Day 6 & 7, Monday & Tuesday, September 6 & 7, 2010, Yosemite

I have always dreamed of seeing Yosemite and finally the dream became a reality! It is absolutely gorgeous! We drove from Mammoth Lakes to Yosemite and it was beautiful all the way. We had to stop every few miles for more pictures!! It seemed that every way you looked there was a beautiful view!!

On day 2 in Yosemite the guys couldn't resist taking a dip in the river. We hiked down to the river where there were huge rocks and they had a perfect swimming hole. The water was freezing and it was fun basking in the warm sun on a rock watching the guys try to out do each other in the freezing water!

Day 5, Sunday, September 5, 2010 Mammoth Lakes

Breakfast over a camp fire!! Is there anything better? Bacon, pancakes, and eggs. Yummy!! We hung around camp and then got ready for church. We looked hilarious coming out of our tent the guys with white shirts and ties and me with a dress and heels. The people going by did a double take! We attended the Mammoth Lakes Branch. It was very good. Most of the people there were visitors.

After lunch Christopher wanted to go fishing so it was off to the lake again. He had one fish on but it got away. He got several other bites but never caught one.

It was easier to sleep tonight. Maybe just because I was so tired. Before dark we looked and one of our tires on the van was low. Steve was going to head into town to get some air in the tire. When he went to leave the battery in the car was dead. He had left the car on to charge his cell phone. He said "Well, the good news is that my cell phone is fully charged!" He went and asked our camping neighbors if they could give us a jump and they did. We got the car started and he headed into town. It took him a long time and it got dark and we got cold and scared to we went to bed. Steve finally came back. Boy, we were glad to see him!! It got really cold in the night. The camp ground host told us it was 34 degrees!! I just know it was cold!!

Day 4, Saturday, September 4, 2010 Mammoth Lakes, CA

What a gorgeous place this is!! There are little lakes everywhere surrounded by tall, rugged mountains! Some of the mountains still have snow on the top of them. Christopher was so excited to go fishing today. We went to the sporting goods store and bought him a pole, a reel, bait, hooks, tackle box, and all the fishing gear he would need. We went to Lake Mary ready to catch the big one! The guys fished and I sat and read a book. It was a nice relaxing day.

We went back to camp and I decided to go for a ride. I rode up to Lake George which is about 1/2 mile up the road from our camp. I was driving along and I saw a bear!! I pulled over and jumped out of the car with my camera. (I made sure the door on the car was unlocked in case I had to jump back in real fast!) It was a brown bear and he was tearing up someones tent trying to find food. He ripped open the tent and found a bag of chips. He ripped open the chips and ate some and then went back in the tent and threw a back pack out. A guy standing by me banged on the trash can and the bear stood up on his back legs! WOW!! After a little while he turned and headed off. How fun it was to see! I was a little nervous to sleep out in a tent that night! Every time the breeze would move the tent I would panic! Needless to say, I didn't get much sleep. It was a long, scary night! It was cold also!!

Day 3, Friday, September 3, 2010 Big Bear to Mammoth Lakes

Breakfast again at the Teddy Bear Cafe. It has become one of our favorites. After Breakfast we went back to our cabin and got the kayaks and took them down to the lake. I was a little nervous but actually had a great time! It was so much fun! Riley and I were in one kayak and Steve and Christopher were in the other. We paddled out around the rock islands and then back. It was beautiful! So calm and quiet out on the lake.

After loading up we were off to Mammoth Lakes. The drive there was up Hwy 39t through the Mojave desert. Dry and ugly! As we started getting closer to Mammoth Lakes the mountains started getting rugged and pretty. By the time we got there it was absolutely gorgeous! Tall, rugged mountains covered with trees and lakes everywhere. We stayed in town at the Travelodge hotel before our big camping adventure. We drove out to the campgrounds looking for a spot and finally found one in Coldwater Campground. We set up our tent just to save our space and then headed to town to the hotel.

Day 2, Thursday, September 2, 2010 Big Bear, CA

After a great breakfast at the Teddy Bear Cafe, we walked down to the lake to take Christopher and Riley fishing. Christopher was soooo excited to go fishing. Unfortunately we didn't catch anything. After a short rest and then a ride around the lake, it had gotten really warm. We decided to go ride the Alpine slide. We rode the ski lift up to the top and then rode the slide down! It was a lot of fun! Steve, Riley and Christopher made it down the mountain pretty fast but I kept the brakes on most of the time so I was pretty slow which was what I preferred! After the Alpine slide the boys went on the water slides over and over. They had a lot of fun and it was a great way to cool off.

Day 1, Wednesday, September 1, 2010 Big Bear, CA

Our adventure started out by heading to Big Bear Lake, CA. We stayed in a SMALL cabin! The bedroom Steve and I stayed in was so small that we couldn't even fit our suitcase in the bedroom. To get out of bed I had to crawl over Steve because there was no room on my side of the bed! The boyse slept on a pull out sofa in the tiny living room.

Tell me again WHY are we leaving???

The last few nights I have woke up during the night and couldn't sleep. I would go out onto the balcony and watch the moon shine on the ocean waves and wonder, "Tell me why we leaving here?" But, I guess there are a lot more things to see out there so let the adventure begin!!