TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2024
Windy Gotland 
We took the ferry to Gotland over All Saint’s weekend to visit Carl’s parents. It was an extremely windy weekend and we were worried that our ferry would be canceled. The ferry after ours was in fact cancelled, but luckily ours ran according to schedule. I had been worried that the 3-meter (9-foot) waves would make for a queasy crossing, but the rough sea was actually barely noticeable—we’ve definitely experienced worse crossings to Gotland in the past.
The theme of this visit ended up being turn of the century artist’s homes, two of which are next door to each other and within a few miles of Carl’s parents’ house. Saturday dawned a bright, sunny day with scarcely a cloud in the sky, so Carl and I decided to brave the wind and walk to the day’s destination, Brucebo. It was a beautiful hike
The theme of this visit ended up being turn of the century artist’s homes, two of which are next door to each other and within a few miles of Carl’s parents’ house. Saturday dawned a bright, sunny day with scarcely a cloud in the sky, so Carl and I decided to brave the wind and walk to the day’s destination, Brucebo. It was a beautiful hike
We eventually found a sunny spot in the lee of the wind for a picnic lunch before continuing on to Brucebo. We met up with Carl’s parents and toured the house together.
Brucebo was built in the very beginning of the 1900’s by Karolina Benedicks Bruce, the Swedish heiress of one of Sweden’s largest fortunes, and her husband William Blair Bruce from the Canadian middle class. The pair met at the artist’s colony Grez-sur-loing in France in 1885 (where Karin and Carl Larsson were also in residence). William was a talented painter, and Karolina was a talented sculptor who also dabbled in paint.
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| Brucebo |
Due to Karolina’s fortune, the pair never had to earn an income. They therefore created for the sake of creating and never sold their works, resulting in their being relatively unknown despite their talent. Interest in their art has increased in the last decade and their art and story have begun to be exhibited in respected museums in various temporary exhibits, but the bulk of their art remains on the walls and in the attic of Brucebo.
Brucebo and its servants’ cottage were built in the National Romantic spirit. The house has large windows to view the surrounding forest and sea and to provide light into the atelier. The interiors are livable but were never completely finished—William died of a heart attack before the house was completed and Karolina never had the heart to finish the house without him. Even so, it almost feels like the pair still live in the house which is filled with their furniture, belongings, sculptures, and paintings.
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| Brucebo's servants' cottage |
Upon her death, Karolina gifted the Brucebo property and a sizeable fortune to a foundation which was to take care of the house as well as to provide for artist’s scholarships. The foundation is still at work today—maintaining the house and grounds, giving tours, and granting stipends.
After visiting the house, Carl and I walked through the neighboring Brucebo Nature Reserve and watched the sun set into the Baltic Sea from the top of a cliffside hill fort.
After visiting the house, Carl and I walked through the neighboring Brucebo Nature Reserve and watched the sun set into the Baltic Sea from the top of a cliffside hill fort.
On Sunday, we drove over to Muramaris, the estate next door to Brucebo. Muramaris was built by another artsy couple who were contemporaries and friends of the Bruces. Ellen von Halwyll was the daughter of another of Sweden’s wealthiest families. She was originally married into another wealthy family, but the marriage was not a happy one. She fell in love with her children’s tutor Johnny Roosval, managed to receive a divorce from her husband (no mean feat at that time), and married Johnny instead. Ellen was another talented sculptor (with a more modern slant than Karolina) and Johnny was an art historian.
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| Muramaris |
Together, they built Muramaris which in my eye is reminiscent of Mediterranean villas with its large windows overlooking an extensive formal garden. Sadly, scandal has enveloped the property and its owners since Ellen’s death, and the house was nearly lost in a fire about 10 years ago. The house and garden are still maintained in a minimal way, but the property has a lonely, neglected air. The house and garden are not open to the public, but you can see quite a lot from the driveway and the hiking paths that crisscross the estate.
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| One of Ellen Roosval von Hallwyl's scupltures in the garden |
We also visited Väskinde Church where Ellen is buried beneath a grave monument that she herself carved.
Visiting Carl’s parents also means imbibing gourmet meals and this visit we were treated to a deer roast the first evening and grilled marinated shrimp the second evening. Delicious as always! Thank you Ylva and Anders for a lovely visit!
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 07, 2024
Anniversary Weekend in Sörmland's Farmscapes
We rented a small, historic cabin on the farm’s land but off by itself down the farm road from the main house, barn complex, and restaurant. The original cabin consists of two rooms, but a kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom have been discreetly added on to the back.
The weather was far too warm to light a fire but the cabin has a large fireplace as well as a tile stove, which would be very cozy in cooler weather.
We enjoyed a cocktail in the unseasonably warm setting sun before walking to the farm restaurant to pick up the hamburgers that we had ordered. We enjoyed them with a bottle of Petit Syrah outside on the cabin’s lawn – delicious, and definitely the best hamburger, eaten in the best setting, that I can remember! It was so peaceful sitting out in the warm evening.
The next morning, we walked farther down the farm lane and explored the landscape a bit before heading to Julita Gård, another farm with medieval roots. Julita was donated to the church as a monastery in the 1100’s, and traces of the medieval monastery buildings are still visible in the manor’s cellars.
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| Julita cellar |
After several hundred years, the estate was sold in 1877 to a businessman who had made his fortune in tobacco. His son Arthur Bäckström inherited the estate in 1902 and updated the house to his taste and according to the current style, inside and out.
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| Julita main house |
Several wings were added to the existing, medieval wings in the same style.
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| Julita wings |
The wings housed everything from the kitchen to the estate office to a stable and a garage.
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| Julita office |
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| I loved this mural of sledding on the lake in the Julita office |
Bäckström was one of many during the National Romantic era who was interested in documenting and preserving artifacts from Sweden’s dying-out rural way of life. He collected everything from ancient farm buildings to porcelain services. He moved a number of historic buildings, including a parish church, to his property
and built an impressive museum on the property to house his artifacts.
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| Julita museum, exterior and interior |
The extensive gardens and the greenhouse have been recently restored and make for a beautiful place to spend the day.
Additionally, the Nordic Museum has planted Julita as a living gene bank and hundreds of historic Swedish varieties of fruit trees, vegetables, herbs, roses, and bulbs thrive in the gardens.
The setting is made even prettier by its location on the shores of Lake Öljaren.
We spent the entire day at the estate touring the house,
and all of the various outbuildings
and finally just relaxed with books by the lake.
The day almost couldn’t get better, but it did: we had dinner reservations at the Magda Farm restaurant. The weather was warm and dry, so the seating was out under the massive oaks with views of the pastures and farm buildings. It was an enchanting setting that reminded us of a farm restaurant in Italy that we have fondly remembered for about 15 years. The beautiful setting was only augmented by the food. The Magda Farm restaurant serves simple but delicious dishes based on their own cattle. We shared steak tartare (which we had also had at the farm restaurant in Italy!) and a (cooked) steak, both of which were wondrously delicious. I’ve never been a huge steak person but it’s amazing how good it can be when it’s so local, of such high quality, and so well prepared!
The day almost couldn’t get better, but it did: we had dinner reservations at the Magda Farm restaurant. The weather was warm and dry, so the seating was out under the massive oaks with views of the pastures and farm buildings. It was an enchanting setting that reminded us of a farm restaurant in Italy that we have fondly remembered for about 15 years. The beautiful setting was only augmented by the food. The Magda Farm restaurant serves simple but delicious dishes based on their own cattle. We shared steak tartare (which we had also had at the farm restaurant in Italy!) and a (cooked) steak, both of which were wondrously delicious. I’ve never been a huge steak person but it’s amazing how good it can be when it’s so local, of such high quality, and so well prepared!
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| Magda Gård |
On Sunday, we checked out a few of Magda Farm’s historic farm buildings (so many pretty ways to use simple wood planking!)
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| Magda Gård |
before checking out of our cabin and heading to the Sävstaholm Estate house which was built in the 1600’s, probably by architect Erik Dahlberg. We hadn’t realized how little of the original interiors or gardens are intact, but the house’s interiors have been impressively restored under the circumstances. Randomly, Sävstaholm is today a well-known Swedish apple variety, giving our weekend a bit of an apple theme.
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| Sävstaholm |
From Sävstaholm, we left the main roads and wound on gravel roads through a series of incredibly beautiful farms.
We stopped at Uppsa Kulle, a burial mound that stands prominently above the surrounding landscape of farms and waterways. The mound has not been excavated but probably dates from 500-1000 A.D. We sat atop the mound and enjoyed the view while eating our picnic lunch. Carl realized that we were gazing out at a farm that he had visited several times as a kid, as it is owned by friends of his parents. It was quite windy atop the mound, but the weather was so warm that we still didn’t need our jackets. We could have relaxed atop the mound for hours more but alas, it was time to head back to Stockholm and to rescue our kitty cat from a lonely weekend.
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| Uppsa Kulle burial mound |
This weekend out in the countryside not too far from Stockholm reminded me just how absolutely gorgeous much of rural Sweden can be, especially in the golden dog days of summer. It’s a landscape that has been cultivated for thousands of years—it’s not a natural landscape, but a cultural one, reminding me how the words cultivated and culture are so closely linked. The synthesis of open, rolling fields, wide oaks, scenic farm buildings, and planted allées is exceptionally charismatic and attractive.
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 05, 2024
Summer on Svartlöga
As usual, Carl and I spent some time walking around the island scouting
for mushrooms, but the summer had been far too dry. We gave up fairly
quickly and instead found a new favorite waterside perch where we swam,
read, and even snoozed a bit.
While we hadn’t found any mushrooms, we did luck out with juniper berries which had run out of, and we picked a number of both green and blue berries for our spice drawer at home.
The weather couldn’t have been nicer—warm, sunny, not too buggy, not too windy. The mountain ash trees, however, were loaded with berries. The folklore is that lots of mountain ash berries is a sign of a cold winter…but seeing how warm it still is now in November, it seems like the berries might be a more reliable sign of good conditions for pollination than harsh winter conditions to come.
On Saturday after our walk, we played boulle in the garden with Eva. Between Carl and Eva’s skills, I don’t have a chance at winning, but it’s still fun to try!
The highlight of the weekend was our annual traditional crawfish feast. We took our time devouring the crawfish, chatting, singing snaps songs, and enjoying the cabin’s cozy candle-lit atmosphere. Such a treat!
Even though our Svartlöga weekends are always the same length, this one felt particularly short and I was not at all ready to return to the city. I definitely could have lounged on the island for another week or more. Thank you Eva for a lovely weekend on your magical, scenic island!
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 04, 2024
Summer Vacation 2024 Part VII: Visiting Friends in San Diego The final hurrah of our long US summer vacation was a stop in San Diego to visit friends. Mia, a friend from our time in San Antonio, picked us up at the airport and whisked us off to Coronado Island, which I had visited as a teenager when my uncle was stationed there. We had a fancy sea-view lunch and cocktail at the Hotel del Coronado’s beachside restaurant while Carl and I adjusted to the humid coastal climate after a couple of dry weeks in the Sierra. Not to mention adjusting to the luxurious atmosphere after two weeks in a tent! After lunch, we strolled through Coronado’s cute downtown and through the beautiful neighborhoods before heading home with Mia where we had a delicious take-out dumpling dinner.
Mia and Carlos had to work on Friday, and then Mia had a work party Friday evening, so Carl and I entertained ourselves by borrowing a car and heading a bit up the coast to Torrey Pines, a state park where a few residual ice-age pines have managed to survive on the crumbling, windy bluffs. The mission-style visitor center is cute but has ancient, dusty exhibits.
Mia and Carlos had to work on Friday, and then Mia had a work party Friday evening, so Carl and I entertained ourselves by borrowing a car and heading a bit up the coast to Torrey Pines, a state park where a few residual ice-age pines have managed to survive on the crumbling, windy bluffs. The mission-style visitor center is cute but has ancient, dusty exhibits.
The walking paths offered a variety of pretty views of the pines, the canyons, and the Pacific. It was a sticky day and when we made it down to the beach we stripped down to undies and bra and walked into the water. We were expecting a frigid plunge but the water temperature was unexpectedly pleasant—refreshing but not cold. The waves were perfect for bodysurfing and we rode the waves in to the shore time after time. It was a total blast—it has been a decade since I last bodysurfed and I had forgotten how much I love it.
We drove back toward the city and met up with Josh and Desiree, friends from our time living in Austin, Texas. We had drinks at a fishing bait kiosk / bar out on the Shelter Island pier with wide views of the city. It was a great, relaxing spot to hang out and it was so fun to catch up with Josh and Desiree! Carl and I then had a tasty dockside dinner before making our way back to Mia and Carlos’s house.
I had requested a visit to the San Diego mission (Mission San Diego de Acalá).
The missions in San Antonio were beautiful with fascinating museums, so I was a bit disappointed by the San Diego mission’s tired museum with incredibly old-fashioned and racist texts. But the mission building itself was beautiful and worth the visit.
Afterwards, we headed to Cutwater Distillery for a delicious tapas-ish dinner and creative cocktails. Sitting outside the entire evening without getting cold felt very San Diego-y!
Mia and Carlos took us to the San Diego Zoon on our last day in town. Neither Carl nor I had been before, and it was really cool to see the famous zoo. I loved seeing the animals, a number of which I had never seen or even heard of before, though I was saddened by the big cats’ small cages. The zoo visit was great, but it was also hot, a bit crowded, and very overwhelming, so we didn’t spend all day there. Mia gave us a tour through Liberty Station, an impressive and very pretty conversion from military barracks to offices, retail, restaurants, and cultural spaces. If we weren’t so tired, we could have hung out and explored all day!
The next stop was a late lunch/early dinner at a Mexican restaurant. When we lived in San Antonio I was pretty tired of Mexican food, but living in Stockholm for 13 years has cured me and I was really craving it! The meal and margarita were so tasty and really hit the spot.
Somewhat more energized, we capped the visit off at Mia and Carlo’s favorite speakeasy. Accessed through a back door off a dirty alley, the interior is unexpectedly glamorous. The speakeasy seats max 35 people I’d guess, and the atmosphere is very intimate. We sat at the bar and chatted with the bartender. First we ordered drinks off the menu but as the bartender got to know our tastes, he created customized drinks for us. The most interesting was a drink with tomato gin! The speakeasy was such a fun finale to our visit and to our summer vacation.
Our taxi picked us up the next morning only a few hours after we had returned home from the speakeasy. We made it to New York without too much delay and eventually home to Stockholm without problems. It was sad as usual that our summer vacation had come to a close, but we were excited to get home to our cat and to Chad, who had been taking care of Gordon while we were gone. We had two jet-lagged but lovely evenings with Chad before he flew home and the summer officially ended.
It was so lovely to see you Mia, Carlos, Josh, and Desiree! Thank you for hosting us and for the car loan and the tequilla and everything else Mia and Carlos!
Mia and Carlos took us to the San Diego Zoon on our last day in town. Neither Carl nor I had been before, and it was really cool to see the famous zoo. I loved seeing the animals, a number of which I had never seen or even heard of before, though I was saddened by the big cats’ small cages. The zoo visit was great, but it was also hot, a bit crowded, and very overwhelming, so we didn’t spend all day there. Mia gave us a tour through Liberty Station, an impressive and very pretty conversion from military barracks to offices, retail, restaurants, and cultural spaces. If we weren’t so tired, we could have hung out and explored all day!
The next stop was a late lunch/early dinner at a Mexican restaurant. When we lived in San Antonio I was pretty tired of Mexican food, but living in Stockholm for 13 years has cured me and I was really craving it! The meal and margarita were so tasty and really hit the spot.
Somewhat more energized, we capped the visit off at Mia and Carlo’s favorite speakeasy. Accessed through a back door off a dirty alley, the interior is unexpectedly glamorous. The speakeasy seats max 35 people I’d guess, and the atmosphere is very intimate. We sat at the bar and chatted with the bartender. First we ordered drinks off the menu but as the bartender got to know our tastes, he created customized drinks for us. The most interesting was a drink with tomato gin! The speakeasy was such a fun finale to our visit and to our summer vacation.
Our taxi picked us up the next morning only a few hours after we had returned home from the speakeasy. We made it to New York without too much delay and eventually home to Stockholm without problems. It was sad as usual that our summer vacation had come to a close, but we were excited to get home to our cat and to Chad, who had been taking care of Gordon while we were gone. We had two jet-lagged but lovely evenings with Chad before he flew home and the summer officially ended.
It was so lovely to see you Mia, Carlos, Josh, and Desiree! Thank you for hosting us and for the car loan and the tequilla and everything else Mia and Carlos!
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2024
Summer Vacation 2024 Part VI: Backpacking Yosemite's North Rim 
Big Oak Flat Road Trailhead is so unpopular that the hiker’s shuttle driver didn’t even know where to drop us off. We helped him find the pull off and ended up in the right place. The correct sunny, hot place. The hike up from the valley started out on a barren mountainside that had burned in a somewhat recent wildfire, and the sun was beating down. It was a dusty, hot, sweaty hike but we made elevation and after a glimpse into the valley,
made it into the woods before getting toooo overheated.
The backcountry ranger at the permit desk had scared us saying that there probably wouldn’t be much water on the first day. We had bought an extra 2-liter water bottle to make sure we wouldn’t run out of water, but it turned out that we carried tons of extra water weight up from the valley for no reason since almost all of the creeks were flowing with cool, clear water. Better safe than sorry, though, and the bottle did come in handy since we rarely spent the night near a water source and needed to transport a lot of water to camp most afternoons.
The trail yo-yoed up and down, up and down, more than we were expecting. Losing elevation over and over again was a bit demoralizing. The trail also climbed up the granite ridges of several minor domes and was exposed to the blazing hot afternoon sun. It wasn’t the toughest hike we’ve ever experienced but it was definitely mentally, physically, and swelteringly challenging. We were excited when we could finally see the knob of El Capitan and knew that we’d soon be on top.
We camped well off and above the trail on the top of El Capitan. After setting up our tent,
we walked down the ridge to the nose, as far as we felt comfortable without risking sliding down the slope and tumbling off the cliff. Two climbers who had recently topped out lay resting in the shade of a lone tree, but we didn’t see any other people the entire evening. We set up our chairs a good distance from them and sat facing the Valley and Half Dome the entire evening.
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| Atop El Capitan. Left: Half Dome and the High Sierra. Right: Cloud's Rest and Half Dome. |
There were no mosquitoes or really any other bothersome bugs out, making for an even more perfect evening. (We experienced exceptionally few mosquitoes during the entire week—wonderful!) Although the day had been hot, the evening was cool, but our thin down jackets kept us adequately warm. The sun eventually set, casting an orange-pink glow over the mountains. It was a fantastic evening and view—quite the reward after a tough day of hiking.
We sat out enjoying the view until dark and then went to bed at around 8pm, setting the schedule for the rest of our hike—up at 6am and to bed at dark at 8pm. The weather was so clear and perfect that we slept every night without the rainfly, and we could gaze at the stars every night before falling asleep. Magic. I also loved being able to feel the breeze as it whispered through the insect mesh. It was cool enough at night to warrant having my sleeping bag over my body, but not cold enough to actually zip up the bag. (We have the rainfly on the tent in a number of our photos because the orange fly makes for a good pop of color in the photos, but we never actually used it.)
We woke up to slightly cooler but still gorgeously sunny weather the next morning. We descended El Capitan and made it to the top of Eagle Peak, another granite protrusion, where we enjoyed our mid-morning snack. From Eagle Peak we had incredible views of the entire valley including Half Dome, the Merced River, and both Vernal and Yosemite Falls. We could also see Yosemite Point where we’d have lunch and to North Dome where we’d set up camp later that day.
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| Atop Eagle Peak. Left: El Capitan's nose. Right: North Dome, Half Dome, the High Sierra, and Yosemite Valley. |
We had had Eagle Peak to ourselves but soon after descending, we started to encounter other hikers out for the day. The trickle of day hikers became a steady stream and by the time we reached Yosemite Creek and Upper Yosemite Falls where probably 100 or 150 people were lounging in various shady spots, our illusion of wilderness was completely shattered.
You can’t see much of Yosemite Falls from the top, though we did climb
down to all of the various somewhat sketchy viewing platforms. I was
quite jealous of the people sitting in the clear, calm pool of water at
the top of the falls—it was a gorgeous spot and if there hadn’t been so
many people we would have jumped in, too.
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| At the top of Yosemite Falls |
Instead, we kept hiking to Yosemite Point where the crowd thinned out a bit. We sat in the shade and ravenously ate our lunch while gazing out over the valley to North Dome and Half Dome.
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| Half Dome from Yosemite Point |
We camped on North Dome and were by no means alone. At least 5 or 6 other groups were camped in the low saddle just below North Dome’s summit, but we snagged a tent site with an incredible view of Half Dome.
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| Atop North Dome. Left: Tent and Cloud's Rest. Right: Tent and Half Dome. |
We spent the evening hanging out on the summit of North Dome—again gazing, reading, journaling, sketching, and dining as the sun completed its journey for the day. We not only had clear views of Half Dome, but of Cloud’s Rest as well.
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| Atop North Dome. Left: Mt. Watkins, Tenaya Canyon, and Cloud's Rest. Right: Half Dome. |
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| El Capitan from the summit of North Dome |
After eating breakfast with a spectacular Half Dome view,
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| Breakfast atop North Dome with a Half Dome view |
We stopped for lunch and a “shower” at Snow Creek, a beautiful creek where we “discovered” a very intriguing waterfall behind a natural granite beam. Another rock arch in the making! It felt so, so good to scrub off and soap up (away from the water of course) after several long, sweaty days of hiking.
A bit farther down the creek, we bushwacked across the stream instead of following the trail all the way to the footbridge at the trail junction. This unvisited section of creek was just gorgeous with water slipping over and sometimes under smooth granite faces and flowers dotting the banks. We stopped for water at this peaceful spot, and I was sorry when we started hiking again (and not just because we were hiking uphill!).
We climbed up to the pass just below the flat summit of Mt. Watkins, a prominent but lesser-known dome on the north rim of the valley. We set up camp with Cloud’s Rest prominently across Tenaya Canyon and with views to the myriad granite domes in the High Sierra of Yosemite.
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| Atop Mt. Watkins. Left: Tent and High Sierra. Right: Tent and Cloud's Rest. |
We then hiked up to Mt. Watkins’s summit and down its various mini-domes until the slopes became too vertical. On the last of Mt. Watkins’s domes, we were face-to-face with both Half Dome and Cloud’s Rest. There were two other groups camped on the mountain, but no other people were out on the summit domes. Suddenly it felt like we were alone in the entire Yosemite Valley. On top of El Capitan, it had felt like it would be hard to top those views. But the views from the top of North Dome were even more impressive. And now, the front-row views of Half Dome and Cloud’s Rest from the top of Mt. Watkins were even more amazing. It was a truly magical place.
The magic continued back at camp where we cooked dinner and watched the shadows creep up the face of Cloud’s Rest. What a wall!
On Day 4, we descended from Mt. Watkins and walked around the entire head of Tenaya Canyon. There are no trails across the canyon—the sides are just too sheer—and the map specifically states that hiking in the canyon is dangerous and is strongly discouraged. Our theory is that when it rains, there is just no way to escape the floodwaters. Thus the long but pretty hike around the head of the canyon.
The trail gets very close to Tioga Road and we did pass a number of tourists at Olmstead Point (beautiful views of the Cloud’s Rest and Half Dome ridge!) at the head of Tenaya Canyon, but none of the tourists seemed to go beyond and the trails were surprisingly deserted considering the road’s proximity. We passed through a couple of gorgeous meadows
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| Left: Cloud's Rest and Half Dome from Olmstead Point. Right: Meadow! |
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| Tenaya Lake |
When we arrived at Sunrise Lake, there were no other groups. We set up our tent a respectful distance from the water while still having a good view of the lake. We went down to the water’s edge and swam for a long while before drying out in the sun.
We sat by the water and read and journaled for a long while, but our peace was eventually shattered by a large family with boisterous, loud kids who set up their camp right at the water’s edge next to our swimming spot. It was no longer the wilderness experience we had been enjoying so we moved our camp farther away from the lake onto a ledge of granite. We couldn’t hear the screaming kids from our new camp, so we were quite satisfied.
But then, while eating dinner, we heard voices moving toward us. Eventually two people emerged from the woods at our camp. We were annoyed at the interruption until we realized that it was a ranger and a helper who were surveying the number of camps in the lake’s vicinity as well as noise levels from the various camps. They duly noted our noise complaint about the other group before checking our backcountry permit. From never having had a backcountry permit checked in my entire backpacking career, I suddenly had been checked two weeks in a row! Everything was in order, of course, and the ranger was impressed with how far we had come since starting our hike!
We were eager to summit Cloud’s Rest the next morning. After four days of clear, cloudless skies and bright sunshine, I was worried that we’d wake up to bad weather on “summit day”. But our luck held, and we had another perfect day for our climb up Cloud’s Rest. The hike up from Sunrise Lake was steady but not too steep until the last section. At Cloud’s Rest, the ridge narrows with sheer, 3000’ (1000m) drop-offs on either side. The summit is not for those with a fear of heights—the sweeping, 360-degree views are so high above everything else that it feels like a bird’s-eye view.
From Cloud’s Rest we could see all of the landmarks that we had passed along our hike. The Valley and the river. El Capitan. Eagle Peak. North Dome. Mt. Watkins.
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| Atop Cloud's Rest. Left: Half Dome, Yosemite Valley, El Capitan, Eagle Peak, and North Dome. Right: Mt. Watkins. |
Cloud’s Rest is higher than Half Dome, so we looked down on Half Dome’s summit and had fun watching the stream of ant-hikers climb up the bulb through our binoculars. We spent all day on the summit enjoying the view, rotating through the hours from one direction and view to another.
There were a lot of curious, hungry chipmunks to fend off on the summit, but the wildlife highlight was seeing a shy pica.
There were a lot of curious, hungry chipmunks to fend off on the summit, but the wildlife highlight was seeing a shy pica.
At around 3pm, we eventually got too hot from sitting in the windless sun and decided to head down the mountain. It was sad to leave the summit, especially since the hike down was the beginning of our hike back down to the road. We hiked down and down and down, stopping occasionally to enjoy the views and to give my aching, screaming feet a break. It was a bit heartbreaking to have to pass the trail junction to Half Dome’s summit, but alas, we didn’t have a permit. So close, and so disappointing!
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| Half Dome from the descent from Cloud's Rest |
We made it down through several trail junctions to Sunrise Creek where we set up camp, fetched water, and rinsed off. There were a ton of groups camped in the area, but we managed to find a private spot, and despite being down in the forest, our camp had a Half Dome view. This was good because Carl had sketched Half Dome from at least one vantage point every day of the hike so far and didn’t want to break the streak!
On our last morning, we continued down, down, down, past the back side of Half Dome. We began passing a steady stream of day hikers on their way up Half Dome. I’m curious what percentage of day hikers make the summit, because many of them did not seem at all in shape or prepared with enough water-carrying capacity. It was still a long, hot way up and many of the hikers already seemed to be struggling.
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| Back side of Half Dome from the trail |
We came to the top of Nevada Fall and continued a ways for a better view of the actual waterfall with Liberty Cap in the background. This was the view that was on the front cover of our Yosemite hiking map so it was extra fun to see this particular angle. Despite being well into the summer, the falls were still quite impressive. It’s hard to imagine what they’re like in the spring, and I’d love to experience that someday!
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| Nevada Fall. Left: with Half Dome and Liberty Cap in the background. |
We continued down, down, down. And down. Much of the trail was paved by this point and my feet were just killing me, pounding downhill on the pavement. I was very thankful that we descended over two days, I can’t imagine what my feet would have felt like if we had descended all the way from the top of Cloud’s Rest to Happy Isles in one day. My heels were also a bit blistered, which didn’t help matters. Luckily, the blisters were relatively small and not all that bad considering that I was wearing never-worn-before hiking shoes.
Sadly, the Mist Trail with good views of Vernal Falls was closed for restoration, but we did catch a glimpse from farther down the river. We could also see Yosemite Falls across the Valley, but the farther down into the valley we got, the hazier the air became. By the time we reached Happy Isles, it was obvious that a wildfire was burning somewhere nearby and that the smoke was trapped in the valley.
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| Vernal Falls and Yosemite Falls across the valley. |
At Happy Isles, we stopped by the river’s edge for a last swim and some lunch. We were essentially back in civilization but weren’t ready to face the road yet. But soon enough, we reached the road. A mile’s hike later, we were back at our borrowed car which was thankfully still in one piece with no evidence of bear damage. Always a bit of a background worry when backpacking in bear country!
We stopped at the park museum and filled our heads with the geology, history (Native American, climbing, and park), flora, and fauna of the park before leaving the valley. (Interesting, the theory of the creation of Yosemite Valley is now completely different than it was when I had visited the park 17 years ago. A volcanic explosion is no longer the leading theory; instead, glaciation is thought to be the geological force at work. Makes way more sense to me, I have always wondered about the volcano theory!)
We had planned on detouring up to Glacier Point on our drive back to Fresno, but the air was so thick with smoke that it didn’t seem worth the extra drive. We had known that we had had exceptional luck with the clear weather and clear views during our entire hike, but exiting the wilderness into the smoke-filled valley made us feel even more lucky. If the smoke had gathered even the day before, we wouldn’t have had such exceptional views from Cloud’s Rest. We were so, so lucky with the timing and with the weather!
Our hike along the North Rim of Yosemite Valley was not exceptionally long or high. Over six days, we hiked a total of 54 miles (87km), ascended a total of 13100 feet (4000m), and descended a total of 14100 feet (4300m). It wasn’t a particularly wildernessy hike—we were never more than a day’s hike from a trailhead, we even skirted a road on day 4 for a couple of miles, and at certain places we encountered large numbers of day hikers. The heat was difficult but was manageable. We were well adjusted to the altitude from our week at Courtright and in the John Muir Wilderness. Even so, the hike was surprisingly tough. But oh so worth it! It was an incredible to experience Yosemite’s landmarks, one after the other, from above. The views were incredible every day, and the hike was very unique. I am so, so glad that we hiked the North Rim, and that we lucked out with such clear weather and views.
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| Cloud's Rest and Half Dome from the summit of North Dome |
We stopped for a milkshake on the drive back to Fresno and in no time were back at Emma and family’s abode where we showered (so nice!), washed laundry, repacked, and most importantly, enjoyed a feast of fresh food with the family.
Thank you Family K for the loan of your car! And for helping us with grocery deliveries, loaning us your stove and bear canisters, and for supplying us with fuel! And, for welcoming us back from the wilderness with such a delicious feast and your fun company. Hugs!
And, thank you Chad for taking care of our cat while Carl and I were off adventuring this summer! I really missed you on this hike. You weren't physically with us but you were constantly in my thoughts and in my heart.
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2024
Summer Vacation 2024 Part V: Yosemite Valley and Curry Village
We arrived back in Fresno mid afternoon after our backpacking adventure in the Johan Muir Wilderness and immediately got to work scurrying around for our next adventure. After much-needed showers, we hustled to REI where I emergency bought a new pair of hiking shoes. I would have preferred hiking boots, but they didn’t have any in my size or that fit my requirements. Any my hiking shoes were also on their way out, so a new pair didn’t hurt. We had ordered most of our food online to Emma’s house, but we stopped at the grocery store for some last minute, fresh provisions. Back at the house we washed, hung and folded laundry, sorted food, and repacked our packs before enjoying a lovely dinner that Blue and Kajsa had prepared for us. They even made fresh guacamole as an appetizer, which was the biggest luxury imaginable considering that we hadn’t had any fresh food while out in the wilderness and that good avocados are nonexistent in Sweden.
It was another early morning departure from Fresno, this time just Carl and I in a car borrowed from Emma and family. It was a quick trip approaching Yosemite National Park, but traffic was backed up at the entrance station and it took about 45 minutes to enter the park. Once in the park, we zoomed along the road and I saw a bear lumbering through the woods not too far from the road. It turned out to be our only bear sighting, which was surprising considering my last experience in Yosemite 17 years ago when my best friend Chad and I had encountered a number of bears in various camps.
When planning our summer adventures, Carl and I knew that we’d be hiking in the Sierra somewhere but had trouble deciding where. We eventually made the decision based on the fact that Carl had never been to Yosemite and everyone should see the Valley at least once. Also, we found an unusual but very compelling route that promised to be incredibly scenic. But before we started our backpacking adventure, we wanted to spend a day in the Valley soaking in the famous sites.
I was a little reluctant at first to spend time in the Valley at all because of the circus that it has turned into and because we’d be there in July, the middle of the tourist crush. We also wouldn’t have time to properly “do” the valley and see all of the sights and hikes that I’ve always wanted to do. But Carl convinced me that we should stop in the valley anyway, and I am so glad he did. It was a marvelous day and while it wasn’t always easy to find parking, the crowds felt manageable. And even though I had visited the valley with Chad, I was completely unprepared for just how beautiful and majestic it is. It’s almost like I was seeing it for the first time.
The Valley has a great shuttle bus system but given the infrequency of the buses and our shortage of time, we chose to drive around the loop road from stop to stop. We had actually planned on renting bikes for the day, but that proved to be a bit too much for the one day we had to spend in the Valley. A great adventure for another time which I would absolutely love to do.
Our first stop was Tunnel View where you emerge from a tunnel and can suddenly see the entire Yosemite Valley for the first time.
It was another early morning departure from Fresno, this time just Carl and I in a car borrowed from Emma and family. It was a quick trip approaching Yosemite National Park, but traffic was backed up at the entrance station and it took about 45 minutes to enter the park. Once in the park, we zoomed along the road and I saw a bear lumbering through the woods not too far from the road. It turned out to be our only bear sighting, which was surprising considering my last experience in Yosemite 17 years ago when my best friend Chad and I had encountered a number of bears in various camps.
When planning our summer adventures, Carl and I knew that we’d be hiking in the Sierra somewhere but had trouble deciding where. We eventually made the decision based on the fact that Carl had never been to Yosemite and everyone should see the Valley at least once. Also, we found an unusual but very compelling route that promised to be incredibly scenic. But before we started our backpacking adventure, we wanted to spend a day in the Valley soaking in the famous sites.
I was a little reluctant at first to spend time in the Valley at all because of the circus that it has turned into and because we’d be there in July, the middle of the tourist crush. We also wouldn’t have time to properly “do” the valley and see all of the sights and hikes that I’ve always wanted to do. But Carl convinced me that we should stop in the valley anyway, and I am so glad he did. It was a marvelous day and while it wasn’t always easy to find parking, the crowds felt manageable. And even though I had visited the valley with Chad, I was completely unprepared for just how beautiful and majestic it is. It’s almost like I was seeing it for the first time.
The Valley has a great shuttle bus system but given the infrequency of the buses and our shortage of time, we chose to drive around the loop road from stop to stop. We had actually planned on renting bikes for the day, but that proved to be a bit too much for the one day we had to spend in the Valley. A great adventure for another time which I would absolutely love to do.
Our first stop was Tunnel View where you emerge from a tunnel and can suddenly see the entire Yosemite Valley for the first time.
The view was against the sun and a bit hazy but gave an incredible taste of the grandeur to come. We stopped at Bridalveil Fall where the water plunges 620 feet (189 meters) from the lip of the cliff down into the valley. Impressive!
Our next stop was Cathedral Beach where we sat by the water and ate lunch while craning our necks up at El Capitan. What a view, what a cliff! It’s impossible not to understand that El Capitan’s wall is huge, but the human eye doesn’t comprehend how truly enormous the wall is. It’s not until we looked through our binoculars to spot climbers on the wall that we truly understood how huge a 3000’ (1000m) wall is. We weren’t far from the wall but even in the binoculars, humans are the tiniest of pin pricks. The only reason we could spot them at all was because they were wearing bright colors. We sat watching the climbers’ ant-like progress for quite a while. Just next to us several groups were swimming and floating in the river. It was a hot day at the tail end of a crazy heat wave and we were uncomfortably warm and quite jealous of the swimmers. But alas, we had more valley to see!
Our next stop was at a bridge where we had a clear view over a meadow to Yosemite Falls and to North Dome down the Valley. The falls weren’t in full force but they were much more impressive than their dried-up state when I had last seen them in September all those years ago.
Our one must-do errand for the day was to pick up our backcountry hiking permit, so we stopped at Yosemite Village. We didn’t do a lot of in-depth exploring of the village but I did, as usual, fall in love with the older park architecture. It’s just so robust, so charming, and so American national park!
The next stop was a meadow with a beautiful boardwalk and views to North Dome
and Half Dome across the Valley from each other.
The day was getting really, really hot by this point so we sat in the shade for a snack, again by the river which was filled with people swimming through a small rapid. Carl and I were so jealous by this point that we decided that we just had to swim, too.
We drove back around the loop to a beach under El Capitan. We floated down a mellow rapid and then let the river oh-so-slowly carry us under El Capitan’s nose. I floated on my back, slowly spinning around in the current, looking up at the cliffs towering above me in all directions. With my ears underwater, it was one of the most peaceful experiences of my life. I won’t soon forget the experience of floating with the current and gazing up at all of that vertical granite.
We drove back around the loop to a beach under El Capitan. We floated down a mellow rapid and then let the river oh-so-slowly carry us under El Capitan’s nose. I floated on my back, slowly spinning around in the current, looking up at the cliffs towering above me in all directions. With my ears underwater, it was one of the most peaceful experiences of my life. I won’t soon forget the experience of floating with the current and gazing up at all of that vertical granite.
Eventually we forced ourselves out of the water and to Curry Village where we had booked a tent cabin for the night. The original glamping, Curry Village opened in 1899.
Chad and I had stayed in the village during our trip in 2007 and it felt like such a quintessential part of the Yosemite experience that I insisted that Carl and I stay this time, too. The tent cabins, which are nestled among the boulders at the foot of one of the Valley’s many cliffs, are still as cute as ever but are in need of a little TLC.
We made an early evening of it and retired to our tent cabin at dark after a taco-stand dinner. I actually managed to sleep pretty well and was thankful that we didn’t have any snoring neighbors and that we weren’t awakened by a bear invasion (of another tent) like my last stay at Curry Village. However, I was awakened by a very loud rock fall at some point in the night. At first I thought it was firecrackers, but I soon realized that it was “just” another chunk of cliff falling into the valley. In the morning we showered, ate a quick breakfast, and packed up our belongings before heading to the hiker’s bus which would take us to the trailhead for our next adventure.
Yosemite Valley exceeds all superlatives. It is grand and majestic and beautiful and the cliffs are incomprehensively huge. It is truly one of the great natural wonders of the world and I feel so lucky to have experienced it again. I am so glad that Carl convinced me to join in the circus of the valley, because the circus was so worth it, especially given the beautiful weather and clear views that we lucked out having. Also, it was really cool to see the same landmarks from the valley that we’d soon be seeing from above…
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2024
Summer Vacation 2024 Part IV: Backpacking to Devil's Punchbowl in the John Muir Wilderness in the High Sierra with Family 
After a lovely weekend at Courtright, Carl and I went backpacking with his sister Emma and her husband Ryan for four days in the John Muir Wilderness in the High Sierra. We left from Maxson Trailhead at Courtright and started up the trail toward Post Corral Meadows. The first part of the trail was very easy, downhill and then a flat section, before it started gently heading up to a low pass with no view. I was glad that we had been acclimatizing at elevation for a few days because otherwise the trail probably would have felt much more difficult. We had a peaceful lunch in the dappled sunlight at the pass before winding through another easy, very gentle downhill section through the forest. The forest gave way to the beautiful Long Meadow.
After another mile or two of forest, we arrived at Post Corral Meadows which is a popular campsite with a good water source. We set up our tents and then spent the rest of the afternoon and evening hanging out on a slab of rock at the creek’s edge—first swimming, then journaling/drawing, then dining.
We enjoyed watching a couple of very human-habituated mule deer wandering through camp, drink from the creek, and forage in the forest behind our perch.
All in all, it was a great warm-up day—the hike was pretty chill at 7 miles and minimal elevation gain or loss, and although the mountain views were limited, the forest and the meadows were beautiful, especially in the perfect weather.
Day 2 was a bit more hard core. From Post Corral Creek, we hiked uphill on Hell for Sure Trail. This uphill was more intense than the day before, but it never became steep enough to slow us down. Eventually some mountain views started to open up, but the higher we got, the smokier the air smelled and the hazier the views became. We detoured off the trail to an overlook point and accidentally walked through a whole city of what I thought were mole hills, but at one point, we spotted a gopher coming out of his hole so it was actually a gopher city. I think it was probably my first gopher sighting ever.
Day 2 was a bit more hard core. From Post Corral Creek, we hiked uphill on Hell for Sure Trail. This uphill was more intense than the day before, but it never became steep enough to slow us down. Eventually some mountain views started to open up, but the higher we got, the smokier the air smelled and the hazier the views became. We detoured off the trail to an overlook point and accidentally walked through a whole city of what I thought were mole hills, but at one point, we spotted a gopher coming out of his hole so it was actually a gopher city. I think it was probably my first gopher sighting ever.
We made it to the pass (1100’ or 335m elevation gain) where we enjoyed a break in the shade. The breeze cooled the sweat from our backs and a snack gave us the energy to carry on. From the pass, we could see into the Red Mountain Basin, our destination for the day. And luckily, the smoke seemed to stay on the other side of the pass—once we descended a bit, we didn’t smell the smoke again for another 24 hours.
The trail didn’t descend for long and we were quickly climbing uphill again, albeit more gently this time. After another 400’ of elevation gain, we stopped for lunch at Fleming Lake. Here, the mosquitos were terrible, so we climbed up onto a perch a bit above the lake to try to maximize the breeze.
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| Wildflower meadow at mosquitoy Fleming Lake |
By this point in the day it was quite hot. But we kept hiking, first through a pretty meadow where we unfortunately missed a turn and had to backtrack about half a mile, then uphill through the forest again. After another 500’ of gain we made another pass where we stopped for a short snack break. We should have waited for the snack, though, because just below the pass was perhaps the most beautiful mountain meadow I have ever experienced. The meadow was extensive and had incredible views to the vertical granite ridge of the Le Conte Divide and into the Red Mountain Basin where we’d be spending the night.
The trail forked and the popular direction was obviously up to the high mountain pass and into Kings Canyon National Park. Our fork was way less traveled and the trail was a bit unclear in sections. We found our way, though, and descended to the creek that drains the basin and then up a somewhat steeper section to Devil’s Punchbowl, an alpine lake at 10100´(3080m) against the granite spine of the Divide.
Devil’s Punchbowl is breathtaking with sapphire water framed by an emerald forest and the blinding white cliffs. We found beautiful tent sites (not the requisite distance from the water’s edge but one tentsite was on a rock slab and the other has obviously been used a lot so it seemed relatively ok to cheat)
and were thankful to hop into the refreshing water after the sweaty uphill hike.
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| Carl swam out and explored the little island in the lake. Then he swam back. |
We hung out at the lake’s edge lounging and scheming—it seemed possible to climb up to the top of the ridge from the side, and then to follow the knife’s edge ridge all the way to the Hell for Sure Pass where you could then circle back around to the Punchbowl on the trail. I would loved to have had another day to try the circuit, but it’ll have to wait.
At sunset, we hiked up to the narrow isthmus of granite keeping the lake from spilling into the valley below. From here, we had clear views into the lake-dotted valley and beyond toward Post Corral Meadows where we had started our day. We could retrace most of our hike up and up and up toward the Punchbowl.
At sunset, we hiked up to the narrow isthmus of granite keeping the lake from spilling into the valley below. From here, we had clear views into the lake-dotted valley and beyond toward Post Corral Meadows where we had started our day. We could retrace most of our hike up and up and up toward the Punchbowl.
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| Left: From the isthmus we could see Devil's Punchbowl on the left and the valley lakes to the right. Right: Looking out over the valley lakes and to the start of our hike. |
On the other side of the isthmus, Devil’s Punchbowl was reflecting the golden and then pink cliffs of the ridge.
As the sun dropped, the colors became more and more intense and we couldn’t stop clicking photos and exclaiming over how beautiful it was.
This was definitely a situation where photos give a glimpse into the beauty of the moment but can never tell the whole story—the 360° experience with the wide valley views on one side and the more intimate yet more grandiose view of the lake with its vertical granite backdrop on the other side was unparalleled.
We’d been sleeping without a rainfly over our tent since arriving at Courtright, but the stars up at Devil’s Punchbowl were extra amazing. High on sunset and stars, I had trouble convincing myself to take my glasses off and fall asleep.
We woke up to a mirror glass lake and more sunshine. The only downer was that I discovered that my hiking boots were completely falling apart. One sole was loose but the other sole had almost completely separated from the boot. And not only that, but the hard foam between the sole and the boot had crumbled away. We taped up my boot with duct tape which only lasted an hour or so, so we ended up tying the sole to my boot with a thick string which held better and lasted until we were back in civilization.
We’d been sleeping without a rainfly over our tent since arriving at Courtright, but the stars up at Devil’s Punchbowl were extra amazing. High on sunset and stars, I had trouble convincing myself to take my glasses off and fall asleep.
We woke up to a mirror glass lake and more sunshine. The only downer was that I discovered that my hiking boots were completely falling apart. One sole was loose but the other sole had almost completely separated from the boot. And not only that, but the hard foam between the sole and the boot had crumbled away. We taped up my boot with duct tape which only lasted an hour or so, so we ended up tying the sole to my boot with a thick string which held better and lasted until we were back in civilization.
Day 3 was the hardest day for me despite of, or really because of, the long downhill. After leaving camp, we hiked across the isthmus again and followed the lake’s drainage creek to the cliff’s edge where it drops into the valley below.
More amazing views, this time in morning instead of evening light. We eventually tore ourselves away from the incredible perch and after a little difficulty, found the trail. The trail led us down, down, down past a series of pretty but mosquitoy meadows and into the forest.
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| Left: looking back toward the mountain behind Devil's Punchole, our theory that it would be possible to climb up the back side was confirmed. |
A thunderstorm blew in during lunch. The storm brought some rain spatters and wildfire smoke, but luckily neither the rain nor the smoke were very intense. We followed the beautiful river downhill as it tumbled down several low falls. It started to rain a bit harder just as we passed the perfect swimming hole, so we covered our packs, stripped off our clothes, and hopped in. A perfect use of the rain! The swimming hole was somewhat shallow but the little waterfall pouring into the hole provided a fun current to float in. Getting out of the water, we discovered that the rock slabs beside the river were still warm from the earlier sunshine, so we lay on the rock and soaked up the warmth before toweling off and getting dressed.
Carl was exploring just below our swimming hole and discovered one rock slab with several grinding holes. We had learned what to look for on our Grand Canyon trip and these were almost certainly created by man, not by nature’s waterpower. People living beside the Grand Canyon were grinding corn, but in the Sierra, inhabitants were grinding acorns. It was so cool to stumble upon a prehistoric remnant! I wish that the US had a similar digital map as Sweden where all known prehistoric sites are marked—it would be interesting to know if anyone else has found these grinding holes before. Probably, but there is some small chance that Carl is the rediscoverer.
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| Grinding holes by the North Fork of the Kings River |
I was disappointed when the trail left the pretty river and crossed into another valley where we paralleled Post Corral Creek for a ways. We passed a large group of boy scouts (or other outdoor group of teenaged boys) and were very glad that they hadn’t come by while we were skinny dipping in the river! The hiking wasn’t at all difficult, but my feet were aching from all that downhill and I was really ready to get to camp. We did eventually get back to Post Corral Meadows where we were greeted by a trail crew with their 6' long saw (no motors are allowed in wilderness areas so when a giant sequoia falls across the trail, you need a very big saw!) and a ranger. I’m pretty sure that it was the first time that I’ve ever had my hiking permit checked. Thank you to Emma and Ryan for getting everything in order for us!
The popular camping meadow was well occupied by different groups and tents, so we continued to the way, way back of the meadow and into the forest where we found a couple of tentsites far from the crowds. And I am so glad that we were forced into the forest because it encouraged us to explore a different section of the creek where we discovered an absolutely amazing swimming hole. Two of them, really. First, a “cold tub” cauldron where you could sit and gaze out at the scenery while the water pummeled your back. And then in a little mini-canyon with walls about 15 feet high, there was a pool that was about 4 feet wide—we could put our hands on one canyon wall and our feet on the opposite wall and raise our bodies out of the water like a bridge. The swimming hole was about 20 feet long and at the head was a waterfall. The pool was blocked by boulders, but the water was obviously flowing through below the boulder plug. The pool was very, very deep, but we weren’t brave enough to explore just how deep, because we were terrified of getting sucked through.
We played and jumped in the water until we were shivering cold, and then we got out and made dinner on a flat slab of rock by the stream’s edge. You’d never know that there were 20 or 30 people camped in the meadow a quarter mile away—we had this beautiful stretch of creek completely to ourselves and it felt like we were the only people in the wilderness.
The next morning, we backpacked on the same trail back to the trailhead. We yo-yoed with the horse-pack expedition that was supporting the trail crew that we had met the afternoon before. When we passed by a third time, the leader of the horse pack expedition asked us if he could interview us for his YouTube blog post. We complied and had a nice chat about travel and hiking.
We knew we were almost back at Courtright when we saw a granite dome. We stopped for a last wilderness meal and enjoyed the view of the dome.
It was so fun to hike with Emma and Ryan and the scenery up in the mountain meadows and around Devil’s Punchbowl was just gorgeous. I also loved swimming in such varied spots every afternoon. It was a relaxing hike and I really enjoyed spending the long afternoons and evenings chatting and enjoying the pretty views. And I will never forget the sunset at the lake. Thank you to Emma and Ryan for a wonderful adventure; also, thank you for planning and doing all the grocery shopping for us!
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2024
Summer Vacation 2024 Part III: Car Camping at Courtright Reservoir with Family
Carl’s sister Emma picked us up at the Fresno airport at around 1am, and we crashed in Emma and family’s guest cottage. About five hours later, our alarm clock went off—it was time for the next adventure! We had a quick breakfast and then packed up Emma’s minivan with all of our belongings plus lots and lots of food, several coolers, and a ton of car camping supplies.
Emma, Carl and I were quickly on the road up to the mountains. Soon after leaving Fresno, we traveled through the beautiful, open, sun-burned foothills in oak & hill country. In no time at all, we had gained several thousand feet of elevation and entered the ponderosa pine forest. Or through remnants of it, since much of the area had been completely engulfed in a large wildfire the year before. A bit higher up we entered the lodgepole pine forest where we even passed through a grove of giant sequoias. And after not too much longer, we arrived at our destination, Courtright Reservoir.
Emma, Carl and I were quickly on the road up to the mountains. Soon after leaving Fresno, we traveled through the beautiful, open, sun-burned foothills in oak & hill country. In no time at all, we had gained several thousand feet of elevation and entered the ponderosa pine forest. Or through remnants of it, since much of the area had been completely engulfed in a large wildfire the year before. A bit higher up we entered the lodgepole pine forest where we even passed through a grove of giant sequoias. And after not too much longer, we arrived at our destination, Courtright Reservoir.
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| Carl and Emma at the top of Punk Rock |
Courtright has long been Emma and family’s favorite weekend camping spot, and after seeing years of photos, Carl and I were eager to experience the magic for ourselves. And magical it is! The landscape of granite bulbs is otherworldly and provides an endless playground of hikes, climbs, and amazing views. You don’t need reservations to camp, and the car-camping is “dispersed” camping with no designated spots—you just pull of the road at your chosen spot and set up camp. Getting up and out of town early on a Friday did the trick and we were successful in staking a claim at Emma and family’s favorite spot which featured some much-needed shade, incredible granite-bulb views, and even a few stubby giant sequoias.
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| the view from our campsite, evening and morning |
After setting up camp and our new tent (!),
we climbed to the top of the nearest granite bulb, Punk Rock for lunch. We sat in the shade and enjoyed the views and the breeze while chatting.
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| Views from Punk Rock |
A bank of clouds moved in and we could hear thunder in the distance. We hurried back down to camp, but the rain never made it all the way over to us. Back at camp, we lazed and snoozed in hammocks under the giant sequoias—I’ve certainly never set up a hammock in a sequoia before! The snooze was much needed after a late night, an early start, and an uphill hike in the intense sun.
At cocktail hour we managed to rouse ourselves and sit upright and chat over canned cocktails. One of Emma’s friends had been in the area for a dayhike, and she stopped by for a drink and a chat before heading back to Fresno—it was super fun to talk with her and I am incredibly jealous of Fresnoites having the Sierra so close at hand that they can do dayhikes from home!
After a delicious sausage dinner, we walked through the sunset-colored landscape to the top of another nearby granite bulb, Power Dome. From there, we looked out over the glowing reservoir as well as into the mountain ridges and passes beyond. Without realizing it, we were looking at the distant vertical mountain ridge at Red Mountain Basin that we would be backpacking to in a few days.
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| Views of the Red Mountain Basin from Power Dome |
The rest of Emma’s family, including their dog Loki, joined us in time for breakfast on Saturday. We all hiked out to “the couch” at the top of another granite bulb (no name on the map).
This is one of the family’s favorite dayhikes and I understand why—it’s far enough to feel like you’ve gotten out and moving but not so far as to be exhausting, plus the mountain views are just wonderful. Out at the couch, a natural slouch in the granite, we had lunch, chatted, and gazed off into the valley below. A valley that Carl and I are convinced would make for amazing tour skiing one winter day…
Central California was experiencing a heat wave and temperatures in Fresno had been about 10 degrees hotter than the normal summer oven that is the Central Valley. The same was true for the Sierra—it was blessedly cooler than Fresno, but it was warmer than normal and instead of being pleasant, the afternoon temperatures were pretty sweaty. Coupled with a cloudless sky and beating sun, the uphill hike on reflective white granite was a bit intense.
We didn’t stay in camp long; instead, we walked over the ridge behind our campsite to the reservoir and hopped in. Even Loki enjoyed the cool water. There was a perfect jumping rock a few yards out from shore and several of our group jumped in repeatedly. One by one, we eventually drifted out of the water and into the shade to read. Such a lovely way to spend an afternoon!
We didn’t stay in camp long; instead, we walked over the ridge behind our campsite to the reservoir and hopped in. Even Loki enjoyed the cool water. There was a perfect jumping rock a few yards out from shore and several of our group jumped in repeatedly. One by one, we eventually drifted out of the water and into the shade to read. Such a lovely way to spend an afternoon!
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| Courtright Reservoir |
Back at camp, Carl and I did some much needed sorting of our suitcases while Emma and family prepared a delicious Dutch-oven feast. And as if that weren’t enough, they surprised us with an amazing banana cake with cream-cheese frosting decorated with strawberry and blueberry flowers in celebration of Carl’s birthday. It would have been an amazing confection at home, but out at camp, the cake was a feat of transportation, refrigeration, and deliciousness. (Now I finally understood what the extra cooler was for!) We skipped getting extra dishes dirty and just dug in with our forks. It was a fun way to eat the scrumptious cake, but maybe a mistake as we all ate way too much and my stomach was aching for hours afterwards.
A full, ET-huge moon rose over the mountains in front of our camp. What a show from our cake table!
The next morning, we enjoyed a pancake breakfast before the kids headed back to Fresno with the dog and before Emma, Ryan, Carl, and I set off for the next phase of our summer adventure. The Courtright landscape of granite bulbs was absolutely beautiful, and I am so glad to finally experience it with Emma and family! Thank you to Emma, Ryan, Blue and Kajsa for an amazing weekend!
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2024
Summer Vacation 2024 Part II: An Unexpected Day in Chicago
After three summer visits to Rochester, it has become clear that Rochester is one of the east coast’s least prioritized airports. When other airports are clogged, it’s the flights to and from Rochester that get canceled. When the airlines have a shortage of airplanes or pilots, it’s the flights in and out of Rochester that get stranded. So we weren’t too surprised when our flight out of Rochester toward Fresno was delayed. The flight was delayed enough that by the time we got to Chicago, we had missed our connecting flight out …and the next flight wasn’t for another eight hours. So instead of making it to Fresno in time for dinner, we had an unexpected afternoon to spend in Chicago.
It was really fun to have a few hours to explore the city. I have spent a good bit of time in the city as a kid, but that was in the early 90’s and I haven’t been back since (well except for layovers but that doesn’t count). While the downtown buildings are pretty much the same, the city sure has changed a tremendous amount since I was a kid, and for the better.
We totally lucked out with weather—it was a bit too warm and unfortunately our hats and sunscreen were trapped in our checked luggage—but the skies were clear and the sunshine made the city glisten with promise. Even the river was a beautiful green.
We took the subway/el into town and got off downtown where ee walked the riverwalk from the center of town all the way out to the lake. The riverwalk was so great, with such amazing views of the surrounding city,
and I wish that we had stopped at one of the many riverside bars for a drink. And that we had had time for a boat tour and to paddle a kayak!
The riverwalk is completely new since my visits as a kid and it is such a great addition to the city. What an ingenious way to cut a new park system through the middle of the dense urban landscape!
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| I really liked the homage to Frank Lloyd Wright on the right |
Out at the lake we walked to the end of Navy Pier and enjoyed the glittering views out into Lake Michigan and back to the city behind us.
We then meandered into the Lakeshore East Park and then into Daley park and then Millenium Park with Gehry’s Pritzker Pavilion (I found the sound system structure to be really distracting)
and Kapoor’s Cloud Gate.
Needless to say, none of these parks or works of art and architecture were around when I was a kid, and it was fabulous to see how much a city can change for the better when investments are geared toward public spaces for people instead of toward roads for cars.
We didn’t spend much time looking at historic architecture in town, and that has been on my list since I started architecture school, so maybe next time we’ll have to stop in Chicago for a couple of days on purpose and check out the Wright, Sullivan, and Richardson projects that I have always drooled over.
I spend a lot of time in some of the world’s most beautiful cities. Stockholm of course, but also Paris and Italian cities and other European jewels. But it has been a long time since I’ve felt the energy of a skyscraper-filled American downtown. A jam-packed-to-the-gills kind of exuberant, optimistic, American-dream downtown. A downtown that makes your neck hurt. It’s not something that I’ve actively missed, but being in Chicago for the day made me remember how much I love that kind of city, too.
After 23,000 steps, it was time for us to get back to the airport for our flight to Fresno. That flight ended up being a couple hours delayed as well, but we did eventually make it. Summer vacation part III coming soon…
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2024
Summer Vacation 2024 Part I: Visiting Family and Friends in Rochester
Carl and I rented an Airbnb in the same part of town where I’ve stayed on previous visits.
My Uncle Keith and Aunt Linda traveled up to Rochester during our visit, and it was so, so wonderful to see them for the first time since Carl and my wedding in 2009. We had a busy but lovely few days with them and enjoyed a BBQ dinner; spent a day visiting the family plot at Mt. Albion Cemetery as well as the old family house at Fancher, stopping at a greasy spoon diner for lunch; had a relaxed “picnic” in my aunt and uncle’s hotel suite where we went through a stack of old family photographs; and enjoyed a pancake breakfast at Rochester’s favorite brunch spot. It was such a good visit and I was so glad for the chance to catch up with my aunt and uncle. Mom loved all of the extra attention, too!
Carl and I drove out to the Erie Canal town of Medina to visit my friend Elissa and her family at their beautifully remodeled home. We walked their extensive property and Carl and I were pretty jealous of all of their fruit trees and berry bushes! Elissa’s husband Shaun treated us to an incredibly tasty lunch of his own venison and fresh corn on the cob (among other tasty treats!). And then we were in for another amazing surprise—a ride into town in Shaun’s family’s Model T! I had no idea that Shaun had inherited a Model T and I certainly wasn’t expecting to fetch ice cream in a Model T convertible. Wow!
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| The Model T on a one-lane bridge over the Erie Canal |
It has now become a tradition every time I visit to go for a walk with Mom in Tinker Nature Park.
This time Carl joined us and the nature preserve was just as beautiful and peaceful as always.
Mom and I also explored the too-cute Erie Canal town of Pittsford and enjoyed a canalside lunch from a second story verandah overlooking the water and towpath. We browsed the town’s independent bookstore and had ice cream at the farm dairy, too. A quite lovely Americana day.
Our main goal with our time in Rochester was to hang out with family and friends, but our visit to the George Eastman house and museum was a big bonus. I have been to the museum before with my dad, and while the temporary exhibit on Currier and Ives has always stayed with me, that visit was in the 90’s and I didn’t remember the house. The house is incredible, though, and I really enjoyed this second visit. It was finished in 1905 and is a beautiful, elegant Colonial Revival with a good dose of “French Chateaux” mixed into the exterior massing at the back.
The interiors were definitely inspired by Adams and are comfortable despite their grandness.
I was intrigued by the light fixtures which seemed to me to be distinctly pre-Art Deco, though they were at least 10 years earlier than the official Art Deco period—perhaps a sign of Eastman’s forward-thinking interest in technology.
The gardens aren’t as extensive today as they originally were, but there are still a few gorgeous outdoor rooms.
Thank you to Mom, Carol, Uncle Keith, Aunt Linda, Elissa, and Shaun for a wonderful visit! And thank you to Chad for making our trip possible by flying from Louisville, KY all the way to Stockholm in order to take care of our cat while we were off adventuring! Hugs to everybody.
