Vacation Lakes

Lake Tahoe was gorgeous! We stopped by shortly after we entered Nevada. It was hard to find public access but we did find a nice spot to get some photos and enjoy the view.

The crystal clear water was amazing and I loved getting my feet into the water after climbing down some rocks. It's the best part of visiting the water!

We visited Lake Tahoe on the way back home from our California trip but we did see a few other lakes on the way to California. They are pictured below.

June Lake

One of the Mammoth Lakes and well worth the extra loop off the highway. It was beautiful with cozy cabins, families fishing and even a rushing waterfall coming down the mountains. I could spend most of a week at June Lake!

Mono Lake

Tufa towers form under Mono lake due to calcium and springs. The unique formations make a very interesting look. The salt water must attract the same flies that swarm the shoreline at Salt Lake also. It was interesting to see this but it's not a week long vacation destination.

Salt Lake

Our stop at the shores of the great Salt Lake was interesting also. The flies were thick and the ground was certainly not "beach-like" but I am glad that we stopped. I did step into the water and taste it so that I could get the full experience.

Yosemite

Yosemite National Park was amazing. Tioga Pass opened for the season just the day before we arrived so we were fortunate to be able to drive through. The snow was refreshing and the park was gorgeous.

When we stopped for gasoline right before heading into Tioga pass the young man working told me that this was the perfect time of the year to visit because the "water would be rockin." He was right! The water falls were powerful and full. I am so glad that we took the time to add Yosemite to our trip.

Scary Chuckwalla

This chuckwalla terrified me by lurking around at the door of the women's restroom at a National Park in Nevada. When I left the restroom, he skittered just in front of me which startled me to the point that I made an involuntary sound, maybe a shriek but not quite a scream. This was NOT my favorite wildlife sighting on vacation!

Wine Country

I had looked forward to experiencing wine country, Napa and Sonoma Valleys. It was a gorgeous Saturday and lots of people must have felt the same way. Maybe it's because it was the day before the nascar race which takes place in Sonoma County, but there were lots of people and a constant chain of cars on the roads.

After a visit to a very popular winery that was packed with people, we did find this quiet little winery and enjoyed a more peaceful visit. I got to have my glass of wine and we were able to relax and soak up the scenery. We cut the visit short after we had experienced enough traffic. Wine Country is beautiful. I am glad that we got to visit, but it was a bit too busy for me on this fine Saturday afternoon in June.

Sacred Nature

While Dale photographed a waterfall at Yosemite I climbed the rocks to get closer to the stream of cold mountain water. Sitting on the rocks with my feet in the water and the sound of crashing waterfall I found myself feeling overwhelmed by the amazing presence of God. The water was loud enough that nobody could hear me singing, "Oh Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder, consider all the works thy hand hath made. . . Then sings my soul, my savior God to thee, How great thou art, how great thou art." It was an incredible spiritual moment for me. I am in "awesome wonder!"

Cheesy Vacation Shot

If every vacation has at least one cheesy photo, this is it. Dale is pointing out Mount Whitney, the highest summit in the contiguous United States. Although there is snow on the mountain tops we were in dessert temperatures. This was one of the very few times we were above 90 degrees, but since we were close to Death Valley, it's not a surprise. I was thrilled that we had more mild temperatures for almost all of our trip.

Vacation Food

Food is always a fun part of vacation exploration. We didn't do lots of planning or research this time but found some great food. We at at some very nice places. . . even had cloth napkins but nothing tasted better than the fruits and nuts that we purchased at little roadside stands. These were the best cherries ever and they were just $1 a pound! With the pistachios they were great car food.

We found the cherries very near Gilroy California, Garlic Capital of the World! It was a super fun stop. The smell of garlic as we pulled into town was intense enough to make us want to explore more. We had a great time tasting and buying at the The Garlic Shoppe too. It's so fun to get off the interstate!

We got to AT&T ball park in San Francisco and found GILROY GARLIC FRIES! We had to have them and they were yummy. Amazing garlic flavor but it's probably a good thing that we shared.

Yummy!! Fish at Fisherman's Wharf was amazing and loved the prices and character of the place.

Chowder in a sourdough bowl on Pier 39! How San Francisco is that?

Prayer Shawls

I have knitted dozens of prayer shawls over the last 10-12 years but this last one took more than five years! I made lots of them during my St. John years but this particular prayer shawl was on the needles when I moved to Des Moines. I didn't knit much for a while and then I got started with other fun projects. Occasionally I would go back to my prayer shawl when I needed a mindless project for my knitting evenings with Kymm. Last night I finished this as we sat in a coffee shop for our Sit & Knit. I will donate it to hospice because we utilize them there also. More vacation photos coming soon!

Utah

Utah was surprisingly beautiful. It was one of the very few states that neither Dale nor I had visited much. I may have ridden through the state with my parents during our 1971 road trip to California but I have never been there as an adult. People had told us not to expect much, especially when we took the southern route across the state on our way west, but we saw incredible sights.

The shot below is from Zion National Park. The canyons were impressive but the noon day sun does steal some of the color. On the way home we drove a more northerly route and saw Salt Lake and visited Salt Lake City. I put my feet in the water but barely. The shoreline was not a pleasant experience but obviously the flies like it lots.

Colorado

Colorado National Monument was amazing! It was my first visit to that part of the state and I was very impressed. We spent lots of time looking through our camera lenses but also tried to remember to just look and enjoy. It was glorious to be in that space and it wasn't hot!

Below are a couple of photos from the Rockie Mountains, an area of Colorado that is much more familiar to me. It was beautiful as usual. I absolutely love the crisp clear air and the incredible scenery. I could easily spend an entire vacation in Colorado again but we were on the move toward California so we only spent a bit over a day in Colorado. I will return again!

Family Fourth

It was another fun filled family Fourth of July for the Wreghitts! We always take the group photo. A few people had left and a few had not yet arrived but we got a quick shot. We all missed Randy but it was good to gather together, eat, talk and laugh as a family.

Giant Redwoods

Muir Woods National Monument was high on our list. We wanted to visit giant redwoods and this was the location closest to our planned route. It's a very popular place but it's still amazing to be amongst these trees even with lots of people around. If you look below, you will notice that Dale and I take very similar shots sometimes. The last photo is obviously from his camera.

Sporting Events on Vacation

Sporting events are always a favorite activity whether we are home or traveling. I have often visited major league baseball parks while on vacation. Dale has often planned trips to coincide with Nascar races. This time we got to do both. Actually, we got three baseball parks on one trip! I was most excited to visit AT&T in San Francisco and it was not disappointing. It is a beautiful ball park with lots of unique character. This may be one of my new favorites!

The game was sold out and the place was packed. We got Standing Room Only tickets because that was our only option. It was a great way to see the park and we actually got to see the game some too. My nephew, Drew told me about the cove where people float to catch foul balls so I wanted to check that out. There were several boats and kayaks in the cove as well as a police boat making sure that they did not stay tied to the bouys. There was great energy at the park with the Minnesota Twins in town for interleague play. I was impressed with the number of Twins fans but the Giants did win. The home team actually won all of the games that we attended.

We headed to Oakland in heavy rain hoping to watch the A's play baseball at their coliseum which is the only one left to host football and baseball (after this season.) It was quite a contrast from our experience in San Francisco. Parking was free and very close. There were no crowds and the tickets were cheap. They just don't draw a crowd even when it doesn't rain.

Oakland seems to be a blue collar city who plays "Green Collar Baseball." That motto fits well. The employees were very hospitable and gave us freedom to wander around and take photos even after the rain delay ended and the game was being played. We had plenty of time to explore the park and were glad that the rain stopped. Even though this was one of those concrete bowls, it was fun to add another MLB park to my list.

Stopping at Coors Field in Denver was certainly a bonus. This was our first day of vacation but we felt like we had plenty of time to pause for a Rockies' baseball game before heading further west. I saw the Rockies play during their inaugural year at Mile High Stadium with the kids but this was my first visit to Coors Field. It's a beautiful ballpark!

Of course there was race day! The trip planning started with the idea of going to the Nascar race at Infinion which is on the southern edge of California's wine country. Seems like a crazy place to build a race track but it made for a great location for our trip. Napa and Sonoma wineries, San Francisco and so much more right in that same area. Nascar races tend to be a good opportunity for sun burn but we were both prepared this time. Great seats, huh? See the start/finish line right in front of us?

This was my fourth Sprint Cup race and the second time that I saw Kurt Busch win. Because he is my brother-in-law, Gary's favorite driver I took photos of the burn out celebration and victory lane. It's kinda crazy how this race track is tucked in the hills of wine country. You cannot even see the track or grandstands from the road. As we drove the winding drive to the parking area sheep were peacefully grazing at the side of the road. It's not until after you park your car and ride the shuttle up more hills that you can see the road course and stands nestled into the hills. I bet those sheep had a rude awakening when they heard, "Gentleman, start your engines!"

Carbon Monoxide Warning

Dale bought me a carbon monoxide detector. Ashley bought a carbon monoxide detector also. I expect that my extended family members have purchased quite a few of these detectors in the last six weeks. My cousin, Randy who died of complications due to carbon monoxide poisoning in May is greatly missed. As the entire family gathers for the Fourth of July his absence will be palpable. It's still hard to believe that he is gone. Please be sure that you have a working detector in your home and the homes of your loved ones!

Destination California

California was our main destination for this vacation, most specifically San Francisco. Of course there were many factors that played into the plan which started with the NASCAR schedule. We did a very wide variety of things including sporting events, tours, cruises, national parks, scenic drives and walks. We saw lakes, mountains, deserts, agriculture, plains, high deserts and the Pacific Coast. This shot is from Muir Beach Overlook which was a delightful surprise as we wandered down a back road. I loved the gorgeous ocean view as well as the crisp weather that called for jackets. We were so fortunate to avoid heat during this vacation. So many great places to visit and photograph without summer heat!

Summer Vacation

Sun has set on another great vacation. This is the sky over Laramie Wyoming on Thursday night. We arrived home late last night. I have unpacked and started laundry. Now it will take a long time to sort through photos and post some on my blog.

I did get the souvenirs unpacked. Here is a glance at our road trip to California. We stopped lots along the way and explored several states. We drove 4720 miles over two weeks. The scenery along the interstate was gorgeous but we also spent many miles off the beaten path and enjoyed little towns, fruit markets, water and people. I am looking forward to sorting through photos, remembering fun times and sharing some of my favorites.