despite the impressive results.

So, on one caving trip, I brought an extra set of needles and we picked up some yarn and sat down in the evening and taught her how. It was a learning experience for both of us, since I'm a lefty and she's backwards (yes, Anne, I don't care what the rest of the world says!) and I hadn't taught a righty before. I have a few other quirks in my knitting too, which I've learned to recognize so I don't pass on my bad habits, but it was my first time teaching so it made it all the more challenging! But can't have been that horrible a teacher, thought, as she picked it up well, and has become just as addicted as I am! (Check out her blog here). It's funny how many things she fusses at me for, because I am an enabler. This is just one on the list :)

We laughed a lot too, because she was SUCH a tight knitter. As in, can barely squeeze the needle in for the next stitch sort of tight. So, yes, we became the girls who loosen their stitches with a little Frosty Cold Beverage (in our case, Smirnoff Twisted). And, as a side note, Smirnoff is not a brand name that should be with alcohol - you just have too much fun saying it as you get more into your system.

As for the title today, it's taken from one of our favorite online comics, Least I Could Do. We agree that Cadbury eggs are a wonderful thing, and that line became quickly a running joke for the two of us, applied to whatever the Best___Ever we happened to be talking about. It came up here, as she was very excited at the completion of her first inch or so the scarf that she was making, (I think that's where the funny face in the top picture comes from - I snapped the camera as she was talking, and I think it's the "v" in "ever").