Yosemite 2012.

Good times with this crazy family of mine:

Yosemite. Hiking. Mountains. Waterfalls. Rainbows. Sunshine. Picnics. Moonlit Walks. Family.

Can't really think of a better combination.

Yosemite is my favorite place in the whole entire world (and I've been to a lot of places). It's the backdrop of my best childhood memories. In a way, I feel like I grew up there, even though we only spent a week each year. As an adult, it speaks to my heart and refills my spirit in a way that no other place does. 

A hike in Yosemite: a little film.

We spent a few days in Yosemite over spring break. I made this little film of a hike we took. Thanks to my mom, dad, brother, and husband for being my hiking buddies.

>> video >> shot with the iphone

>> music >> "Beach Song" by Seryn:

          "No man will know what awaits him there... here we are."

***

And happy birthday today to my brother, one of my favorite people in the entire world. 

Joshua Tree.

Last weekend we went to Joshua Tree with some fabulous friends and had an adventure of:
karaoke
camping
meteor shower
hiking
art festival
world famous crochet museum
concert on a truck bed
circus rendition of Alice in Wonderland
crazy desert folk
found object art
date shake
fun and deep conversations

It was kind of one of the weirdest weekends of my life, but I was glad to experience it all with these folks.

Grand Canyon National Park.

On our way to the Grand Canyon, we stopped in Park City, Utah. We actually paid for a hotel (with a real bed to sleep in!) because we found a great deal. We ended up having such a fun night there. First, we took a gondola up to a free outdoor concert. Then we walked around the downtown area looking for a place to eat. It was cute, but everything was so overpriced and not vegetarian friendly, so we ended up getting Domino's thin crust pizza and eating it in our hotel room instead (on a real bed!). We ended the night by enjoying the hotel's indoor and outdoor pool and jacuzzi, and seeing how many satellites we could find while relaxing in the water (we found five). It was a totally unplanned evening, but one of our most fun on the trip.

Outdoor concert in Park City, Utah.

The Grand Canyon.

Before we even got to Grand Canyon National Park, we had our best night of camping. We discovered that you can camp in a National Forest for free. There are dirt roads off the main highway with campsites and firepits, and you can just find an empty one and camp in it. So we camped off a dirt road with no one around, and it was beautiful (the only downside is you have to go to the bathroom in the woods). 

 (Lyrics from "Sausalito" by Conor Oberst.)

Best camping feast. Taco salads with bean and veggie soft tacos.

 Pretty sunset at our campsite.

The next day, we finally got to see the Grand Canyon, with lightning and thunderstorms. 

Sunset over Grand Canyon.

Sunrise over Grand Canyon.

The Grand Canyon, like most places we visited, impressed us with its beauty and vastness. Waking up to watch the sunrise over the Grand Canyon was a perfect way to end our trip.

Here's what two weeks on the road taught us:

-A road trip can be a really good thing for a marriage. It was for ours.

-A whole new love of music can be developed on a road trip (that's why it's been fun for me to include song lyrics on some of my pictures).

-Having the only bathroom around be the forest isn't really a bad thing at all.

-Not having things planned out can make for some really fun times (I am a planner by nature, so the spontaneity was really good for me).

-The United States is one of the most naturally beautiful places in the world.

Now, I'm on to my next adventure, which starts today.

Yellowstone National Park.

We were way more impressed with Yellowstone than we expected. The abundance of wildlife and the colors of the geothermal activity made the whole experience of exploring the park seemingly magical.

Then came Old Faithful. We ate ice cream for dinner while we were waiting.

And we stalked Kate Plus 8, who was watching Old Faithful the same time we were.

Yellowstone gifted us with a beautiful double rainbow.

(Lyrics from "Swept Away" by The Avett Brothers.)