Five Years Ago: Of Road-trips and Proposals

The week following Melissa's graduation from the University of Wyoming, Mike and Melissa loaded up the Dodge Neon and hit the road for Southern Utah. Always up for beautiful scenery, fresh air, dreamy hikes and adventures the couple was eager to celebrate the upcoming summer vacation and Melissa's life as a college graduate (Mike was on a 5 year plan, engineering will do that to you).

The road trip began with Mike and Melissa passing through the snowy border of Wyoming and Colorado and eventually arriving in Southern Utah where they would spend a week exploring Arches National Park, Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park and the surrounding towns and outlying areas.

A couple days into their trip, on May 9th, 2007, Mike got a bit persistent that the couple take on Angel Falls. A trail in Zion National Park that promised a gorgeous view of the area and had a small reputation of killing hikers who missed their footing during the last stretch to the main outcropping.  In an oddly whiny and pitiful mood, Melissa agreed but huffed and puffed her way up the trail nervous she would soon be a statistic in Zion National Park's brochures.

Fortunately, the couple made it to a large outcropping and rather than chance their way to the very top opted to stop for a bit of a photo shoot showcasing dives off the cliff piggy-back rides, the Lewis and Clark pose and a few others.

Hi-Ho-Hi-Ho

Day 23: July 19, 2009 – Portland, OR to San Juan Islands, WA
It’s off to the Islands we go!

A few time obligations had us waking a little earlier than usual to make our way toward Seattle, Washington where we planned to pick up our dear friend Mindy and let her hitch a ride for a small fee. Before leaving, we were also attempting to work out a minor detail when one hopes to visit an island, Ferries – times, fares, locations, etc. Having gleaned the basic information online and having discussed various options once on the road, Melissa made a few phone calls to the various Ferry ports and got everything pretty well worked out for their days on the waves.

With some challenge, we made our way onto the streets of Seattle and with help we made our way to Mindy’s most current home and our pick-up location for this dear friend. She said good-bye to the friends she had made while in Seattle, working with a Prison Ministry/Campus Crusades. She was heading an hour north of Seattle to meet up with her cousins and it was easily within our route, so we happily offered to give her a ride so long as she would share with us her most recent life’s story. We learned, as we had suspected that she wasn’t so sure what she would do now that she was living back in the states and done with her Seattle project, maybe work for Campus Crusade staff, maybe find mindless work in Rapid City, SD or Laramie, WY (just kidding, Melissa made that part up).

Having caught up on Mindy’s life and welcoming her into ours we were required to leave her in Sedro-Wooley, WA and say good-bye. From good-byes and the mainland we headed toward Anacortes, WA to board the 5:05 Ferry and make our way across the water and into the San Juan Islands. We enjoyed the view of Northern Cascades, approaching islands, the potential peak of Mt. Ranier and the Olympic peninsula as we journeyed to our first island “getaway”. From the Ferry dock in Friday Harbor we headed around the windy highways and found ourselves entering the home/farm of Ken and Deb, CouchSurfing couple extraordinaire!

Based on Ken’s CS profile, we knew that he was a Tofu Farmer, Chiropractor and fisherman of sorts, little did we know how many trades he was truly a jack of. We arrived at their slightly unkempt place but were warmly greeted by Ken and introduced to a couple of WOOFing CSer’s (Working on Organic Farms) and a bicyclist CSer who had been staying with Ken anywhere from a couple days to a couple weeks. Within moments we felt as if we had become a part of this cheerful and welcoming family; being offered home-made hooch, a place to pitch the tent and personal guides to Lime Kiln State Park for a guaranteed sunset and potential whale watching.

Tent staked in the ground and goats having also been introduced to their nights neighbors we made our way to the State Park with Erica and Andrea – two of our newest family members. The park itself was pleasant; great rocks off the coast, kelp beds, a small lighthouse and a setting sun. Unfortunately, it was not the perfect ambience for the infamous Orcas which often frequent the spot. The four of us admired the sunset and attempted to keep warm before making our way back to Ken and Deb’s place where the party was just about to begin.

While we’d been out, Ken had prepared a pizza with the help of a local student who is studying/working at the University of Washington Marine Labs, Ben. The homemade sourdough crust was piled high with mushrooms, pepperoni, tofu, peppers, sauce, and cheese – possibly or likely even, homemade cheese! Clock ticking, pizza cooking, we were introduced to Christina and Allie who also work for the labs and spend a significant amount of time with Ken and Deb. Melissa offered a hand in rolling pie crust for the wild cherry pie that would finish off their meal of homemade pizza. After two giant slices of the most delicious pizza and much conversation while the pie baked we finally were able to enjoy a slice of the most amazing pie we’ve eaten in a long time!
Stuffed to the brim with good eats we were ready to make our way into the tent said our prayers and drifted to sleep. Earlier in the day, a goat had been using our tent as a slide, so we said a small prayer that the goat wouldn’t scare us out of our wits should he decide to slide again and were in turn able to enter peaceful rest.

Water World

Day 20: July 16, 2009 – Coos Bay, OR to Crater Lake National Park, OR
Foggy Bays and Deep Blue Water

A heavy, thick fog engulfed Coos Bay this morning. The perfect morning for a slow start. Postcard writing, showering, eating pancakes and eggs, and enjoying some final conversation with our kind host David.

By 10:00 we were ready to accelerate our way to Crater Lake National Park. Making only one pit stop for some fresh fruit we arrived in Crater Lake National Park around 3:00 in the afternoon. We took the first viewpoint to admire the vibrant blue of Crater Lake. The blue of this lake is the blue we always wished for as children when coloring a picture of lake or the ocean. It is a pure, bright blue that knows no pollution which exudes a supernatural beauty and happiness. We admired the coloration of the lake, the beauty of the flowers which cling to the rocks and all the surrounding landscape before continuing on our way. The journey around the lake led us to a couple visitor centers and lodges where we politely inquired about internet connections, to which one woman replied, “You’re in the Wilderness! You don’t need internet.” Thanks lady, we know where we are, and when you’re in a National Park with resort like facilities, it is not a silly request, this internet thing.

Continuing around the lake we stopped to view and photograph the Vidae Falls and Phantom Ship. Unfortunately, by the time we had arrived at Phantom Ship the mosquitoes were starving for human blood and we quickened our pace as to get out of there and be back in the car. One final viewpoint introduced us to a kind couple from New Jersey who were experiencing some radiator troubles. Of course we are no help when it comes to vehicle care and maintenance, so we served them by sitting and listening as the gentleman offered his prognosis and they waited while their AAA like service attempted to locate them and send the appropriate help. Confident that all we really had to offer them was our listening ears and receiving their confirmation that there was nothing they needed from us we made our way out of the park gates and to Toketee Falls campground where we paid $7 to sleep beneath a heavenly canopy listening to rustling waters and croaking frogs. Peace.

All the Tall, Tall Trees...

Day 19: July 15, 2009 – Red Wood National Parks, CA to Coos Bay, OR
And all The Water in the Seas

We are fools, fools, fools for Oregon.

From east of the Red Wood National Park we made our way toward the park to crane our necks and admire the height of the tallest trees in the world. Yet before we could enter the park we were fortunate enough to see a large herd of Roosevelt Elk. We are continually surprised by the amount and types of wildlife that we have seen on the coast. The sea mammals and birds were to be expected, however we were not prepared to see deer, elk and bison in such abundance. It may be concluded that the National Parks and National Forest systems have done well in their preserving the natural habitats of these animals.

Upon entering the National Park, which interestingly enough does not require a fee of any sort, we made our way down the road to the Tall Tree Groves just to discover that we were supposed to have a permit and it would be wise to retrace our steps and make our way onto the main road and into a grove for non-permit holders. These criteria then lead us to the Lady Bird Johnson Grove where we enjoyed about a miles worth of meandering and admiring. The redwoods are incredibly tall however it may be the forest in which they live that is more impressive as it is incredibly dense with a significant amount of groundcover from flowers to ferns. While wandering the forest, we spotted the ever so popular Banana Slug which was quite the treat! The redwoods were impressive; however neither of us can back down from our admiration of the Giant Sequoias. Tall is just tall when you’re a small being, but wide is wide and happens to be easier to see when gazing upon a tree. Sorry redwoods.

From hiking to driving we began the short trek to the border of Oregon. Just as we left the park, we spotted a young couple in need of a ride, something we could hand out freely. So it came to be that we journeyed into Oregon with John and Sheena. John hailed from Southern California and Sheena was from Missouri – they too were desirous of leaving California, so we held a small celebration in the car when we passed the “Now Entering Oregon” sign. Having met their goal of getting into this beautiful state we said our good-byes and continued on our journey up the coast after experiencing the worst welcoming imaginable… a story for Mike to tell at another time.

Recovering from the rudeness of some people, we hit the Oregon coast with two new hitch-hikers; Sprout and Lifter. These two gentlemen were brothers who hailed from New York heading to Portland for a party of sorts called FIRE. They educated us on the art of hitch-hiking and train-hopping. They claimed California was horrible for hitching and Minnesota and Ohio were some of the best. The four of us made a pit stop in Bandon, OR as per recommendation of our nights CouchSurfing host. The stop would have been superb if it had not been for the heavy fog and gale-force winds. We were soon in Coos Bay, OR walking the boardwalk and enjoying the downtown area before making our way up the hill to David Allan’s beautiful home, our home for the evening.

David warmly welcomed us into the beautiful home which he had spent two years building. Showcasing many windows and therefore amazing views of the bay, David’s home was by far, one of the most extravagant places we have been on our trip. He quickly engaged us in conversation about our trip, made us a cup of Oregon Chai tea, and offered to prepare dinner. So, we enjoyed many hours of conversation late into the night after having enjoyed the best and biggest meal of our travels thus far: salad, pizza and shrimp fettuccine. He educated us on some details of the CouchSurfing project,, shared a little of his love for dancing, asked about highlights and was eager to join us in our first viewing of the documentary-type DVD we had picked up at Salvation Mountain.

Having enjoyed our conversation, dinner, and showers we made our way to bed and it was wonderful.

Through the Valley of Death

Day 14: July 10, 2009 – Sequoia National Forest, CA to Indio, CA
We Can’t Beat the Heat

Waking this morning, the air was cool, fresh and full of promises for an adventuresome day. Mike readjusted the bike rack so as to prevent any more Warnings from Law Enforcement that our license plate was not visible. So, with our license plate shining brightly for the entire world to see we made our way toward Death Valley National Park.

With each passing mile we were able to feel death in the air, or perhaps we were just feeling the increasing heat. Either way, we continually gave our thanks when the air conditioning was at it’s best and rolled the windows down when it too, needed a break. We enjoyed hot water and the beauty of the desert. We dropped from 7,000 feet in the morning to -282 feet in the afternoon. We were thrilled to stand in the lowest elevation point of the United States, although we may have been wise to make the stop in December or January.

We made our way through Death Valley followed by the Mojave Nature Preserve and Joshua Tree National Park. Mike thoroughly enjoyed the desert landscape, Melissa was a bit more finicky and preferred the desert when the air conditioning was at it's fullest power.

Having experienced a day in the desert we made our way to the equally hot town of Indio, CA where we were to meet our third CouchSurfing hosts of the trip. This host was actually 5, a family of five: Andres, Patricia, Eric, Owen and Diego - they were fabulous!

We were welcomed into their home and immediately bedazzled with the magic tricks of Diego, a very entertaining 7 year old. They gave us a cold glass of water and then made great conversation with us regarding: economy, living for adventure regardless of life situation, saying no to TV, education, learning to dance and places to go. They gave us some great tips regarding Date shakes and other date products and the semi-famous destination - Slab City. We made a few adjustments to our travel plans so that these travel tips could be accomodated for and after showering, made our way onto an incredibly comfortable bed fora peaceful night's sleep.

Walking among Giants

Day 13: July 9, 2009 – Sequoia National Park, CA
Holding our Heads High

Melissa woke up to the awful sound of Crows. It is an unfortunate fate to be one of few birds that make the ugliest noise of your nearest relatives. Crows are the black sheep of the Bird Kingdom. Always among the trees and in the great outdoors a person’s ears are graced with the soft sweet sounds of birds, greeting the morning and each other. These sounds are accentuated by the rustling of trees, roaring of rivers, babbling of creeks, and murmurs of other small woodland creatures. However, there is always the possibility that this sweet symphony will be interrupted by the loud and obnoxious CAW of a crow. Unfortunate fate for a bird, unfortunate alarm for Melissa.

Having recovered from a rough awakening, we packed up the tent as always and proceeded to make our way into Sequoia National Park. Now, if you’ve been curious for these past 13 days, we’ve maintained rule #6, minus our night in Durango, by CouchSurfing and by camping in National Parks. So long as you are slightly aware of the occasional “payment required campgrounds” it is allowable to pitch a tent for free within the boundaries of a National Park. As we always appreciate the price tag of free (which has new meaning after listening to Dan Ariley’s book Predictably Irrational), we have often set our tent up right on the outskirts of the National Parks.

Having made our way into the park we evaluated our energy and time and decided to make our way to General Sherman, the largest tree, by volume, in the world and then make our way around the Congress Trail. General Sherman, as with all the Giant Sequoias, was breathtakingly gigantic! This tree, if it were a tank, would hold enough water that you would be able to take a bath every day for 27 years! Melissa took a walk around the imprint of the trunk that was available and concluded that it would take about 97 steps to get around the tree – now, try to find a tree of that size and your local forest!

While walking the small trail around General Sherman, we also discovered a tree cookie, a slice of the trunk that’s used to determine age and history of a tree. We did not take the time to count the rings, but did note that the tree cookie was nearly the same size as our small apartment – we’re telling you, these trees are HUGE!

On the Congress Trail we enjoyed a bit of solitude, incomplete solitude but near. We gazed upon the President, the Congress and the House, not to mention the numerous other trees that were unfortunate during the naming process. Mike has, in our three days of gazing upon these giants, discovered a photographic love for these beasts. (Hopefully, you will be able to see the extent of this love on his Facebook profile, for now, a few favorites).

Having made our way around the Congress Trail we returned to the car and made our way to the Giant Forest Museum where we learned a great deal more about these trees we love: their need for fire, the likely hood of death by falling, their size in comparison to elephants, a dinosaur, a space shuttle, and the titanic. From the museum we boarded the Shuttle and made our way to Moro Rock. Walking up (and finally down) 351 steps we made our way to the top of this rock for a scenic view of the surrounding areas.

On our way out of the park, we took a scenic detour to view Auto Log and the Tunnel Tree. Auto Log used to serve as a place for vehicles to drive but collapsed at one point so now the huge log serves as a place for humans to walk around and take some classic photos. Tunnel Tree is a similar photo stop as it was a tree which fell across the road, yet rather than remove the tree, the park made the decision to simply cut a hole through the center and allow cars to drive through.

Finished with our tour de la Sequoias, we made our way southeast toward Death Valley where we will be visiting tomorrow. Until then, good-night.

All Hail the King

Day 12: July 8, 2009 – Kingsburg, CA to Kings Canyon National Park
Catching up and Looking up

We woke from a restful nights sleep in an actual bed – felt a little strange, but we were fully grateful for the hospitality shown by Seth and Charlotte. Melissa got out of bed first and got the car in order, folded laundry and began the previous day’s blog in Microsoft Word. After showering and enjoying a bagel for breakfast, we made our way down the road toward Charlotte’s parent’s house where we were blessed with use of the internet. After posting four blogs and catching up on pictures we were confident that we had set our blog readers minds at ease and given them some more great material to enjoy with a cup of tea.

Soon as all of our “house-keeping” chores were done we were finally ready to make our way toward Kings Canyon National Park. Fortunately for us, it was about the lunch hour and the day before we had spotted an In-N-Out, we had only one detour before making it into the National Park. Our In-N-Out experience was so absolutely amazing that we have penned the following:

Ode to In-N-Out

In-N-Out
Fresh-N-Tasty

Ground Beef Patty
Never seen the freezer

Lettuce, Crisp
Tomato, Juicy
Onion, Potent
Sauce, Secret

Potatoes
Diced Daily
No Trans-Fat

Chocolate Milk Shake
Mmm…

How can you beat that?

And it was from the experience that we made our way into Kings Canyon National Park. Within about an hour we had entered the park gates and began our trek to various scenic outlooks, trails, and of course the big tree of Kings Canyon, General Grant. However, before all of these adventures began, we stopped by the Post Office where we heard the best story of the trip thus far:

The Story of Wedgie Man

Recently, a man was trekking up the infamous Half Dome which is located in Yosemite National Park. The granite rock is familiar with trekkers and tourists alike as it has been conveniently laden with chain cables for those who dare to scale it’s heights. As is common within the National Parks that have glorious views from high places, a few people have lost their lives at Half Dome. This is not, however, the case for the star of our story. This man was enjoying his trek to the top of Half Dome when he slipped and fell off the rock. This could have marked the end for our star, but miraculously his sweat pants caught on to a rock or other protruding source and held the man safely for over three hours while park authorities freed him from what he shall come to know as “the wedgie that saved his life.”

From this, we began our exploration of Kings Canyon National Park. There has been something especially enamoring about these giant Sequoias, neither of us seem to be able to get enough of them. Viewing General Grant we were impressed with the random facts presented with the truth that General Grant is the 3rd largest tree for volume. That translates into: If this tree were the gas tank of your car, you would be able to drive around the world 350 times!!! If you wanted to hug this tree, it would take 20 people, hand-to-hand, to make it all the way around. That’s a big tree! Many trees in Wyoming can easily be hugged by one individual, three maximum. As we drove through the rest of the park we were impressed with canyon views, the roaring Kings River and a couple of falls; Grizzly Falls and Roaring Falls. We even had the opportunity to discover what we always knew must exist but never knew where: Mt. Harrington! You read correctly, while at the Grizzly Falls viewing a map of the falls origin we discovered on the sign OUR Mountain! I guess we’ll have to return some day in order to scale the mountain that bears our name.

Our day of exploring coming to a conclusion we made our way to a camping sight within the Sequoia National Forest. This was our first camping night where we set the tent up during daylight and had some time to enjoy some reading and writing some postcards for friends and family. As always, a peaceful nights sleep awaited us. Although Melissa was overly concerned that bears might end up in their campsite since they had spit their toothpaste outside instead of in a plastic bottle…fortunately no bears have yet made their way into our campsites.

Gentle Giants and Gentle Hosts

Day 11: July 8, 2009 – Yosemite National Park to Kingsburg, CA
Of Sequoias and Friends

This morning we woke up on the other side of Yosemite, the Southern side. Again, we loaded up the tent and hopped in the car, making our way into the park to visit the Mariposa Grove, one of California’s many protected Sequoia Groves.

We had considered taking the open-air tram but decided after noting the price-tag that a small hike through the forest was easily as sufficient if not more so. We enjoyed walking up the trail that we came to discover was the “road-less-travelled”. We were impressed by the true grandness of the Giant Sequoias. Some of them have lived in this forest for over 3000 years. It’s as if they had come to prepare the way for Jesus and are now awaiting his return, they are ancient. It is hard to put into words or even to photograph the majesty and splendor of these Gentle Giants. We have been privileged to walk among them and were even afforded the opportunity to watch three deer graze as well as a mother quail and her chicks take a mid-morning stroll through the forest.

After a couple miles of hiking we returned to our car where we finished writing over 30 postcards between the two of us, most of which will be sent out to some of the HSI camper’s who were either in our Wings or our Teams. By mid-afternoon we were ready to exit the park one last time and make our way to Kingsburg, CA (an area right outside of Fresno) to meet up with an old friend. Little did we know the hospitality and generosity that awaited our arrival…

Our friend, Seth who we know through our time in Campus Ventures has been working in California for a few years now. He has recently become engaged to a beautiful young woman named Charlotte, the two make a perfect pair and extraordinary hosts. To begin, their home is located amongst the orchards and vineyards of California, making for a sublime and peaceful setting. Next, their home is gorgeous! Offered to them by some good friends for a reasonable rate, they have a round home with three bedrooms, a lovely yard and lovely landscaping. But more importantly than the home itself were the two who welcomed us in. Within five minutes of having met Charlotte, she was offering us a stay in her family’s cabin so long as it was available, unfortunately it is in use, but her willingness to offer us the best they had was warming and one of the most hospitable acts we’ve yet seen on our trip. Seth and Charlotte prepared us a dinner of pasta with marinara, salad and rolls with home-made jam – DELICIOUS! They proceeded to invite us to a small birthday party for one of their Bible study friends where we enjoyed chocolate cake and spread the word about CouchSurfing, as there is zero to no hosts in this region.

Returning to the future home of Mr. and Mrs. Hansen, we enjoyed some great conversation about places we’ve been, places we hope to go, our engagement stories and much more. Within the conversation, Charlotte also made the offer to use her parents internet, so, to all our blog readers, send up a warm prayer of gratitude for the kind souls we were fortunate enough to meet while in California so that you may all enjoy the most recent news of our adventures. We then enjoyed a cup of Lemon Soufflé Rooibos Tea with a bit more conversation before retiring to bed for a restful and comfortable nights sleep.

Going our Seperate Ways

Day 10:July 6, 2009 – Yosemite National Park.
Two People, Two Experiences

We woke up on the outskirts of Yosemite National Park this morning. The night was cool, as was the morning. Dew and frost covered the ground. We packed up the tent and made our way into the park via Tioga Pass Road, the east entrance. Our drive into Yosemite toward the main visitor center was calm and peaceful. Being only 7:00 in the morning we shared the park only with those who had camped within her borders or the locals who came to the park for their daily fitness routines. Wild flowers, granite cliffs, meadows, deer and even a coyote welcomed us into the famed National Park.

While making our way to the visitor center we concluded that each of us had a different expectation for the day. Mike was ready for a more intense hike which would lead him to an astonishing view of creation whereas Melissa was content with meandering through the parks easier trails and taking it easy, no steep slopes for her. Therefore, after a quick run through of Yosemite Village, home to the Village Store, Grill, Bookstore, Visitor Center and much more, we hopped a shuttle bus so Melissa could see Mike off on his adventuresome day and she could then begin her day of peaceful strolling. So, it is here that the story must diverge so that family and friends may better understand the experiences that we each had.

Mike’s experience:

While Melissa was off lollygagging in Yosemite village, Mike set off on the hike of the vacation. After driving into the valley and seeing Yosemite Falls for the first time, Mike knew that he had to get on top of it. As luck would have it, there happened to be a Yosemite Falls trail. The trail was 3.5 miles with an elevation gain of 2700 feet, and it just happened to be classified as “very strenuous”, but that didn’t matter to Mike. After all, he had done similar hikes before at greater elevations when he climbed Cloud Peak in the Big Horns, and besides that, all he wanted to do was get on top of the falls.

The trail started off well enough, Mike passing multiple groups on his quest, but it soon ended up being a calf burning exercise of endless switchbacks. Mike began to wonder, as many hikers had wondered before, why he was doing what he was doing. He knew the answer: “The view from the top would be well worth the pain getting up there.”—and it most definitely was, along with the many views on the way up. He was able to hike all the way to the head of the falls, and look out into empty space as the water plummeted into nothingness. It also provided him a semi-clear view of Half Dome, which on a less smoke filled day would have been stunning, but was still glorious thru the haze today.

Upstream of the falls, the creek formed a number of natural pools, in which many people had made the strenuous hike to come swim in. Mike wondered about the cleanliness of the water after so many people swimming in it, but still couldn’t stop himself from soaking his burning feet in it and dunking his head under before his return trip down the trail. This proved to be a very wise move, as he was soon roasting under the California sun, and his knees were aching from the constant pounding of perpetual downhill, rocky switchbacks. He was also able to use the pools to encourage others on their way up the trail to continue to the top, something he wished he knew about on the way up.

He eventually made it to the bottom, staggered to the nearest drinking fountain, and spent the next 5 minutes slurping up it’s delicious offspring.

Melissa’s experience:

After saying good-bye to my love, I made my way back toward the visitor center. While strolling along, I came upon the trail head to view the Lower Yosemite Falls, it appeared easy and I had nothing else to do. At the entrance of the trail sat an older gentleman in a wheel-chair, he was educating the four women who walked with him, daughters perhaps, on the history of the park and the best view of the falls. However, what made this man even more spectacular was his ability to play the harmonica. So, as I began my Yosemite experience my ears were graced with the sweet sound of the harmonica which made the falls appear even more stunning than they already were. When I reached the base of the fall I took some time to write postcards to some of our HSI campers. In a similar fashion, the rest of my day continued. Strolling and meandering, on a trail, writing postcards, discovering some great sights and views. At one point, I even made my way to the Village Deli and grabbed myself a sandwich and a root beer float! In comparison to Mike’s day, my day seems a bit lazy, however I walked many miles and hours and enjoyed my day in Yosemite as much as I could have expected to enjoy a day in the Great Outdoors.

In the late afternoon, we met up and after briefly discussing our days, made our way to the Village Grill for some hamburgers, French fries, and a shake. While there, we chatted with a Texan teacher who had just spent some time in Yosemite Backcountry. With our bellies full, we said farewell to our new friend and made our way to Glacier Point where we hoped to watch the sunset. As was true in the Grand Canyon during our stay, Yosemite is also currently conducting a controlled burn - great for forest ecology, not so great for tourists who want to crisp, clean views of the landscapes which surround them. With the burn going on, our drive up to the point was slow as the firemen had to stop one lane of traffic at a time so as to better manage the fire. While in the car, we maintained high hopes that the smoke from the fire would only enhance the beauty of the sunset. Once at Glacier point, we were impressed by the view of Yosemite Valley although the smoke made for quite the haze. We watched the sun begin to set and learned some history from a local gal who had been coming to Yosemite since she was 9 years old. She apologized for the smoke and gave us some tips on what we should do the following day. We took a few good photos and then began making our way down the mountain so that we could get our tent set up and drift off to sleep.