And On We Go To The Ancient Bristlecone Pineforest!

Located at the tippy top of the White Mountains between Yosemite and Death Valley is a very, very cool discovery for the kids.  However, the road to this place was the most exciting for them.  It was a winding, curving, whoopty-do road - and I drove the whoops so fast that it would defy gravity and lift them out of their seats.  (I'm so thankful there weren't any law enforcement types around...)

These are the oldest living trees in the world.  You can see more on the Ancient Bristlecones by checking out my older posts:

http://www.thetravelerstwo.net/2014/12/the-methusaleh-tree.html

Viewing Half-Dome

 

Well, this is what we brought them to see:  the very famous Half-Dome of Yosemite National Park! 

 Looks like some specter wearing a hoodie, huh?

Actually, there are several half-domes in the Park, but this is the largest, tallest and most famous one.

From here we go to the Ancient Bristlecone-Pine Forest in the White Mountains.

A Wedding In Yosemite

Ha-ha!  Caught ya'!  She DOES come out from behind the camera from time to time.  And I see Master Calin's little head right down at the corner of the windshield!  There's Nina and Elliana, too.  Another lake; another passel of happy grandkids.  Even Granpa was havin' a pretty good time!

Someone else was having their own kinda good time - even though she needed her bangs trimmed.

What, pray tell, has this young lady mesmerized?

A wedding?  In Yosemite National Park?  How FUN!

We all thought it was pretty terrific !

Yosemite Itself

Eventually we were able to drag the kids away from the river into Yosemite National Park itself.

This is going into the eastern entrance next to Nevada. 

 











Our official photographer may never be seen out from behind her camera!  It's like, "Kilroy was here!"  (Google that if you don't know "Kilroy.")

The Sierra Nevada mountains are rugged.  They're almost solid rock with little vegetation.  Until you find a valley that has captured enough soil for roots to grow in, this is what you see.   Sometimes the snow falls here at a rate of five feet a day!  Check out this link about the heart-breaking story of the 1846 immigrant Donner Party, http://www.legendsofamerica.com/ca-donnerparty3.html  Imagine this basin filling with snow right before your very eyes!

We weren't subject to snowfall of any kind as California has been in a severe drought for several years.

 

We did discover a lake however, and they loved it!

 And I mean ALL the kids loved it!

The River

 

Though the water was cold, Kristin was game for tiptoeing in.  She took off her shoes, rolled up her britches and waded with the kids.  I personally thought they were crazy - but the kids never complained of cold feet.  I did notice, however, that none of them opted for a swim.

I know that each and every one of us have trials and tribulations and troubles every day.  I am so blessed and proud to have a daughter-in-law that shows the joy of Christ in her life minute by minute.  She is a delight and pleasure to have on our trips, loving on us and loving on all the children including nieces and nephews!  I pray that her personal troubles (which I know must exist though she never outwardly shows them) I pray that they are few and far between, and that the instant she takes them to Lord in prayer He grants her grace and mercy.  I believe that part of her peace and joy comes from forgiving ME and others in an instant for our weaknesses.  Our other daughter-in-law is much the same - and she is also a grand lady of God.  (People!  GOD DOES MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN OUR LIVES - MINUTE BY MINUTE!)  Please, Lord, make me more like them and all of us more like Christ!

The pictures of the river are so gorgeous and so personal to each of us who were there.  It's virtually impossible for me to select photos to share!  But I think someone might be upset if I don't at least try!  

Have you ever seen someone snorkel like this?  I told you that it was cold!

  

And we weren't the only ones around!

 

Finally Made it to Yosemite National Park

We finally made it to Yosemite National Park.  Well, almost.  We camped outside of the park.  One place the first night and a different (much more awesome and private) place the rest of the time we were at Yosemite.

Rylee was the official people photographer:

This was probably the most spectacular part of their Arizona trip  to see Granma and Granpa.  We took them to Yosemite, the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest and through the ever fearsome Death Valley National Park!  

If you were to ask any of the kids what was the best part, they'd undoubtedly say camping by the river and the road-trip down from the Ancient Pine Forest.

Us adults thought that it was all good!
 
As you can see in the background of the first picture, our first campsite was beside a lake - which was w-a-y  too cold to swim in.  Rylee, however, found some floating rocks (No, REALLY! Floating rocks!), and we were all impressed by those  floating rocks!.  But we found a place closer to the entrance of Yosemite and closer to a town for re-supplying.  There weren't many campsites available by the river, but we kept looking until we found a HUGE site right on the river.  Wow! We snagged that one!

         Everyone was excited about this one!

Even these charming ladies of the wilderness!

Calin - Bless His Heart!

THIS is what happens to a little boy when you stick him in a car with five females for three and a half weeks!

 

And the Grand Canyon

Bearizona is actually at the Interstate exit for the Grand Canyon, so we will kill two birds (eh, bear) with one stone and take the kids to the Canyon.

They were under-whelmed.  I suppose, after Bearizona, it was maybe not very impressive to them.  But that's okay.  They can now say they were at the Grand Canyon and have the pictures to prove it!
 

 

Well, The Grandkids Wanted To See A Bear ...

There's no better place to see bears than Bearizona.  (See our previous posts: 
http://www.thetravelerstwo.net/2013/08/bearizona-bears-in-arizona.html
http://www.thetravelerstwo.net/2013/08/the-bears.html
http://www.thetravelerstwo.net/2013/08/red-fox-swift-fox-peacocks-porcupines.html
http://www.thetravelerstwo.net/2013/08/the-end-of-bearizona-fabulous.html )

As you can see from the list, there are more animals than just the bears (bear?) And there was this one elk that wanted to really get up close and personal! 

I think he had a crush on Nina!

But we finally made it to the Junior Black Bear place.  (Don't miss the guy up a tree above the sign.)

There are bears everywhere out here!  (But of course I knew that having been here last year.)

 








There was a certain young man who was absolutely fascinated by all of this:

He finally got to hug one - sort of!

 

The baby bears would run for the trees anytime they were startled or afraid.  They were so fast!!

But we know someone who didn't seem to be afraid of anything (except maybe a haircut.)

 

A great good time was had by everyone!

Going to the Hualapai's

There's a small mountain down the street from our home in Kingman.  The grandchildren would walk there in the evenings with our daughter-in-law.

Those are the Hualapai Mountains in the background.  Kingman is in a valley between a multitude of mountain ranges.


So we chose to drive up into the Hualapai's.




(Don't ya' just hate telephone poles and power lines?  They intrude on so many of our people-pictures!)

But what's this walking down the road?  A hear of elk!



There must have been a dozen or so - including a fawn - and they just munched their way through the neighborhood!



One of our granddaughters tends to get car sick on windy roads, so we always had her "Oops" bucket handy.  Once we figured out that her eating habits were minimal and we filled her tummy with some food, most of her car sickness went away.