Summer Vacation

We drove 2400 miles -- enough to drive to NYC and part way back again! Through Wendover, to Yosemite, to Monterrey, down to San Diego, and back home. We had lots of fun (despite my disdain for car travel).

Lee's mom has a picture of her 5 oldest boys sitting on a log just like this one, so we couldn't resist taking this photo.














I think this was a Ponderosa Pine...I couldn't get over how huge all the trees were!














At Tenaya Lake in Yosemite -- we waded in the cold clear water. Everyone was happy to be out of the car (and their shoes).














This was our favorite Yosemite hike -- Vernal Falls. We got sprayed nearly the entire way, as we hiked hundreds of rock steps up to the top. It was beautiful!



















When Uncle Marc arrived to join us in Yosemite, he declared our campsite awesome, especially the bonus features like the "trampolimb".

Lee was ashamed that the women in the family were braver than the men when it came to immersing themselves in the COLD waters of the Merced River!
Mealtime at Asilomar (for our reunion) were my favorite. No work and lots of fun and yummy food.
We had skits one night, where we each had to bring a random prop and then we were divided into groups and told our theme, then given 5 minutes to prepare something, using our props we'd brought. Our group had "terrorist on an airplane", which turned out easy with Ian in the group. He was perfect doing annoying things to Mckay, the polite passenger in front.
I could spend all day at the tidepools -- okay, maybe just when the tide is low.
Rachel was so cute taking pictures of Ann and Brian! And Ian could have spent all day running away from the waves!
We fought for the honor of ringing the bell for lunch one day. It was harder than we thought it would be!
Our favorite part of the Monterrey Aquarium was the jellyfish.
The rook tournament was a blast for everyone, whether they won or not!
These grotesque male elephant seals along our drive down highway 1 were amazing. They all come ashore during the summer to molt, then go on to Alaska til mating season. They smelled horrible, sounded gross, and were EVERYWHERE. Certainly a cool site to see.
Ian enjoyed his blue raspberry icee.
Lizzie collected seashells for several hours, while everyone else played in the waves. Lee and Sam are boogie boarding in this picture.
Dillon willingly submitted himself for burial. Mckay, as usual, is covered in sand.
We were thrilled that Emma joined us at the beach for the afternoon!
Lily pads at Balboa Park.
Natalie and the girls at Cabrillo National Monument.
Bonfire at Mission Bay with Uncle Milo. We were all cold after swimming at Coronado beforehand.
Sunday afternoon at La Jolla.