The car & Sequoia

Well, I suppose it had to happen.
We were driving up the mountain to the Sequoia National Park when suddenly the car simply stopped moving. The engine revved but the car wouldn't go and smoke was coming from under the car. Yep...blew the transmission.
Of course we were out of cell phone range. So we waited until a Ranger came by. He took us to the park museum where we called AAA. It took a while, but AAA sent a tow truck and he towed us all the way back to Visalia, about 40 miles. So glad we had upgraded to the gold membership!
The first quote we got to repair the transmission was $4,800! Ouch! Later, the same shop called back to say they had made a mistake and it would "only" be $4,080. Yeah, right...4 grand to fix a car that only cost 2 grand to begin with. Sorry, no sale.
AAA towed the car to another shop who fixed the car for $1,800. Still a big hit, but less than half of the first shop's price.
Bottom line is that the car is fixed, but our trip plans have to be reevaluated. We never made it to Sequoia but just drove to Lemon Grove (near San Diego) to stay with Bev's son Ben and his family.
So now we're hanging out in San Diego, visiting with Ben, Sarah and little Daniel. We went to the county fair and are planning a trip to the zoo and a few other outings. We might have to stay here a while until the bank account gets recharged enough to make the journey back east. Stay tuned...

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Bev inside...

The Telescope Tree.

Morgan and I...

INSIDE a tree.

The telescope tree.

Here's a tree that was completely hollowed out by fire. You can walk inside, look up and see the sky - through the tree trunk.
Amazing!

Yosemite again.

Since we get free (senior pass) we went back to the park today.
We hiked 2.5 miles - uphill - to 6,600 feet altitude in the Mariposa grove of Sequoias. Here's a shot of Bev and Morgan (in backpack) at the museum near the summit.

Bridal veil falls.

Here's a shot of Bridal Veil Falls at Yosemite.
For future travelers to the park, the south entrance requires nerves of steel. It's 35 miles of swtchback mountain roads, no guardrails, no shoulders, just a white line on the pavement then Bam! 5000 feet straight down! But the views...wow!
They say life isn't measured by the number of breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away. I certainly had a few of those moments today. One was the half mile hike to the foot of these falls. We were close enough to feel the spray.
Pictures cannot do this place justice. It must be felt.

Yosemite!

Just a quick post for now, more later.
Here we are at the "tunnel view" area at Yosemite. You can see Half Dome in the distance as well as one of the falls.

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The Redwoods

Well, we are finally getting a little time to relax.
Chandra's graduation went without a hitch. What an amazing kid. Earned the "Silver Tassel" for high grades while earning 3 black belts in martial arts. You go girl.
We are now in Eureka, just hanging out at our campsite. Yesterday we drove the Avenue of the Giants through the redwods. Here's a picture of Bev by a fallen redwood. These trees are huge, and some are 1000 years old or more.
Tomorrow, maybe a little sightseeing and/or wine tasting.

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What a couple of weeks!

If you've been following, you know we are now in California.
Since Matt's wedding, we've had quite the time.
After leaving MA, we drove to Albany to spend a few days with my son, Mike and his lady Kari. Had a great, if too short, visit with them. We saw the new Star Trek movie in IMAX 3D, and went to dinner at the City Beer Hall. It's a neat place. If you order at least a pint of beer, you get a ticket for a free personal pizza. So...if you have 3 pints...no way you leave hungry!
When we left Albany, we stopped for an overnight visit in Gloversville to see our friend Carol. Carol lost her long time companion, Peter, last year and now she's ill herself. In spite of her illness, she was a great hostess and cooked us a great dinner and a great breakfast the next morning. Hope you get well real soon, Carol!
Then it was a mad dash all the way across the country to California. Coast to coast in 5 days! Whew!
Crossing through "tornado alley," we dodged storms all the way. We left Lincoln, Nebraska hours ahead of a severe storm that spawned several tornadoes. We did get some rain and wind, but it could have been a lot worse.
The changes in temperature we experienced along the way were profound. Cold, wind a rain in the plains, snow in the mountains, and searing heat in the Sacramento Valley in California. Today, it's over 100 here, and expected to be near 112 tomorrow! At least it cools off at night. We drove across the Continental Divide, Donner's Pass and right past the Bonneville Salt Flats. We would have liked to stop, but we were on a schedule. We needed to get to CA in time for Chandra's graduation.
We've spent a good bit of our time here visiting with my daughter, Jennifer and granddaughter, Chandra. This past Tuesday, Chandra graduated from high school. Of 289 students in her graduating class, only about 8 got the silver tassel (for really GOOD grades) and she was one. And on top of that, she's got 3 - count 'em THREE - black belts in martial arts! At 4'11" and 90 pounds soaking wet, she's still not someone you want to mess with. College boys - watch out!
Yesterday, Bev, Chandra and I drove down to San Francisco. We visited a great little tea room in Chinatown, and spent the afternoon at Fishermen's Wharf. We saw the tall ships being restored there, an old steam tugboat and an old steam ferry boat. I also picked up my lifetime "Senior Pass" for the national parks. What a deal. Free admission for life at all national parks, $10! If you're over 62, it's hard to find a better bargain than that.
Tomorrow, we'll be leaving the heat behind and driving to Eureka, CA. We've booked the KOA there and hope to do some hiking and sight seeing among the redwoods. After that, it's Yosemite for a few days, then the Grand Canyon. When all that's done, we'll be making a stop in San Diego to see Bev's son Ben, Sarah and baby Daniel.