Full Moon Paddle

I did not realize when I moved to this part of California how popular river and water sports are.  There are paddling and rafting and boating opportunities galore.  I signed us up for one of the full moon paddles in early June.

We arrived at Lake Natoma (technically a reservoir on the American River) and met our guide and the rest of the group.  There was a nice row of kayaks ready to be put in the water.

 It was breezy and rather chilly for June but with the splash jacket and life jacket, I survived.  We wandered around the lake, exploring for about an hour and a half, before the sun went down and the full moon began to rise.

It was a beautiful evening and a lovely outing.

Yosemite Visit

Gil and I headed down to Yosemite for a quick weekend visit in June.  It had been over six months since we'd been in the park (and gotten engaged) and we were both needing some Yosemite time.

The theme of this trip, like Caples, was water.  Oh my!  It was everywhere.  It was flowing over the sides of the canyon, it was flooding the valley floor, it was flowing through the valley in a very swollen Merced River.

Yosemite Falls was gushing and raging and very loud.  We got rather wet from its spray.  It was beautiful. 

 We hiked into Cooks Meadow and enjoyed the water, the rock, and the green.  The vegetation was going crazy with all the water.

Beautiful flowers in the meadow.

It was a great trip.  We were able to visit quite a few friends as well while we were there.  It is a beautiful place.