Summer Begins

Ah, summer.  My favorite season.  I kicked off summer hiking season in the south of the park in Wawona.  We have a project for work in the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias and I wanted to hike the grove on my own time and on my own terms.  I started in Wawona and hiked a bit (ehem, 6 miles) to the grove.  Along the way, I saw a lot of sugar pine cones.  These babies are huge!  It could be deadly if one fell on your head!

Now, I realize I have small feet, but still, with a big bulky boot on... These cones are massive!

Along the way there were a lot of absolutely beautiful irises blooming.  The lovely lavender color (which my camera didn't capture that well) is my favorite and these flowers wore it well.  So elegant!

I finally made it to the grove and tromped all the trails I had yet to tromp.  (It was a long mileage day of hiking.)  Those sequoias are some spectacular trees.  That being said, I am still quite partial to my bristlecones.

 Me standing at the base of the tree pictured above.

The sequoia has a very distinct cone as well.  Every single ranger who works for the park service should be able to identify this cone because it is on our hat bands and belts.  The one I'm holding is a bit larger than average.  Most easily fit in the palm of my hand.

Another treat along the way, snow plants!  The pictures below were taken with my work camera which is much higher quality.  They are just as bright and vivid in person as they are in the photo.  You can't help but feel cheerful when you come around a bend in the trail and see a little clump of these guys.

 More snow plants.

 My left hand for scale purposes.  They aren't that tall.

Stopping at the Clothespin tree.

My goal was Wawona Point and I was beat by the time I made it up there.  I had lunch and enjoyed the view.  Quite a different view than some of the other scenic places I've stopped, not as much granite.

As I mentioned above, I've been in the grove quite a bit for work.  One day last week, the fog was incredibly thick.  It made the tree look like they went on forever.  It was a beautiful way to see the grove.  The fog seemed to soften edges and soften visitor voices.  Grand!

A major restoration project begins in the grove after July 4th which will close the grove to the public.  I feel satisfied with what I saw and won't feel I missed anything when the Mariposa Grove closes.

218

I am so blessed.  First, I am bless to be spending a second summer in Yosemite National Park!  What a beautiful place this is and I'm excited for the projects we have lined up for the summer. 

 

Second, I have been blessed with my own place.  After the very stressful living situation last summer, my awesome (now former) supervisor worked his magic and I got a cabin all to myself.

 

I knew these places were small.  When the maintenance man handed me the key to open the door, I realized just how small.  I'm willing to bet in most instance the massive size of things can be overwhelming.  I had no idea something tiny could be overwhelming too.

 

For fun, I asked three of my dear NPS friends who live full time in their RV/trailer what the square footage was of their homes on wheels.  They replied with 300 sq ft., 320 sq ft., and 350 sq ft.

 

I looked at my housing agreement which lists all the specs of the living quarters.  Are you ready.... 218 sq feet.  And it's all mine!!!  How lucky can a roving park ranger be?!

 

Let me show you around.

 

This is my little unit.  Each little cabin has two units and I'm on the right.  Little Car even has a little space too.

Looking at my two east facing windows.  Love it!  I fell in love with east-facing windows when I lived in Montana and then again at Great Basin.

This is from the southwest corner, right as you walk in the door.

From the northwest corner, with my back to the bathroom door.  Yes, I bought cinder blocks.  Funny, I never had them in college like everyone else, but now, ten years after finishing my undergrad (holy cow, has it been ten years?!) I'm putting my bed up on cinder blocks for the first time.

From the northeast corner, with my back to the closet, looking to the front door.  Notice, I have no cupboards, except under the sink.  All my food stuff is on a shelf and my dishes/cups/silverware is on top of the fridge.  I'm almost too short for the shelf but I am making it work.  

From the southeast corner, with my bed behind me, looking to the sink/counter space, and bathroom door. 

The cabin was built in 1948.  Perhaps the only thing that hasn't changed is the shower.  I gave it a fantastic scrub when I moved in, but I'm still a little wary.

Cozy, yes?  I'm pretty much settled.  I have some cleaning I still need to do (the dresser handles, the baseboards, the exterior of the fridge) but it's mostly Kate-OCD cleaning.

I love all 218 of my square feet!  All are welcome in my little space!

Oh, and mechanics kept telling me Little Car's headlights were looking foggy.  So, I got some goop from the auto shop and was amazed.  Not the best comparison (left still foggy, right unfoggy) but seriously, it's like having cataracts removed.  She's a good car and I should not be as attached to an inanimate object like I am to this car.