I wanted to write this blog post so that I could print it and save it in our annual photo album as a spread.  I don’t often write a journal format for my blogs, but really should.  I love journaling because it allows me to freely express my thoughts during the moment.  My kids once said that my album is one giant collage and they love looking through and being able to relive the moments, emotions, and experiences in their minds.  At the same time, they said some things needed more context to live like you are “in the moment”.  Basically, a scrapbook is of the like. 

Today, not many readers read blogs anymore. I primarily use blogs for research, but I still enjoy the family blog for capturing an adventure. I began this blog to document and share some of my family’s favorite experiences and adventures with you all. It’s a lot to keep up, as you can tell from my very few posts. Lol. This blog is for my artistic soul only. It is not a revenue stream; it’s just an unpaid hobby.

if you haven’t watched our family film recapping the adventures we embarked on this summer, then head over now!

History

We have been taking Summer family vacations since the kids were babies.  We wanted to make family memories while still having new experiences.  Our vacations back then look a lot different than they do now.  As the kids grew up, they became more agile with tough terrains and are able to maintain longer durations outdoors, so we began to explore more on feet. Back when they toddlers, we spent more time just relaxing.

Today

Fast forward to today. In the past few years, we have amped up our travels.  We spend every opportunity to adventure into something new to us, no matter how cheesy or touristy.  We wanted to give our children the experience of the outdoors. We wanted them to see the world beyond the politics and turmoil the news broadcast daily. We wanted them to know that this world and the people in it are beautiful and diverse at every turn.  It’s how you view the world that shapes the beauty. 

When people think of travel, they often think about flying far from home or expensive luxurious travel.  Not us!  We think low cost as much as possible starting in our home state.  Our home state is huge and diverse and has so much to see.  This is what this blog is!

Our Summer of 2024

Back to the purpose of this blog, Summer 2024.  So where did we go? When did we start? What else happened in our lives this Summer?  There was no way we spent 2 whole months traveling, right? RIGHT. Like many of you, we are an average working family.  Our kids go to public school, we work a standard 9-5 job, and we pay bills just like you. We have the same struggles between parenting, health, and deciding between materials vs experiences. We pick our battles and always remember to let no one shame you for your decisions if they were the best for you and your family!  Finding balance in everything in life is important and that is what we aim to do.

Here in our household, Summer begins the weekend school is out for the year. This year, it was the weekend of Memorial Day.  

Hetch Hetchy

Our first trip this season was a day hike in the backcountry of Yosemite National Park known as Hetch Hetchy. We hiked to Wapama Falls, and were supposed to continue to Rancheria Falls, but we got sooo wet from the waterfall spray, we decided to return.  Wapama Falls was stunning and the water spray was so much fun to walk through!  She was at her height of flow, and it was a beautiful thing to see.  The trail was a bit hot in the open sun, and there were some complaints from the kids, but the extravagant waterfall changed that mood real quick!

Unlike the valley, we can all agree on how majestic and different the backcountry was.  It was quiet except for the short chatter when approaching other fellow travelers. The kids referred to Wapama as nature’s waterpark! They enjoyed every bit of the splash, the mist, and the roaring falls as it cascaded down to the reservoir. 

San Francisco

Weekends in June were quite busy with family events. We were fortunate to have a mid-week break from work to spend a day exploring.  The first was San Francisco.  Like many from the Sacramento area, we have been to San Francisco and surrounding areas countless times.  Marin Headlands has always been a favorite of ours.  On this day, we chose to revisit Sutro Baths and hike Lands End again.  Lands Ends is a popular attraction, and the trail is well-kept, busy, and easy, yet has stunning views of the bay and the Golden Gate Bridge.  

While on Lands End Trail, we detour to Miles Rock Beach.  A new to us adventure! The beach was rocky, but expansive enough for everyone to enjoy and listen to the waves.  The beach was not crowded like Rodeo or Bakers Beach, but this was also a mid-week adventure.

The kids spent some time playing with sand, climbing and exploring the rocky cliffs. They always find joy in every space we visit. Leaving Miles Rock Beach, we proceeded to finish the trail stopping to view the Golden Gate Bridge from afar. 

Camping at Hogan Lake

Every year it gets a little more challenging trying to reserve a camp.  Our ideal campsites are ones with a water source for water activities like swimming at the minimum, hiking trails if possible, and restrooms are negotiable. This year, we chose Hogan Lake.  

Hogan Lake was HOT.  There was not a lot of shade and the sites were not too flat either, but time with family, laughing, and eating great food the night away is great anywhere. It is a compromise worth compromising  Also, the stars were beautiful here!  Despite the light pollution, the stars came out to shine!

Plus, they allow furbabies!  Penni and Dollar joined us and had an amazing time!  Penni doesn’t get to splash in water often since most of our hiking adventures prohibit furbabies or are too far to take her when we travel by car.  She loved the water here and spent as much time as she could splashing.  Penni turned 5 earlier this month and we love her so much!  She is a husky mix and weighs a whopping 60lbs, and loves leading the outdoors.  

Here we did our first tube-boating, and OMG, the memories we will have forever is hilarious and the greatest!  We will never ever stop talking about how my oldest son lost his shorts to the lake!  There was a poncho in the boat, so he wore the poncho back to shore. LOL.  He was definitely not happy. Neither was my daughter who is still bent on getting revenge on her Uncle (the driver lol).

Lake Tahoe

There is so much to say about Lake Tahoe.  It’s beautiful. It’s close to home, yet far. It has so much to offer.  Every year, we frequent a few places that are our favorites for lounging, swimming, and relaxing. Then, we also return to explore a new to us trais or lakes in the area.  If no other trip this summer, there will always be a trip to Lake Tahoe. We have been coming here for years and will continue!

This Summer, we visited Tahoe 4x!  All were day trips this year. 3 of the 4 were to places we had already been to just to relax, swim, and enjoy an escape from the Valley heat.  On the 4th, we visited Angora Lakes.  

Angora Lakes

Angora Lakes had been on our list for quite some time and we finally made a trip right before school resumed in August and just WOW.  Alpine lakes are always gorgeous with it’s clear blue waters, but Upper and Lower Angora Lakes were just majestic!  The water was calm, blue, and the mountains in the back adds a beautiful backdrop. There are also cabins you can rent, which we are looking into!

At the shore is a cute little shop with delicious lemonade!  It is very well worth the hype if you are a fan of lemons like me.  From the shop,  we rented a row boat and while the lake is small, it has a lot to see.  You can row to the shore on the other side and explore the jumbo rocks,  some beachgoers jumped into the water too.  Like any alpine lake, the water is COLD.  We arrived before 8 am, so it was much too cold to get in the water.  The kids took turns learning to paddle the rowboat and enjoyed the arm workout each had. The lake and beach area is small so it can feel crowded faster than others. We packed all our belongings in our backpacks and settle for a picnic table to have lunch while enjoying the beach. This was the perfect little family getaway. 

Folsom Lake

Although Folsom Lake is literally our backyard, we almost never visit the lake for summer activities.   We have hiked some of their dog-friendly trails throughout all seasons, visited the lupine superbloom for numerous years, and done lots of family portraits here, but to actually be on the water was a very rare occasion.  

Mid week this summer, on our day off, instead of staying home or driving far since we worked the next day and had a busy weekend coming up, we decided to just try stand-up paddling at Folsom Lake.  It went rather well!  The lake was not icy cold, not crowded, and had perfect calm waves for learning stand- up paddle.  The kids had so much fun here because this was our first-time stand-up paddling in a long time. 

Road Trip to Mammoth Lakes

Mammoth Lakes was the highlight of our Summer before school began.  School always begin in the first or second week of August, so Summer also unofficially ends at the same time, eventhough we would often take a weekend trip during Labor Day when most people unofficially calls the end of their Summer. 

This was not our first time to Mammoth Lakes.  Last Summer, we embarked on an amazing weekend trip to explore Mammoth for the first time.  Our goal then was to see Rainbow Falls, but due to a slow snow melt, the roads were closed until early July. 

This year, the roads were opened early!  So we seized the opportunity and sought to see new things because there are still so much to see in Mammoth Lakes and the surrounding. 

In a long weekend trip, we set out on a road trip to see attractions on the way to Mammoth Lakes, whereas last year we drove straight there and then explored the surroundings. 

Travertine Hot Springs

Our first stop was Travertine Hot Springs.  Despite the weather calling for low 80s, the open sun did not shy from beaming that strong UV ray.  The benefit of coming on a Friday was no crowds.  There were a couple of folks in the hot springs and on trail, but not the crowd you often see on Social Media on a weekend. We didn’t spend a lot of time here, and only dipped our legs in the water, but it was great to walk around and explore the area. 

Bodie Historic State Park

Ok, so I did a lot of research on the history of Bodie, especially after hearing it was haunted.  I am not a fan of telltale haunted places, whether it was towns, mental institutions, cemeteries, or homes for boys and girls.  These places just don’t sit well with me culturally.  But, Bodie was not like that. 

The Calfiornia State Park website along with other reputable town websites goes to great lengths about the rise and fall of this once worldwide popular gold mining town.  It is not even considered haunted.  It is often referenced as a ghost town because well, the population is zero.  The town was abandoned in the late 1800s. According to the park website, 2 large fires in the late 1800s and early 1900s reduced the town significantly, and with the dwindling gold mining activity, everyone began to leave this once thriving town. People left Bodie, leaving all their belongings and their lifestyle behind.  The town eventually (not long ago) became state park property. The park district then decided to preserve the town as it stood, including furniture, store goods, etc.  Nearly all structures are closed off to preserve the old structures in a state of arrested decay. 

So where did the haunting rumor come from?  According to the park’s website and other sources, the park rangers started this rumor!  The rumor was claimed to have started as a way to prevent visitors from stealing or taking from the historical place.  The rumor then spiraled into people believing that what they took had brought bad luck upon them.  People began to mail the stolen/taken items back.  So, whether or not you believe in the tale, just don’t take what isn’t yours.

The town is fairly small and tours are available, otherwise, just walk and examine the structures you can enter and peer from far the ones you can not.  There is a cool museum in one of the old buildings showcasing some artifacts as well.

Mammoth Lakes

Next up on the road was Mammoth Lakes.  Mammoth Lakes is a small town with so much to offer. Most people come to Mammoth Lakes in the winter for the abundance of snow festivities on Mammoth Mountain. In the Summer however, there are so much to do on the water that the town is quite bustling as well. The nearby lakes and trails for biking and hiking draws all the visitors to this small Eastern Sierra town. 

Mammoth Lakes was our homestead for the weekend. 

Rainbow Falls and Devils Postpile National Monument

Alas, we finally made it!!  I can not tell you how long I had Rainbow Falls on the list.  So, this was very exciting for me especially since it was closed last year and I was not sure we were going to visit Mammoth Lakes again. 

Devil’s Postpile is on the way to Rainbow Falls and worth the short stop to admire the volcanic activity that left these columnar basalt. 

We had not hiked in high elevation in quite some time and coming from near sea level (Sacramento is about 30 feet above sea level) and Mammoth Lakes is 7900 ft, with the air very warm in open sun, it felt tougher on our bodies.  Slow and steady got us there to see this beauty!

The water run was superb creating a huge waterfall and flow of rushing water.  I was just in awe of this natural event. The water was too rushing and cold to hop in, so we mostly rested on the rocks and enjoyed our packed lunch.  A couple of brave souls got to knee-deep only.  The currents were quite fast and a bit dangerous to get in. During the drier years, you could get to the base of the fall easily. 

Mono Lake

I originally wanted to go to Mono Lake at night to attempt some astrophotography.  I had heard it was a great place to practice, and I for sure could use some practice since I have only attempted twice. However, the 30-40min drive there felt more tiresome at the end of the day when you just want to rest your feet.  So no astrophotography was attempted, and instead, we spent a few hours the next day exploring and watching the salty waters of Mono Lake.

Last year, Mono Lake had so much horse manure from the wild horses who were in the area, the smell was potent throughout. This year, it was clean and quiet.  The water level was higher so the shoreline was smaller and blocked on one end.  Still an out-of-this-world place to visit at least once! 

Convict Lake

We have visited several lakes in the surrounding Mammoth Lakes in our 2 trips to the Mammoth area including June Lake, Mono Lake, Lake Mary, Lake Mamie, and Lake Crowley.  Convict Lake was one I had to visit for some Summer family photos. 

The lake was considered family friendly when it came to an easy loop hike so it was #2 on my list to visit during our stay.  

Unfortunately, during this day, it sprinkled earlier on, and then the thunderstorm was approaching fast with mega-strong winds.  So, we had to skip the loop hike or we may be blown away! We did get the chance to walk around to enjoy the views of the lake from different perspectives.   Still, the amazing colored rock formation was beautiful!  The water is not as turquoise blue as June Lake, but still worth seeing. 

Hot Creek Geological Area

It was my brothers first time to area, so naturally we had to stop at one of our favorite hot springs so they can see a glimpse of that picture come to life.  You know, the photo on most advertisements for Mammoth Lakes!  

With the thunderstorm rolling, the sky was amazingly beautiful!  The picture was just perfect! 

We did end up skipping the natural hot springs in the area during this visit since the storm was getting closer, but it’s ok, we visited 3 of them last year. 

Mammoth Lakes was the last trip as a family before school began. I hope this help bring some inspiration to you and your family to explore the outdoors.