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Posts from the ‘National Parks’ Category

Feb 23

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Saturday Farmer’s Market and Alcatraz Island

This morning Kelly and I took my mom and Ed into San Francisco wherein the plan was to visit the Saturday farmer’s market at the iconic Ferry Building which overlooks the bay.  As an added bonus, Kelly made arrangements for us to spend part of our time touring the market alongside a private guide through the local non-profit Edible Excursions.

Kelly and I have participated in the tour once before and had a great time.  This being the case, we were optimistic the experience would once again be a positive one.  We arrived to the market just in time for the 9:30am start and quickly found ourselves sampling all sorts of goodies from various local merchants, most local to the NorCal region.

At each stop, we heard how each of the merchants arrived to their current role as an artisan and details about their preferred methods of cultivating farm-to-table ecosystems.

Farmer Al of Frog Hollow Farms talking about his fruit trees

Farmer Al of Frog Hollow Farms talking about his fruit trees

Some of the cheese goodness at Cowgirl Creamery

Some of the cheese goodness at Cowgirl Creamery

Our pickled zucchini and tomato sauce from Happy Girl Kitchen

Our pickled zucchini and tomato sauce from Happy Girl Kitchen

The private tour lasts about two hours, spread across roughly a dozen stops.  Today’s experience with Edible Excursion was another positive one, and I highly recommend the organization.

Mom and Ed at the Ferry Building

Mom and Ed at the Ferry Building

Once the tour was complete, Kelly and I bought our weekly stash of fruits and vegetables before a rendezvous with mom and Ed – our next stop being Alcatraz Island.

The obligatory "I was at Alcatraz" picture

The obligatory “I was at Alcatraz”picture

The start of the audio tour

The start of the audio tour

Like most people, I’ve heard plenty about the infamous prison many refer to as “the Rock”, but I’d never visited what is today, a National Park operated by the National Park Service.  Additionally, I didn’t know much about the history of the island.  To that end, the tour was pretty effective at providing visitors – and there were lots of them today paying $28 per ticket – a close-up look at the site of the first lighthouse, West Coast military fort, an infamous federal penitentiary, and details of the 18 month occupation by American Indians.

Grafitti of the 18 month American Indian occupancy (1969-70)

Graffiti remains from the 18 month American Indian occupancy (1969-70)

Given the age of the buildings, most are in poor condition and in need of significant repair.  I suppose the NPS must walk a fine line maintaining the mystical look of the island properties, yet ensuring this cash-cow revenue generating park maintains a safe operating state.

Also, I was pleasantly surprised to see a natural side to the island – complete with gardens, tide pools, bird colonies, and of course … bay views beyond compare.

The crumbling exterior wall of the main administration building

The crumbling exterior wall of the main administration building

The island's original lighthouse

The island’s original lighthouse

San Francisco bay

San Francisco bay

I’ll be honest, I was expecting the tour to be mostly a tourist trap.  We’ve all seen Alcatraz movies and other Discovery Channel-like documentaries, but it was nice to see things with my own eyes.  Overall, I was quite pleased with everything and would suggest that the tour is worth the money … once.

Oct 19

Day 8: Lazy Day

Today was a pretty lazy day for us.  After of week of coordinated activities, the plan today was to take it easy.

As I was able to find access to the internet, I mostly spent my time in the village relaxing.  I also had ample opportunity to do everything I should not have been doing while in Nature’s playground — scan through my work emails, catch-up on world events, and read through some of my favorite blogs.

It was a pretty nice day.

Kelly, on the other-hand, was far more productive than me.  She visited some of the “less famous” attractions in Yosemite … like the history museum and cemetary.

Everything was on track to be a uneventful day, but then Lilly was stung by a bee, which definitely has put a damper of the evening.  Hopefully all will be better in the morning.

Oct 17

Day 6: Mariposa Grove

One big tree

We ventured to the south end of the park today in search of giant Sequoia trees.  Mariposa Grove is a cluster of thee giant conifers; I stress the adjective giant.  At an average height of 250 feet, these Sequoias are related to the giant Redwoods found in northern California.  In an effort to avoid the dramatic, I’ll simply say these trees are big – REALLY big.

The “Grizzly Giant”

The giant Sequoias are old.  Many mature trees have survived just about anything Mother Nature (and Humans) could throw at them.  Over the course of 3000 years, these bad boys have seen it all – snowstorms of the century, wild fires, lightning … you name it.  Their secret weapon is the bark, which can be as thick as two feet; natural protection from the elements protecting the otherwise fragile tree core.If you’ve ever seen any of the giant Redwoods, these trees are not as tall, but their massive bulk drafts the Redwoods.  We chose to visit the largest of three groves containing about 500 of these beasts.  It isn’t uncommon at all to find mature trees with a base width between 15-25 feet.  BTW, I’m not talking circumference – these bad boys are huge.  The biggest of the all in Yosemite is the “Grizzly Giant”.  Depending upon who you believe, this Sequoia has been chilling in Mariposa Grove somewhere in the 1800-2700 years range.  Believe it or not, as big as this guy is, there are at least 25 other Sequoia which are confirmed larger.

All in all, the grove is pretty cool.  I’m not sure I’d go back, but definitely something I would recommend.  Visitors have two options in exploring the grove:  Hike the six miles of trails and really see the ins and outs of the park, or ride the open-cap trolley along the grove’s road and pass by the “celebrity” Sequoia trees – just enough to capture a few highlights for the camera.

We walked.  I’m glad we did as we saw a lot more of the grove than those who rode the trolley.

Putting these into perspective. I am 6ft, 2in tall.

Big trees come with big cones

What happens when a tree is blocking a planned road

What happens when a tree is blocking a planned road

Upon exiting the grove, we stopped for a quick lunch at the Wawona Hotel golf course clubhouse (yes, golf course).  We had hotdogs and then it was time to get back to the campsite.

Later this afternoon Chris and I paid a visit to Camp 4, a tent-only campsite that became notable after WWII as a hangout for rock climbers.  Today, I recommend you visit Camp 4 whenever you wish to hear statements like this: “Dude, that second pitch was gnarly; I got so spanked.  And those crimpers … they are stupid, I was smearing like crazy … and what about that cruz … so phat”. 

Beyond the local lingo, there is also foul wave of B.O. in the air.  Consider yourself forewarned.

Oct 16

Day 5: Vernal & Nevada Falls

Today we decided to hike up into two of the more popular falls in the Yosemite Valley.  The two falls are described as neighboring twins – both narrow in shape, pushing their water charge over broad, vertical sheer rock cliffs.  All in, the elevation change along the six-mile trail was just over 2,000 ft.

A quick stop to enjoy the views

Unfortunately, it is Fall so most of the rivers and waterways are bone dry, resulting in significantly reduced falls activity.  Nonetheless, we wanted to venture up off the Valley floor for views from high above.  About 8 miles round trip from our campsite, the distance wasn’t material; rather the elevation rise was significant.

Up, up, up

Nevada Falls

Turns out Chris developed quite a thirst on the trail.

Refreshing

Blue skies and little tree cover made for hot temperatures and loads of sweat as we ascended to the top.  The effort was totally worth the work as the views from atop the valley are quite spectacular.

Once at the top, we ate our pack lunch and made no effort to be swift in that endeavor.  The expansive views and perfect temperatures made me wish I would be spending the night at the elevation, not in the crowded valley floor.

This little guy stole my apple core

Glad to be a the top

Soon enough reality set in and it was time to get moving again.  Katie Dog and Lilly were back at the Airstream waiting our return so that they could commence with their long walk of the day.

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