We started out Tuesday, July 2, leaving San Diego at Paul's predicted 2 pm. I guess I'm more of an optimist than I thought, I predicted 12. We drove to Livermore, CA and stayed with Paul's wonderful and very hospitable sister Pat. We love staying with her because she has a beautiful house, with a terrific garden. And, if we time it right, her fab husband will cook for us. Alas, we did not time this one right. We decided, belatedly, to hit Yosemite on Wednesday. Of course, we were tired from the journey the day before, so we didn't leave Livermore until 11:30. The last time Paul and I made this trip, we left from Ripon (an hour closer) and we had my cute little Miata. Needless to say, we didn't arrive in Yosemite Valley until 3, a good hour and a half later than we'd hoped. Yosemite was beautiful though, and worth the time. We hiked to lower Yosemite Falls, then decided to hike to the top of Vernal Falls. Porter stayed on Paul's shoulders for most of the hike, but Jake, courageous adventurer he is, did it on his own. We couldn't be more proud! We didn't leave Yosemite until 8 that night, so we completely missed out on dinner with the Bayons. 
We left Livermore the following day, after a fun lunch with Pat and Brent. The journey to Redding was uneventful (did we mention we have a portable DVD system that makes travelling with kids a breeze?). We stayed with Tim and Kathleen this time around. Mom Z has not been feeling all that well, and relinquished her exclusive rights to host us. Unfortunately, there were no fireworks in Redding due to that half of the state being ON FIRE! The day we arrived was the first day the people of Redding could see the surrounding mountains. We decided to do the Redding Aquatic Center which was an absolute blast. They have 2 enormous pools split into separate sections. A diving section with a high dive and standard diving board. Jake DOVE from the high dive for me--he's incredibly intrepid! They have a great water slide, and in the other pool, a very shallow area with a play structure for toddlers--with 3 small water slides. All this for the bargain price of $3.50 for adults and $3.00 for kids. If you're in the area, I highly recommend this place. http://reddingrecreation.org/
The 5th of July, we went to Brandycreek. It was beautiful and clear when we arrived, but got smokier and smokier as the day progressed. Jake and Paul had a great time swimming to the raft in the middle of the swimming area. There is a shallow sand bar on the other side of the raft that you can stand on and walk. It was a great day all around.
We left the following day for Alturas. We passed through a bunch of very small towns on our way there, as well as some incredibly picturesque country. When we arrived, we were instructed to hit the Holiday Market and get directions from the cute tall blonde checker there. Boy, was she cute, and tall and blonde!!! Our niece, Danielle, was working that day. She gave us directions to her mother's after taking our money for
the ice cream we couldn't resist. We polished off our cold treats and took off for Ann's house. We spent a few days visiting them--swimming in the community pool and taking in the sights. That is gorgeous country. I wish we had more time to do the camping and fishing the area is so rich in.From there, it was on to Lori's in Reno, NV. I went to high school in the area, so I was somewhat familiar with the territory. But boy has Reno grown. I scarcely recognized South Reno at all. Lori's girls had just had to switch to year-round school, and had started school two days before. But, as we don't get to see them that often, she pulled them out of school the next day so we could play. We decided to do Lake Tahoe. We chose Sand Harbor which was absolutely stunning that day. It was clear and wonderful when we arrived, but as the day progressed the smoke we were trying to escape in Redding made it's appearance. By the end of the day, we could no longer see the mountains surrounding the lake and ash covered our cars. The kids love looking for crawdads on the rocks, and they even managed to catch a big one. We managed to have a wonderful day, and got only slightly sunburned.
All to soon, we had to bid the Strang's goodbye, and get home. Porter had woken up the night before wondering where he was at. Who could blame him? We have been in no less than 4 different beds--all terrific, but confusing for a 4 year old. Paul pulled Porter into bed with us and we slept well for the rest of the night. We passed through my old stomping grounds on the way home--stopping in at Russel's Mercantile in Minden, NV. My former next-door-neighbors run the place--if you have a chance to stop in, I highly recommend them. They have fantastic sandwiches and salads--not to mention the baked goodies. It was great to catch up with the Russel and Denna families and see how great they are doing. http://nevadamagazine.com/index.php/issues/read/nevada_gift_ideas/ From there, it was back home to San Diego. The weather is perfect and my kids get to sleep in their own beds. I think it's likely Porter will still crawl in bed with us--I bet the confusion won't wear off for a while, but I think this was a vacation they will never forget.
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