c r o s s o a k: 07/2009

evidence

This year’s spread: –9.3 C to +39.2 C. Apparently.

hot cool tub

It’s hot (40 C) so the hot tub is now a cool tub.

yabing.

Not a proper walk!

Garden footie + twisted ankle = sprained ankle (or so I thought).
A gentle stroll the following weekend seemed like a good idea.
But, apparently not.

The doc said it’s really busted (sprain + tearing + fracture) and needs some TLC.
No more proper walking for a while.

Cue violins.

Kit

Tiny & solid.
As used for the group shots on Ingalls.

Bye Bye Grandparents

End of a big trip and it was time to say goodbye to granddad and nana.
The cheery luggage porters were standing by to make the check-in experience as swift and stress-free as possible…

…or at least one of them was.

Just time for a last minute balanced-on-a-coffee-table snap before tear-time.

They even made it through security first time, looks like they’re getting the hang of things :-)

Chelsea come to town

Last minute decision to grab some tickets for the Chelsea game was well worth it.
Great game & great entertainment.

15 minutes to go and we were 2-0 down. Things didn’t get any better, but then they didn’t get any worse either.

Gran Day

What better way to remember Gran than a day on the beach?

Just watching the world go gently by.
I took the stove so we could make some tea, but really it was just too hot.
And I didn’t have china cups, you can’t drink tea on the beach without china.

Proper Walk

Following a slight diversion by way of a proper float, we return viewings to our regular series of proper walks.

A Stroll Up Ingalls

A beautiful day for a walk in the mountains, a stroll with Chris & Jeff

our intended destination, seen here in the centre, was South Ingalls Peak

Hot day, so lots of hydration on the hike in…

…or maybe just a chance to admire the views

A spot of lunch in headlight basin and some time to study maps and things.

Headlight Creek and Mount Stewart forming the perfect backdrops

Lake Ingalls at 6,463ft was still covered in ice (just), and the views got better and better as we went higher.

Chris spotted something strange…

Was it Jeff poking at clouds?

Or maybe pointing at real climbers (look closely!) on the dogtooth spires leading to the north peak.

After some much needed scrambling lessons from Jeff, we reached our high point of about 7,400 feet (below the south summit) defeated by time and my dodgy sprained ankle.

But we had enough time on the way down for some fake ‘victory’ piccy’s

before taking the super speedy way down
(how my ankle wished for snow all the way back to the trail head :-))

as the clouds rolled in.

Fantastic day. Thanks guys!

Garden footie

Granddad took on the boys and silenced the crowd with some silky smooth moves.

[Dad was on the bench, sprained ankle]

Decision Time

Too much choice, not enough time, what shall we do?

Nerf

F finds an approved way to play nerfs without safety goggles.
Not that he could see anything.

Out of order

There’s a rule, or two, on crossoak.
Pictures are those that we’ve taken, they get published in order, and as close to when they were taken as family life allows.

Avid readers have noticed that our 4th July Celebrations appear to have broken the publish in order rule (unless we zoomed back to Woodinville half way through our trip to Yosemite). This is obviously an exception, and due entirely to me taking ages to process the sunrise pics. Explaining all this isn’t necessary, but because of that other crossoak rule – no posts without pictures – it does provide an excuse to post another view of that lovely sunrise.

Normal service yadda, yadda…

Sometimes it pays to get out of bed

Half Dome, Vernal Fall and the Yosemite Valley from Glacier Point at sunrise.
Sometimes getting out of bed early can be a really good idea.

The pictures don’t even get close…

4TH

Plan C worked out so well last year that this year it was promoted to plan A.
This year we arrived just around sunset…

…and secured front row seats on the dock/jetty, with supplies of chocolate (imported cadbury’s for the special occasion, and Finn’s favourite drink).

The fireworks didn’t disappoint.
I can’t help thinking that all the $$$s spent on fireworks over the years must amount to more than the tax on the tea, and besides, everyone drinks coffee over here…

Yosemite Tunnel View

The Yosemite Valley, with El Captain & Bridaveil Falls, as taken from the viewpoint at the end of the Wawona Tunnel.

This view means a lot to me – it’s the same subject as Ansel Adams’ Clearing Winter Storm – a picture that has influenced me more than any other.
This picture means a lot to: taken on June 30th 2009, halfway around the world from Frinton, and a reminder of another huge influence on me.
Gran. Say hi to Ansel for me.

Merced Float

The Merced river flows peacefully through the Yosemite Valley.

You can rent rafts at Camp Curry Village (but don’t plan on staying there unless you can cope with high-density low-privacy Butlins) with the put-in a short walk down to the river.

Once on the water you can paddle or float gently down the river,

admiring the crowd-free views of the valley as you go.

If floating becomes too much, you can just beach the raft on a beach

to explore

cool-off with a swim (or a splash)

and watch the wildlife.
(H ‘stalked’ the deer to get the pic above. Good one!)

All-in-all a proper float.

Cool Dip

Our cabin backed onto the south fork of the Merced River and, according to the agents details of a nearby cabin for sale, was situated close to one of the best swimming holes on the river. H and I scouted out the best spots.

After our hot hike a swim and a float was just perfect.

F had a near encounter: “it was this big”.

Merced & Jump Rock

Jumping rock at the swimming hole.

The South Fork Merced River.

Wawoma, CA.

Strong family

Some wind storms along the trail and downed a couple of trees (English: the wind had blown down some tress along the path).
This provided a great opportunity to practice our tree lifting techniques.

Chilnualna Creek Hike

A short, but very very hot, hike to the lower Chilnualna Creek waterfall from the cabin.
H lead the way along the road…

…and through the colourful meadows.

After a mile or so, with a couple of diversions to explore new rock routes,

we arrived at a cool spot at the base of the lower fall. An ideal spot for a rest and a snack…

…and some more climbing :-)

Energetic nana & granddad went onward and upward to the bigger falls – granddad got lost and was found several days later with a little more stubble than is considered smart!