You may be wondering about this time where that first photo was taken, and if you happen to figure that out please let me know. It is a valley somewhere not far from Yosemite, and that's about as specific as I can be at this point. Views like this are a dime a dozen in that area, so it's sort of like taking a picture of a cornfield in Indiana and then trying to remember exactly where it was.

So by now you've probably ascertained that Mr. & Mrs. Hinkle flew to San Francisco and then motored on out to Yosemite. If you hadn't figured that out yet, allow me to suggest that you might start thinking along those lines, because that is indubitably what occurred. Nearing the Oak Flats entrance to Yosemite, on the west side of the park, the couple veered to the north, with a keen eye on the lookout for range cattle, for six miles to check in to their half of the cabin at the Evergreen Lodge, a rustic camp of cabins in the Stanislaus National Forest.

Eager to get out and sample the rugged wilderness for themselves, they immediately backtracked six miles to the Carlton Falls trailhead and struck out on a mosquito-infested trail to soak up some premium Mother Nature, while Mother Nature, in the form of mosquitoes, soaked up a bit of premium happy couple. After trekking 1.5 miles to the falls, they climbed around a bit and then headed back as the mosquitoes waxed and the daylight waned.

Day two of the trip begins with a drive to Yosemite Valley to hike the 3.5 miles to the top of Yosemite Falls. You might note that from the vantage point of the valley floor, the 2400 feet to the top of the waterfall looks like, oh, about 2400 feet. They got an early start to take advantage of the morning cool, and the camera did start a clickin'. The trail starts on a wooded slope, so there's not much of a view for a while. Soon enough, though, a vista emerges and one is amazed at how quickly one has risen above the valley floor. One is also amazed at the number of white-hatted nerds that abound on this slope.

Suddenly, the trail rounds a cliff and Upper Yosemite Falls appears in its majesty. The model in the photo is pointing to the falls, in case you didn't happen to notice it at first glance. The trail continues steeply upward and the heat becomes a factor as the shade trees become sparse. Near the top, a deer was seen making an early lunch of some unfortunate plant. After making it to the top and cooling off the dogs, Leigh and Tony enjoyed a nice lunch in the shade by the river. The character of the river was in stark contrast to the way Tony had seen it at the end of May the previous year. During that trip, this sleepy stream was a furious, raging river.

Post lunch, the couple headed toward the cliff overlooking the valley and down to the ledge that is closest to the top of the waterfall. If you stand on the rail and lean out, you can see the crevice where the water flows before it takes another plunge to create Lower Yosemite Falls. Upper Yosemite Falls drops 1430 feet, Lower Yosemite 320 feet, and the gorge between them falls drops 675 feet. It is awe-inspiring, to say the least, to stand at the top.

The hike down was uneventful other than Tony doing his normal manly duty of removing a juvenile kingsnake from the path. There was ice cream in the valley, and it was going to take more than a small, wily serpent to stop the couple's descent. After wolfing down some Snickers ice cream and cold beverages, the couple headed back to the lodge and passed out.

Tuesday morning dawned, as mornings are wont to do, and the day called for a hike to Nevada Falls (594 feet) and Vernal Falls (317 feet) taking the John Muir trail up and the Mist Trail down. The Mist Trail has several hundred steps, so it's not particularly fun to go up for most people (particularly flatlanders that hiked Yosemite Falls the day prior). So the couple struck out with their faces aglow with smiles due the gentle climb afforded by the John Muir trail. This trail is infested with gray squirrels to such a degree that a moment's privacy cannot be had--you're always being watched lest you drop the random nut or potato chip.

The trail offers fabulous views of the back side of Half Dome, and panoramas that include Half Dome, and Liberty Cap next to Nevada Falls (those last two photos were looking left to right--oh, for a wide-angle lens!). As they neared Nevada Falls, the couple pulled over to let a mule train pass. This is evidently the method used for transporting goods to the remote campsites.

The top of Nevada Falls is a great place for a lunch and a nap. The couple snapped the obligatory self-photo (OSP), engaged in a bit of dog-cooling, and picked a scenic, shady spot to consume some much-needed nutrients. A nap followed and the refreshed couple crossed the bridge, checked out Nevada Falls from the other side, and began the descent on the Mist Trail after laughing at a gray squirrel eating horse poopie. This, my friends, is what the squirrels are reduced to when hikers don't offer the aforementioned random nut or potato chip.

The Mist Trail is so named because there is, surprisingly, quite a lot of mist on the trail. This is particularly true just below Vernal Falls, which is very wide at the top, which creates a curtain effect. The water falls straight down to hit the rocky bottom with no interruptions en route, creating a fantastic mist and accompanying rainbow. The falling water, evidently, disrupts the air enough to whip up a nice wind that blows the mist about, and hikers can get rather soaked during the peak snow melt season. Early July is quite a few weeks past the prime, so Leigh and Tony just got a bit wet.

The happy Hinkles trotted down to the valley to once again relieve the store of its excess ice cream, and then drove up to Glacier Point. The views from GP are astounding. They gazed up on Half Dome, Liberty Cap, Nevada Falls, and Vernal Falls. Down the road a bit, they saw the same features from a different angle, and marveled at the valley below Half Dome and the domes on the opposite side. Looking to the left, they saw Yosemite Falls in the distance.

Wednesday morning Leigh and Tony drove up to Hetch Hetchy resevoir, which provides water for San Francisco some 150 miles away. They walked across the dam and through the tunnel, but didn't have time to hike the 1.5 miles to the nearest waterfall (seen in the middle of the first picture in this paragraph). The landscape here was different than the areas visited thus far--more rocks and less plants seemed to be the plan of the Almighty when He got around to sculpting this section of the globe.

Next on the agenda was the Merced Grove, home to a number to Giant Sequoia trees. Although the 1.5 mile hike to the grove was not terribly welcome due to the aching legs, the experience was worth it. The huge trees provide a great backdrop for pictures, but they're quite worthless otherwise. Just kidding! They of course play an important part in the Sierra ecosystem, or at least in the few areas where they grow. Regardless, they are magnificent beyond description.

While John and Judy Jenkins jetted their way across the country from Dallas to San Francisco, Leigh and Tony motored their way across California to hook up with the parental units, or in-laws depending on who's perspective you prefer. They traded the rental car for a van and took the long way to the wharf to dine at the Franciscan, with a view of Alcatraz. Despite the fact that they didn't have any bay shrimp on the menu, the meal was certainly enjoyed by all. Afterwards the foursome drove it on up to Santa Rosa and checked in at the Holiday Inn Express.

Thursay morning dawned foggy and cool, as is the norm for Santa Rosa. The crew hooked up with Grandma Barbara Jenkins for lunch with her and her friend Don. Don was recovering from knee surgery so he wasn't able to got out with us on the forays you willl read about in the upcoming paragraphs.^*

The afternoon of that day was spent in Napa Valley. The Hinkles and Jenkins stopped in at Beringer Winery for the tour, and walked through the tunnel that had been dug into the hillside to store the wine. The tour was held in their beautiful, old building, and of course including some tasting.

They also stopped at the store that sells beeswax candles, but took no pictures. They did, however, get a picture of a traffic jam when they got back to Santa Rosa. That evening they ate at the Tuscany, a former McDonalds with a new life as an italian restaurant, where John got the mama mia plate of spaghetti. Afterwards, they dropped in on Aunt Betsy and Uncle Jamie Waliszewski's family, where cousins Kate, Emmit, and Leigh caught up on a few years' events.

Friday's plans called for a trip to Bodega Bay, where A. Hitchcock filmed "The Birds." On the way there, Grandma diverted us to check out a street in Sebastopol that has a number of junk metal sculptures in the yards by Patrick Amiot. Included were a cook, a cowboy, a firetruck, an airplane, a mermaid (the one on the left), a farmer on a tractor, a skeleton on a motorcycle, a farmer in a pickup with a cow in back, and several others that they didn't take time to photograph. Definitely a side-trip to remember!

At Bodega Bay they ate at The Tides while watching the birds and seals engage in a bit of food-chain activity. After this wonderful lunch, they drove down to the beach and snapped a few photos, including the OSP. Not surprisingly, the drive back to Santa Rosa was as beautiful as the drive to the bay. A fabulous dinner was ingested at the Hunter Steakhouse, where a group photo was taken.

Now is this an action-packed vacation or what?

On Saturday the Hinkle/Jenkins foursome had lunch with Grandma and Don and then wheeled up to the Russian River valley to see a few sights. First stop, Korbel Champagne Cellars. Unlike the tour at Beringer, this tour was FREE! It was also more interesting, according to certain individuals that have editorial influence over what you are reading. The Korbel brothers have quite a history, one of which came to America after having been a prisoner in Prague. The Brandy Tower was modelled after a tower that he could see from his prison cell. They had a lot of antique equipment, including a press, and the huge oaken barrels were amazing.

After a quick nip of the bubbly, the crew visited Armstrong Woods, a serene redwood forest. Well, it would have been serene had it not been for the humans crawling all over the place. Nonetheless, the trees made their impression. On the way out, an ice cream shop jumped out in the road and attacked them. They ate it and drove back to Santa Rosa.

Everyone joined at a mexican restaurant that evening, and then hung out at the Waliszewski abode to catch up on what's new and to reminisce about what's old. An emotional goodbye to Grandma Jenkins wrapped up the night.

The foursome headed back to San Francisco early Sunday morning and stopped at the Golden Gate Bridge for a walk, an OSP, and more pictures. Did you know that the main span of the bridge has 27,572 wires in it?

Next on the agenda was Golden Gate Park, which has an awesome playground. Although legally they were not allowed on the equipment because they weren't with a child, Leigh and Tony raced down the concrete slide, and it was Tony by a cheek. This was after a warm-up run, on which Tony fell off the cardboard and warmed up his bottom.

The Japanese Tea Garden at the park offered exquisite landscaping and classic architecture, including a half-circle bridge. Leigh and Tony were on their best behavior, lending their own "special" sense of dignity and class to the environment.

After a nice lunch overlooking the ocean and a short trip to the airport, it was bye-bye San Francisco.

If hovering doesn't work, click on the link and the picture will open in a new browser window.

If you have a dial-up connection you'll have to be patient for the picture to load.

If you want a hi-res copy of any of the photos, please email Tony at tonyhinkle @yahoo.com.

Related Links:

Stanislaus Nat'l Forest

Evergreen Lodge

Yosemite Nat'l Park

Google "Yosemite Pictures"

Beringer Vineyards

Amiot Sculptures

Bodega Bay

Korbel History

Armstrong Woods

Golden Gate Bridge

Golden Gate Park