Before heading all the way to Santa Barbara, Erin and I stopped in Snowmass CO for a week long ski vacation with my mom and Matt. The drive was long, and the weather was awful -especially in Kansas. We also hit a snowstorm over Vail pass (10,666 feet high!), but fortunately it was only a…
Author: Patrick McCarty
Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks
Our first stop after leaving Modesto was Sequoia National Park. Kings Canyon National Park is directly next to Sequoia National Park. They are managed as one park, and often referred to as Sequoia/Kings. Only about 3.5 hours from Modesto, it certainly was not a long drive. We had reservations for one night, due to this…
Lake Tahoe and Yosemite Vacation
This past week my mom visited California! And as is typical whenever my mom goes anywhere, she is followed by rain. From Modesto, we headed to Yosemite for 3 nights in a canvas tent cabin. Since anything even remotely near Yosemite books half a year in advance, we took what we could get: a 4…
Point Reyes National Seashore
This past weekend Erin and I drove 2 and 1/2 hours west to Point Reyes National Seashore. Point Reyes is a peninsula created by the San Andreas fault. The point is actually the westernmost land mass located on the San Andreas Fault in California. The drive was not uneventful! As we were pulling off the…
We Went to a NEW National Park!! – Pinnacles
This past weekend Erin and I went to Pinnacles National Park. Neither of us were even aware that Pinnacles existed or that it was a national park until a couple of weeks ago. As it turns out, it is an actual park and it’s not too far away from Modesto! The Rock formations in the…
Back to Yosemite!
Tioga pass (highway 120) recently opened for the season. Apparently this was a rather late opening, due to the higher than average snowfall this year in the Sierras. So, we woke up a 4AM, hit the road, and drove all the way up highway 120! Our destination: porcupine trail to north dome. North dome, like…
Our Hiking and Camping Gear
Since we have been going on so many camping trips this weeks post is about our gear! We have been slowly adding to it this summer with the goal to maximize comfort, while also conserving space. Hopefully everything fits in our cars when we move! Hiking Gear Shoes: The most important, and least optional part…
Our First Visit to Yosemite National Park
Half Dome! As you may have noticed, today is NOT Monday. Erin and I are going to trial posting on Thursday mornings rather than Mondays. This way, when we mention what we did the previous weekend it will be fresh news! This past weekend was my first time in Yosemite (and Erin’s second)! Camp 4,…
Camping and Hiking at New Lake Melones
Erin and I packed up the car and went camping two Saturdays ago! Lately, the burden of planning such big trips has been taking a toll on our lead researcher (me), and we decided that for the next month or two we are going to focus on camping trips into the mountains, rather than city…
Anniversary Sonoma County Trip
Erin and I went to Sonoma county to explore wine country for our anniversary two weekends ago. My mom is a wine club member at a winery named Papapeitro Perry in the dry creek valley, and gave us a half off wine and cheese pairing coupon! Dry Creek Valley is a smaller valley that stems…