Then Sings My Soul

Vacation 2012

What do you get when you cross kayaking, hiking, cliff jumping, big trees and even bigger cliffs? A Bliss vacation.... to California. Turns out I have a small problem with heights (I can hear the short jokes now) but I did it all. I drove into oncoming traffic to avoid the shear drop off that was waiting for me if I made a wrong move...but still did it.

Taft Point and it's amazing hand rail that spans about four feet
 of a one hundred foot cliff edge.
 I sat down for this one.
Keep in mind that those are redwoods that look like toothpicks down below.
 My grandma always uses the phrase "It gave me the whim-whams."
 Now I know exactly what she means.



I am pretty sure that 8,300 feet is reason to have your legs go weak, anyway. TC was sweet and stayed with me until I scurried off of the worst of the peaks and we all came down safely. I only had a few heart attacks so all is well. Ha.

We started out our trip taking an Amtrak train from San Antonio to Los Angeles and really liked the ride. It is cheaper than flying and less crowded. We had a "roomette" which is like a bunk bed inside of a closet somewhat. Still, there is a huge window and a door for privacy. The bunks move to make two recliners for day use. There is also a table to pull out and plugs for charging things. The trip took around twenty-four hours but was faster than driving and we got to relax. We loved watching the world go by from our window and waking up to fields of windmills outside. We stepped off the train to beautiful California weather. The lack of humidity made cool, light air that would make you think you could fly. It was glorious.

We rented a car and went to San Diego from there. Fruit was cheap, it was EVERYWHERE and we ate it. All along our trip we bought mangoes, blueberries, cashews, pistachios and cherries along the side of the road. Like I said....glorious.  We kayaked in LaJolla and had seals and sharks swim under us. Just as TC called out to me to look at the big shark going under my kayak a wave hit and dumped Rivers and I into the water. We walked to shore from there.  ;)

San Diego is beautiful and I loved it. A busy few days there included the San Diego Zoo, Lego Land, Cabrillo Point, Balboa Park and a really cool go-cart race track. 

The San Diego Zoo
Ryan and TC are amused by the monkey cage in ways I will never understand. We stood staring at this thing waaaaaay to long. The whole time I am watching them laugh like it was putting on a show....I still don't get it. 

Lego Land won me over with organic coffee, real cream and stevia in the snack stand. I am used to carrying any snacks we may want along with us. It is nice to be able to grab a snack like anyone else would do and this park had a huge counter of gluten free snacks too! It is the little things in life and I REALLY wanted coffee ;)

Cabrillo Point has a light house that we toured. There are also hiking trails along small cliffs where lots of tide pools form and you can spot cool stuff.   

Balboa Park is really an incredible place. There are museums, gardens and beautiful architecture everywhere. Ryan was excited to get to go inside the type plane his grandfather flew in during WWII at the Air and Space Museum.

The Go-Cart track was a lot of fun and highly competitive. These things go up to forty miles per hour and I was happy that only two other boys drove while my girls were out there. AND Ryan didn't flip it ;)

Me on a boulder watching T.C. take the plunge

On the road again we headed North to Sequoia National Park. Ryan, TC and I have been before but the girls really wanted to see all the things we had talked about doing there. This may be my favorite place on earth. Right away everyone hiked down to a river we saw from the park road just a few miles in. The water was so pretty that we all kicked our shoes off and jumped in. Ryan said that it was the coolest place he had ever swam and we all agree.



 Sequoia is all about the wow factor. BIG TREES. All the things God came up with just blow me away. The smallest little chipmunks live in the biggest trees on earth. Cute. Now, that's a sense of humor for ya.

The Fam in front of a fallen Sequoia

Everywhere you look is another breath taking beautiful thing! In Sequoia things seem more breath taking than usual. It may be the altitude, but truthfully, it is God. He showed out quite a bit here. Lilies growing in spring fed streams miles away from the tiny road we drove on to hike these trails. The cliffs are so high you can't look down. Berries grow wild all over the mountains. Maybe it's just me but this is the stuff that makes me feel alive. If you can walk through these trees, stare up at the sky and try to see the tops or where they may end and not want to break out in song then you are tougher than me. This song kept running through my mind.

 "Oh, Lord my God. When I in awesome wonder, consider all the worlds thy hands have made. I see the stars. I hear the rolling thunder. And there proclaim, MY GOD, how great thou art!!! Then sings my soul. My saviour God, to thee. How great thou art. How great thou art."

We hiked a lot. We saw more amazing things and hiked some more. One highlight was swimming, again, in emerald pool. It isn't really a pool but pooling water at the top of a waterfall that we had hiked to see the top. The water there is chilly. Like, go-numb-immediately chilly. It was nice to soak my aching legs in hoping it would aid in the sore muscles I was sure I was going to have the next day. Thankfully it worked and we all climbed over a thousand feet in elevation that day (and back down) with no problems. This was marked "advanced" and other scary words like that on the maps and guides. It was hard. Long steep trails that lead to rocks and stair-like rocks that last forever and a day. So, the pool was a very nice surprise. We thawed on the warm rocks after swimming.

Super cool water and toasty hot rocks

Rocks and stair-like rocks and trails oh my!

T.C. at Vernal Falls Trail on our way to Emerald Pool

We spent several days hiking Sequoia and Yosemite National Parks. Both were amazing and we had a great time. We packed food in backpacks everyday and took off. The sun sets at nine o'clock in California this time of year and we raced it to the car almost every day. While in Yosemite we were at the end of a long hike and looked up to see Granny Smith Apples hanging off of every branch on the tree we had parked under. They were REALLY tart but the kids ate one anyway! It was just too cool to pass up.

We left Yosemite National Park and toured through several small places. The Mystery Spot, another great swimming hole that Ryan found and Point Bonita Lighthouse. We even saw this black bear along one trail. The kids were all thrilled as if this was a completely controlled situation. Thankfully this was a mild mannered old bear who was thinking about food more than people.

From Yosemite we went to San Francisco and toured Alcatraz. This is one of Ryan's favorite places. If you know him then you know that he is all about history, war, forts, submarines, battleships and that sort of thing. This is an island full of  history and it really is a fascinating thing to see. The kids volunteered to be put in solitary confinement with a tour guide so I followed them in and looked back to see Ryan standing and watching me as the door closed....with a grin on his face. Haha. Nice.



While in San Francisco we walked the Golden Gate Bridge and watched a kite surfing competition going on in the bay below the bridge. The wind off of the water is cold and strong so the Texans wore jackets. We were all impressed by the shadow of the bridge on the water. On one side you can see Alcatraz and on the other side there is Point Bonita Lighthouse. Everyone had an great time, enjoyed being outside and just spending time together. These are forever memories and they are sweet.

And they all lived Blissfully Ever After.

The End.