Wine Anyone?

We decided to head to the less known wine areas of Amador and El Dorado Counties in the Sierra Nevada foothills, home to the California Goldrush and some world-class Zinfandels, one of Lisa's favorite wines. We arrived in the area on a Monday which meant that a limited number of wineries were open and even less on Tuesday and Wednesday so we made the most of the time we had on Monday!

Monday night we hit the town of Plymouth seeking food and drinks, not easy to find in this little town after 8pm, all we found was the local dive which provided us with peanuts and where we made friends with the locals who ended up buying our drinks for the evening, thanks Steve!

On Tuesday we started the day with a huge breakfast at a local diner, too much food but so good, not good before you head out wine tasting though, not sure Troy ever recovered from his egg scrambler! We hit the El Dorado County focusing on Apple Hill and the Placerville Area. Placerville is a really cute town with yummy restaurants and shops, check it out if you are ever in the area.

Here are some of our favorites for you wine lovers out there:

• Sobon Estate (Amador)- 2006 Zinfandel Cougar Hill (In fact we are drinking it tonight as we write this blog) and 2006 Reserve White Port


• C.G. Di Arie (Amador) - Very good blends and Port


• Bella Piazza (Amador) - 2004 Rio Volpe Zinfandel (Very friendly staff and beautiful grounds)


• Lava Cap (El Dorado) - 2004 Rocky Cap Zinfandel


• Jodar (El Dorado) - 2005 Black Bear Port


• Sierra Vista (El Dorado) - 2005 Red Rock Ridge Syrah


• Renwood Winery (Amador)- Yummy Zins

Far Horizons 49er Village RV Resort was our home for the 3 nights in the area, loved it! Of course you need to like the sound of bullfrogs at night, wow are they loud! We didn't take many photos while in the area as we were distracted by the gorgeous weather and yummy wine but here are a few:

Amazing, Gorgegous, Spectacluar, Wonderful ...

these words don't even begin to describe Yosemite National Park as you will see by all the pics we are posting below. We based our trip out of Groveland, CA, about 24 miles from Yosemite, seemed to take forever to get to the park, next trip we will stay inside the park. The Yosemite Pines RV Park was extremely cheesy however it did have a petting zoo which Troy took the dogs to daily to tease them with the llama and goats behind the fence, Copper really wanted to play with them, it was a funny sight to see.

Yosemite is Lisa's new favorite park, go figure with all the waterfalls - wow! (Lisa is a sucker for a good waterfall!) The first day in Yosemite we took in Bridalveil falls our first fall of the park, talking about gushing, we got soaked visiting this fall!
Look closely at the picture below, there is a Bear Cub in the woods, our first bear sighting of the the trip. Not sure where mama bear was so we kept our distance (Not like the dumb tourists who thought it would be a good idea to see how close to the baby bear they could get!)

We then explored Yosemite Valley, a mini town within Yosemite and grabbed lunch. Afterwards we drove around a bit and hiked to Mirror Lake which had great views of El Captain and Half Dome. When we got back from our hike we noticed all the signs in the parking lot indicating that Bears are in the area and to put all your food in the lock boxes provided, oops, we will make sure to do that in the future, luckily the bears in the area did not find the food in our cooler appeal ling!

Day 2 in the park we decided to hike to the top of Upper Yosemite Falls, what a hike, not sure what we were thinking but talk about gorgeous! We have stolen the following description of the hike from http://www.yosemitehikes.com/ as we could not have said it any better:

• Why hike to the top of Yosemite Falls? It's the mother of all StairMaster workouts, but with one-of-a-kind payoffs you won't get in a gym: panoramic views of Yosemite Valley


• Distance: 7.6 miles round trip from the Lower Yosemite Falls trailhead (Add another 1/2 mile on for us due to our parking location)


• Elevation at trailhead: 3,967 feet, Elevation at top of Yosemite Falls: 6,526 feet Elevation gain: 2,600 feet


• Hiking Time: 7ish hours.


• Difficulty: High. It's a long, steep climb from the valley floor to the valley rim, and was rated an 8 out of 10. Consider this question: would you climb the stairs all the way to the top of the Empire State Building? Well, in the course of our hike to Upper Yosemite Falls, we climbed the equivalent of just over two Empire State Buildings.

That night we rewarded ourselves with a night out on the town in Groveland which has the oldest continuously run bar in California, The Iron Door Salon, great Buffalo Burgers however really crappy service.

Day 3, our last day, at Yosemite we hiked to Vernal Fall Vista. Lisa's question over and over again on the mile hike to the falls, why does every hike have to be straight up, seriously, after Yosemite Falls we were a bit sore but glad we made it to the Vernal Falls Vista, another wonderful view in Yosemite. Another animal sighting on the way back to the Jeep was a bobcat, much smaller than we thought they would be but we will still keep our distance, as we don't think they would make a good house cat.

We then took the drive to Tunnel View, the most photographed spot in Yosemite and from this picture you can see why, it almost looks fake but trust us, it is real and oh so beautiful!

We ended the day with a drive to Glacier Point, tons of snow was still on the ground and the temperature was about 20 degrees chillier than the valley. Amazing views of the entire park, Vernal Falls, Mirror Lake, Half dome, El Captain and Yosemite Falls. We were sad to leave this park but we know that we will make it back someday!

Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks

It was a very gorgeous however very grueling drive for Troy through the mountains. The reward of arriving in the valley was the smell of Oranges and Lemons, such an invigorating smell, we loved our campground! We stayed in the small town of Three Rivers just outside of the parks at Sequoia RV Ranch, very secluded and peaceful, just what Troy needed after the long day of driving.

Everything is a drive through Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks which also includes the Sequoia National Forest/Giant Sequoia National Monument. (At least Lisa shares in some of the driving in the Jeep, haven't gotten her back behind the wheel of the RV yet, think she is scared of it since she "broke" it when she drove it) When you enter into the park the ranger let's you know that you won't see a Sequoia for 45 minutes, we drive a lot! Snow, everywhere is snow! Notice the snow in the background of the picture below, we can't get away from it and we were definitely not dressed for it! It was 80 degrees in the Valley when we left, guess we forgot that we were going up into the mountains, oops! It was 48 degrees in the park! Needless to say we did most of our exploring the first day in the park from the Jeep!

After learning the growth patterns, history of the forest and the road closures within the park at the Giant Forest Museum (very informative, stop if you are ever in the area) we continued on our gorgeous drive through the park. Course with snow comes road closures, we understand that however it was something we did not think about when we took off on this crazy adventure of ours, places that we really wanted to explore are not able to be explored yet due to snow, go figure, it is May, how can there still be so much snow? Next trip will have to be in the summer without the snow to get in our way! However we did have the inside scoop, Brad (Lisa's Brother) worked at Kings Canyon for a Summer and recommended many of the places we explored, thanks Brad!

Wow, these are some really big trees! We visited the General Grant Tree our first day at the Park, majestic, that is the first word that came to us when we saw these trees, especially General Grant and General Sherman. Amazing how tall, wide and old these trees can get. Our next day in the area we relaxed at camp, we needed a day of little or no driving! Back in the park we went on the short hike to check out General Sherman, the world's largest tree. If you look closely you can see Lisa next to the sign and it gives you an idea of how massive this tree really is:

Many of the villages and roads were not open yet due the snow, most planned on opening by Memorial Day Weekend, we were a few weeks too early. However there was a reward for our timing, lot's of run off from the snow in the mountains which meant the waterfalls were in full force, take a look at the picture of Grizzly Falls:

We continued our drive into Kings Canyon to check out Cedar Grove where Brad was stationed when we was an interpertive ranger, though it wasn't open yet we ate lunch by the river and enjoyed the scenery. While eating we were stalked by a local bird looking for his lunch too, sorry, no bird food here! We took a few hikes around the area and came across Roaring River Falls:

We checked out Hume Lake, gorgegous lake, too cold at the moment but that did not keep the kids out that were attending the Christian Camp on the lake, crazy kids! We were hoping to take a shortcut road in the park to get back to Sequioa and make our way to Moro Rock but it was closed. We talked to a few locals and we were told that there still was snow but we might be able to make it, we took the Road Closure, what rebels we are! There was a lot of snow on the road but usually only on one side of the road, no problems at all, we made it through! We made it to Moro Rock, what a climb, 500 steps but the reward was a breathtaking view of the surrounding mountains, valley below and all the Sequoia's in the area.

What happens in Vegas ...

doesn't always stay in Vegas, at least not this trip! It was great to be in a "real" city again, the sights, smells, lights and all the glamour that comes wtih Vegas was a real treat after being in the desert for what seemed like forever. We are having the trip of a lifetime but Lisa had enough rocks to last her awhile!

We headed over to Sean's (a friend of Lisa's) who lives in Vegas when we arrived in town to drop off the RV and the puppies, Sean offered to watch them while we went home for a few days, what a guy, thanks again Sean! Looks like they had it rough while we were away, Chase lounged around outside under a shady tree and Copper tried to use his Jedi Mind tricks on Sean to get treats, we think it worked, Copper has a way with his eyes!

Before heading to Detroit we walked around Old Vegas, did a bit of shopping at the Outlet, and enjoyed the sunshine of Vegas. On our drive around town we spotted 2 girls (strippers) on swings outside of their club luring folks inside, gotta love Vegas!

After our very quick trip home we picked up the RV and puppies and headed to the Oasis RV Park in Vegas (I know what you are wondering and yes, the RV Park did have slot machines!) If you ever have the need for an RV park in Vegas, Oasis is the place! Our first night we checked out the casino right next to the RV Park, Silverton, we had a really yummy dinner to celebrate our anniversary (4 years) and gambled for a few. The next day Lisa got to lay by the pool (heaven for her) and Troy took to the streets for a bike ride around the area. That night we cruised the strip, Cheesy we know but hey, we were being tourist, went to the top of the Stratosphere to enjoy the lights of Vegas, what a view and headed to the Golden Nugget to play for a bit. (Troy loves to play at the Nugget, turns out Lisa does too as she had a very good night at the slots!) We also checked out Fremont Street in old Vegas - they have recreated many of the old neon signs that once were the icons of Vegas, very cool!

Still Troy's Favorite National Park - Zion

We had a reservation to stay within Zion at the Watchman Campground however Lisa made reservations initially for the wrong dates (oops) and we were unable to revise. The computer system at the park was all messed up (It was booking people at different parks in different states) and since we needed to change our dates we had to cancel since the computer system could not rebook. Which meant we had to wake up early (yuck!) and head to Zion to try to get one of the first come, first serve spots. Guess what, it was our lucky day, we got a spot for 1 night and it was right on the river, very cool! The campground was great, perfect for the puppies and we had amazing views from our site.

We spent the next 2 nights down the road within walking distance to the park, local stores and restaurants. The campground was right on the river as well and we could hear the water rushing past us as we enjoyed our first campfire of the trip. Weird that we have not had a campfire up until this point considering we had been “camping” for almost a month however many places we have stayed did not permit campfires or we were just too whipped at the end of the day to “deal” with it! Here is the view from our campsite - not too shabby!
During the busy months the park does not allow vehicles on the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive so we took the tram the park offers to explore the scenic drive. Stopped at a few of the sites along the way and enjoyed a nice leisurely stay at Zion. Well Lisa had a leisurely stay, Troy on the other hand biked the scenic drive. Very hilly but for some reason he likes the hills, strange!

Continuing thru Utah at Bryce Canyon National Park

Driving from place to place Troy likes to keep track of the elevation (He has a watch that tracks this for us and is addicted to checking this as we drive along!) On our way from Capitol Reef to Bryce we drove to 9600 feet on US 12 with a skimpy road that at times was only 60 feet wide with cliffs on each side, what a drive!

What a location! We stayed within the Park at the North Campground and had a great campsite within walking distance of the numerous trails and hoodoos along the rim of the canyon, very cool! Most of the parks we have been visiting have been pretty empty which has been great, enabling us to truly experience the parks and not worry about all the traffic and noise that lots of people bring. (Course this is going to change very soon, every day we get closer to Memorial Day the busier places seem to get!)

Our first day within Bryce we drove the park and took the18-mile scenic drive, stopping along the route to check-out all the scenic overlooks, what an amazingly beautiful place! We also explored “Ruby’s” right outside of the park, the oldest campground in the area (early 1900’s), Wow – talk about a tourist trap, stay away!

Along with the beauty was snow, course we are in the mountains but we can’t escape the snow, isn’t it spring? From one mile to the next the temperature changes drastically as does the scenery. We took a hike into the Bryce Amphitheater and walked among the hoodoos and Douglass Firs, truly amazing! The hike was 5 miles but what a tough 5 miles, the way down into the canyon wasn’t too difficult but the way back up was met with icy hills and switch backs, fun! This picture of Lisa with the Bryce Amphitheater (hoodoos) in the background does not begin to show the beauty of the area. We have this same picture at home with Troy from a previous trip he took with our friend Tony Bucci, can’t wait to compare them when we get home to see the changes.

And as local lore states: “It is one hell of a place to lose a cow!”

National Parks of Utah

First off we have to say we are sorry for the lack of blog entries over the 2 weeks or so. We flew home for a couple of days and as funny as it sounds it was an adjustment getting back into the swing of things especially since we played in Vegas for a couple of days and of course everyone knows how that messes things up. :) Then we headed for Kings Canyon and Sequoia, which we can't wait to share with you in a future blog but while we were there we did not have Internet (not good for people who are addicted but it was a nice break from the everyday) so needless to say we are even further behind then before we left, but we are back and ready to continue our updates!!!

There are 5 National Parks in Utah and we have now hit them all. Capitol Reef National Park was 3 of 5 and a step back in time. The nearest traffic light was over 75 miles away, Internet was not even a thought, the park still operated the Apple Orchard that the original founders planted and which the Gifford Farmhouse (also from back in the day) used to make and sell homemade pies and breads (so yummy). The original town of Fruita still had the schoolhouse intact, everything was as it used to be, really makes you think about life past and present.

We stayed in the park at the National Campground at Capital Reef, another "dry" camping experience, so peaceful. A small creek ran behind our campsite, the orchard was in view, a huge field where the puppies could play was there too and we were greeted with the sight of Mule Deer everyday and everywhere around the park.

Numerous scenic drives around the park allowed us to explore the natural beauty of the park with short hikes and a bit off roading in the Jeep. The area was a hideout for Butch Cassidy and many of the sites where named in his honor. The bridge you see here was named for an early settler/explorer Hickman and is over 125 feet high and a 2 mile hike that takes your breath away. (Does every hike have to be up hill?)