Is it Snow or Is it Salt?????

What a fascinating view in the distance...was it snow?????????????? No....it was salt as far as the eye could see. As we traveled on I-80 from Nevada into Utah we were able to see one of the country's most unique features - the Bonneville Salt Flats. The flats actually stretch over 30,000 acres and is a fragile resource which is monitored by the Bureau of Land Management.
The Bonneville Salt Flats and the Great Salt Lake are the remnants of the ancient Lake Bonneville which covered 1/3 of present day Utah and parts of neighboring states. Wind and water combine the create the flat surface of salt. Each winter, a shallow layer of standing water floods the surface of the salt flats. Each spring and summer, the water slowly evaporates while winds smooth the surface into a vast, nearly perfect plain. This surface contains potassium, magnesium lithium, and sodium chloride (common table salt).
The salt flats are also famous for its Bonneville Raceway where automobiles and motorcycles attempt to set new speed records. Wow!!!
This definitely was one of the more unusual sights that I have seen.

Lake Tahoe, Nevada

One thing we noticed immediately as we traveled towards Nevada was how the landscape changed. The Eastern Sierra Mountains were a different color and the land was becoming flatter. It was becoming more arid and you could see a difference in the plant life.
We stayed at the Carson Valley RV Park in Minden which had a casino and wonderful steak house where we dined for two consecutive nights. It was amazing to see all this flat land with mountains in the horizon. It was just beautiful.
We took a driving tour of Lake Tahoe on our second day. Lake Tahoe was just magnificent with its gleaming waters displaying three different shades of blue. It mostly had rocky beaches with a few sandy ones scattered along the way.
Now, the California/Nevada state lines bisect the lake. On the California side, the area around Lake Tahoe was highly developed with shopping, residences, lodges, restaurants, etc. There were a few national parks but it was the incredible amount of development that blew us away. Coming from Yosemite Park and Crater Lake, we were amazed to see all this activity. Houses were built into the cliffs for the dramatic water views (Click on the top picture to get a better view of the house amidst the trees). There were certain times during the drive that you couldn't see the lake because of all the private homes built on the water's edge with big stone walls or gates blocking the view.
I just read that during the last 50 years, increased human activity in the lake basin has caused the lake's clarity to decrease at a rate of one foot a year. Recognizing this threat, certain organizations are monitoring the contents in the lake (sediment, nutrients)and working to keep the lake beautiful.
Along the Nevada side, we found more forests, campgrounds, lodges, and private residences.
If you were a cyclist, the Lake Tahoe area offered miles and miles of biking lanes which went all around the lake. It was definitely a cyclist paradise.
When we drove across the California state line into Nevada, we passed the Cal Neva Lodge. I bet this sounds very familiar to a lot of you reading this blog. Before the Las Vegas Strip ruled the gambling world, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis Jr helped make the Cal Neva Ledge on of Nevada's coolest casinos in the early 1960's. We passed by it so fast, I couldn't take a picture of it. Oh well, it was still a thrill for me.
Well we will be off tomorrow on our next adventure. Stay tuned!!!

Sammy and the Babysitter

For those of you who know Sammy, I just had to post these pictures. Suzy Maddalena had taken care of our precious baby while we were camping in Yosemite with David. Suzy was just remarkable!!! She and Sammy hit it off immediately. The reason Sammy is wearing this unusual contraption (life jacket with a little noodle attached to the top of it)was so when he would run outside he would not be able to get through the fencing. He just loved running around their property and playing with the other dogs. Apparently, Suzy said Sammy was quite fascinated with her cat and horse. Sammy definitely had a great time while we were away. Thank you Suzy!!!!

Beautiful Visions that Inspired John Muir

These are some parting shots of the scenes of Half Dome and the valley from our campsite in Yosemite. David brought us to one of his special places on earth. You can almost feel John Muir's presence here. Thank you David for this shared gift of a lifetime.
We are so very blessed.

Lee and David - A Moment in Time in Yosemite

After David and I set up our tent, the three of us took a walk down to Snow Creek where we enjoyed a couple of hours sitting, reflecting, resting, and dipping our hot and tired feet in the creek. It was such a beautiful setting and the spiritual connection was palpable. When David and Lee were sitting together talking, it reminded me of a day at Steve's pool in Freeport when David was only about three years old and he and Lee were together having a special moment like this. I was so happy to capture this grownup moment in time.

Things I've Never Seen Before in Yosemite

As Fall approaches, we all use pine cones to decorate for the upcoming holidays. Well I just had to share some pictures of pine cones which I am sure most of us have never seen before. The pictures on the left show a pine cone in different stages; a fleshy green stage, a partially eaten green pine cone, and finally a pine cone that has been consumed and its dried out remains. This just fascinated me!!! Don't ask me why.
Also, the picture of the red plant was of interest to me. The plant is called Snow Flower and has no chlorophyll at all and grows wild in the forest. Isn't that amazing????
The Yosemite forest had so many interesting facets. I am quite surprised at my own childlike excitement when discovering these things for the first time; so much so that I just had to show you these pictures.

Camping in Yosemite with David

We met up with our son David on Labor Day and made our preparations for the next day's hike and overnight in Yosemite. David has been a wilderness leader now for two summers at Camp Tawonga, a Jewish summer camp in Yosemite. It was just wonderful to see our oldest son in HIS environment which he is soooo passionate about. He helped us with our packing and prep and also had given us a fabulous lead on a "babysitter for Sammy" while we were going to be away. So with Sammy safely settled, we woke up early the following day dressed in our hiking gear as well as our GRISWOLD FAMILY VACATION T SHIRTS which David had given all of us for Christmas last year. David carried most of the gear which included our sleeping bags, pads, food, and Bear Can. A Bear Can is a container in which you put anything that has a scent that a bear would smell (this included deodorant, food items, wrappers, lip gloss, etc). This container has a locked top in the event of a bear visiting our campsite searching for food. David had quite a load but apparently he was up to the task. We hiked 4.5 miles on the Porcupine Trail which led us to the Snow Creek area which has phenomenal views of the quarter and half dome mountains. Along our hike, David informed us of the necessary information on how to live in the woods; such as digging your own hole so you can go the the bathroom; using smooth sticks and stones for cleansing, and filling the hole with the dirt and leaving a curved stick in the dirt to alert other hikers that this area was already used!!!. Trust me, I told my son that I was not about to use any sticks or stones for cleansing; I would be using tissues or wipes and would gladly carry it in my personal "garbage" bag until we reached civilization. I have to admit that camping in the wilderness with no modern conveniences was quite a stretch for me but I did it!! Thank goodness there are no pictures of that!!! Ha Ha Ha!! Also, David told us about how we would need to purify the water we take from a creek or stream using his pumping system which has a filter attached to it. Since we are supposed to be consuming at least 2 liters of water a day, we will have to replenish it however we don't want to use water that might contain microorganisms, etc. in it. It was amazing to watch him to this when we were at the creek later on in our trip. When we reached our destination, I assisted David with the putting up of our tent and Lee assisted with dinner. David made an incredible coconut curry veggie stir fry with rice. Wow!! Boy did it taste fabulous!! You know the expression "clean or lick your plate clean"????......well, that is how you are supposed to clean your plate and utensils so that it won't leave a scent for bears. You use the water that cooked the rice, pour a small amount into the plate, move the remains with your fingers, and then drink the liquid. Doesn't that sound tasty and something I would love to do!!! Well I did it but really couldn't drink all the "liquid". I am glad to say that Lee helped me out in that department. You should have seen, however, David clean the stir fry pan. Oh my goodness!! The reason we did this is that the "mantra" of hikers in the back country, "Leave No Trace". By utilizing the remains of the cooked food and water, we were able to conserve on the fresh. Talk about being Green!!!!!
After dinner, with additional layers of clothes put on, I wanted to try out the sleeping bag in the tent. I have to admit that I fell asleep right away and woke up in the middle of the night staring at the incredible stars above. What a day!!!