Vacation, Day 2

 This was our most full day of the trip so hang on for a ton of pictures.

We started the day off right with some bacon and coffee.  The house was well stocked and they had waffle mix, coffee and hot chocolate waiting for us.

Then we set off to see the Sequoia trees.  I was already nervous about the drive because for some reason I always forget how carsick I get in the mountains.  I drove and did everything I could to help Colin, who also gets car sick.  You can all take a moment to feel sorry for my family because I crawled through the mountains.  Ben took pictures for me...I love seeing waterfalls!

I had a lot of laughs at myself this day.  I forgot about carsickness and I completely underestimated the snow in the mountains.  Sure, I knew we would see some, but I never thought we would be hiking through it...hello, desert brain.  We had to make a special stop along the way to see the snow.

See the book on the ground?  Eli carried that book with him for days.  It was a book about rocks from the library.  The kids were all about rocks on this trip.

That special stop wasn't necessary because a few minutes afterwards, Colin got sick.  We pulled over again to clean him up and let him walk around a little.  The sign said "Picnic area", but most of the tables were under snow!  I needed to use the restroom (that small building buried in snow) and had to slide down several feet of snow to get to it.  It was a pit stop I will never forget.

Fresh air is the best cure for car sickness.

We found a lodge nearby and bought some dramamine from the gift shop.  It certainly saved the rest of the day.  We ate lunch in the car before hiking up to see General Sherman.

An explorer with his book and magnify glass

 
It was a short hike to the General Sherman tree; the largest known tree on earth.  A picture is just not adequate.

Eli asked if he could be the photographer for awhile and was pretty cute taking his job very seriously.

Colin starting to feel the affects of dramamine

picture by Eli

Then we hiked the congress loop through the sequoias.

Colin and Daddy

Eli and Daddy

The snow was melting and created lots of little waterfalls and rivers along the path.  It made for some fun little obstacle courses.  We all thought it this one was the best part of the hike; we had to squeeze under this giant tree, right next to the rushing water.

Just crawling through the trunk of a tree.

We oscillated between warm and cold, so I became the jacket sherpa...and somehow Alison's backpack carrier.  BUT even with Colin feeling "droopy" (as he said), I didn't carry any children on this trip :)

Climbing on the roots of a fallen sequoia.

more climbing on the fallen tree

Another favorite was the Senate cluster.  Again, a picture just doesn't do it any justice.  We felt like we were walking through a scene of Jurassic park and a dinosaur should just appear at any minute.  It may sound weird, but I loved how small it made me feel...I don't know if it's just human nature to think that you are big in the world, but I love the reminder that we are just a speck.

Then we drove up to Moro Rock.  It was a paved hike up with railings most of the way, but this one definitely made me nervous.  

The kids did great!

Colin kept asking me why I wouldn't let go of him.  Ha!  If I could have put a harness and leash on him, I would have.

This is how we felt when we got to the top (Eli got a mosquito bite on his stomach while hiking):

Altitude has a way of humbling me.

Spectacular view, awesome experience and perhaps the craziest thing I've done.

We made it back to the house in one piece and Colin proclaimed upon arrival, "I didn't throw up!!!"  The house was also well stocked with kid movies, so we had a relaxing evening to regroup from all our adventures.