With our discovery that we would soon be joined by a new baby (in eight months) and my completion of my master’s degree, we decided that it was the perfect time for us to take one last big vacation and visit a number of climbing venues, my dad in MT, and a couple other destinations on a last hurrah of freedom! We started our massive roadtrip in Los Angeles with a visit to Magic Mountain, then continued on to Bishop, CA for some bouldering and camping. Next, we stopped at Yosemite National Park for some hiking and sight-seeing, followed by overnights in Reno, NV and Boise, ID before spending some time with my family in Missoula, MT. We took a few days to visit our favorite cabins near Glacier National Park, though were rained-out each day so we never entered the park (hence no pictures). Finally, we wrapped-up our trip with a tired day-and-a-half of bouldering near Salt Lake City, UT before coming home.
Here’s some pictures from Yosemite and our drive up to MT. Some of the highlights of this trip was a small hike through the giant redwoods and our witnessing the near demise of two climbers on El Capitan as a huge TV-sized boulder was accidentally kicked free above them and missed them by no more than a few feet!
Our lovely campsite within Yosemite National Park before the 100+ campfires were started-up that nightThe majestic El CapitanA view from the base of El Cap - you may be able to make out a few climbers about half-way upMaria adding some scaleClimbers repelling down after nearly being killed by a TV-sized boulder that had cut-loose above them missing their heads by a mere 5 feet!Maria the "tree hugger"!Nice cones!Tom standing on a giant sequoia logOne of the few sequoia tunnels that were carved out in the early days of the park for traffic to drive throughMaria spooked after hearing strange noises eminating from the hollowed-out trunk behind her...luckily it was just some crazy tourist taking pictures and not a black bear!
Our next highlight was our 14 mile trek up to the top of Half Dome. It sported some amazing views and very cool rock, but it was a very LONG day and the huge elevation gain took its toll on our knees and legs…I don’t think we’ll be repeating this one any time soon!
Posing in front of Half Dome the day before our hike to its summitAnother view of Half DomeMaria stopping to enjoy the view below Half DomeAt the headwaters of one of Yosemite's beautiful waterfallsYogi bear's rival for picnic basketsHalf Dome hiding in the treesGetting closer to the domeAlmost to the fun part: a push to the summit with only two cable ropes and some 2x4s for traction!Stairway to heaven...though it was hell getting up them!Maria taking a breather half-way upHalf Dome summit - with crazy onion-like layers of rockThe happy couple - happy to finally be at the summit!The obligatory summit poseBack down we go!The not so happy, totally sore couple after 7+ miles of hobbling down a never-ending series of steep switchbacks!Gorgeous view of Half Dome and parts of Yosemite ValleyA happy pose infront of our conquered nemesis!
Following our adventures in Yosemite, we drove up through Reno, NV on our way to MT and stayed the night in one of their casinos that obviously hasn’t been rennovated since the 70s!
We couldn't resist taking pictures of our gaudy motel room in Reno, NV!Absolutely love the awesome maple burl dresser...who said disco was dead?!
