The Uncharted Territory

Mammoth lakes was an unexpected, but pleasant, delight.

For being so far away from, well, almost anything, that town was one of the most beautiful we have been to. It is on the back side of Yosemite, and caters to skiers in the winter and mountain bikers in the summer. There are national parks everywhere and so much to see. There was only one problem; so many people there to see it.

We decide to head out to see the Devil’s Post Pile. These are hexagonal pillars pushed out of the ground during volcanic activity thousands of years ago. The drive to the area was spectacular and a little scary as there were so many vehicles on a small road clinging to a very large cliff.

When we got to the Devil’s Post Pile there were cars lined up everywhere trying to find a parking space, and people everywhere without masks. We pulled the rip-chord and got out of there. We are trying really hard to avoid groups of people, even while hiking. Olivia was disappointed, especially because we had built up how cool these type of rocks were. So, to make it up to her, we promised a trip to Iceland to see some that were even better, ones that had waterfalls on them. John and I were there the day she was born. How cool is that? It looks like this;

So I guess a trip to Iceland is in our future.

We continued driving through the lovely valley until we found a secluded lake and a nice spot for us to hang out. It was a little cold in the water, but not too cold for Toby.

Last of all, a walk to earthquake park, where the earth cracked and left a large fissure.

The rest of the day was spent doing some work and laundry. We wanted to be completely ready for a big day in Yosemite.

• Daddy Brock check-in
  • Rose: waking up to a fireplace in the room
  • Thorn: too many people
• Daddy John check-in
  • Rose: drive to Devil’s post pile
  • Thorn: too much humanity
• Olivia check-in
  • Rose: swimming
  • Thorn: car sick- I threw up
• Toby check-in
  • Rose: the lake
  • Thorn: I’m homesick