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Back in mid-October an opportunity arose to return to the Sierras, so Jimmy and I joined Paul for what promised to be a relaxing time camping and hiking near Lone Pine. After stocking up on groceries and firewood we made camp at the Tuttle Creek Campground near Alabama Hills and Paul prepared a meal of salad with spaghetti and meatballs. (The menu was courtesy of Paul’s wife Lindsey.) While we ate and enjoyed the views of the night sky we made plans to stop by the Mt. Whitney Ranger Station in the morning to ask about hiking recommendations.

The rangers were extremely helpful, and after a number of recommendations for possible hiking trails, we knew that we would be hiking the trail from Onion Valley to Kearsarge Pass as soon as it was mentioned.

The 5 mile trail took us from an elevation of approximately 9,200 feet to 11,760 feet, past five lakes, and across many ridges with majestic views. What made the hike even better was the fact that the weather was a sunny 70° with fresh snow at the higher elevations from a storm a few days before.

The next morning Paul and I trekked to Alabama Hills to photograph the sunrise on the Sierras. It was a fitting end to an incredible trip. Be sure to check out Paul’s blog for his posts on Kearsarge Pass and Alabama Hills.

Sometime early in the summer Grandma Mary called to let me know that she would be visiting her sisters in Napa Valley in mid-August and that I should plan to visit and bring a friend. Done; I love trips to Napa Valley. So, I asked Mary (from Vanuatu and Hawaii) to join since we still had yet to meet on the mainland.

Mary and I set out on Highway 1 for the long and beautiful road trip to San Francisco, where we spent the first night with Sara, one of Mary’s friends from the Peace Corps. (She had a knack for telling some pretty amazing stories about life in Vanuatu…)

After a whirlwind tour of San Francisco the next day, we drove to my great aunt’s ranch in Napa Valley. Here we spent the next two days laying around the pool, wine tasting, and going to church where we ended up shaking hands with Nancy Pelosi during passing of the peace.

The drive home went much faster, and like many Californian trips we decided to wrap it up with a celebratory stop at In-N-Out burger. Animal fries are so good.