Highlights of California tour - Adventure #1

We had 2 vacation destinations this summer, so we combined them into one long trip. We ended up all over our great state of California. We felt like we were on an episode of Huell Howser's California Gold. We got to see a lot of great things. The kids started dividing the trip up by adventures based on where we were sleeping. It was fun all in all. Where, here's what we did on our first adventure, in the Kernville area.

Day 1 - Sunday we drove up to Kernville. Actually, Logan and Rowen drove up with Grandma, Grandpa and Uncle Brandon. We had a slight detour off the highway because of a wildfire, but other than that, it wasn't too long of a trip. We got to the house we were staying at and just relaxed for the evening.

Day 2 - Monday we drove about 45 minutes to the Trail of 100 Giants. It's in the lower section of the Sequoia National Forest. It's a nice walk along a paved trail through a bunch of giant sequoias. It was kind of cool because the firefighters were doing a controlled burn in the area. It was the first one they had done ever in that section of the forest. We thought it was cool to get to walk around a forest that was on fire. Now I can check that off my list. Then we went to a natural rock slide. The rocks were slippery and the water was extremely cold, but it was really fun. Even Maddoc went down the slide (with Steve and I) and he laughed the second time he went down. Until he hit the really cold water. But he didn't really cry, so we figured he was fine. Then, right as we decided it was time to and we started to gather our belongings, my mom fell while holding Maddoc and split her elbow open. She had fallen right onto her elbow that was bent holding Maddoc. Maddoc was fine, but my mom ended up spending three hours in the ER getting five stitches. At least the skin on the back of the elbow doesn't have any nerve endings, or it would have hurt worse.

Day 3 - Tuesday we went rafting. It was thrilling. Colleen didn't make it, but Steve, my brother Brandon and I all had a blast. We had a rafting nazi tour guide on our boat. During the flat time between rapids, she had us doing turns and paddling up river. We figured we paddled about 60% more than the other boats did. But we were not one of the boats that ended up on top of another one on one section. And at lunch, we all learned that hornets love turkey lunch meat. They swarmed the meat and tore off sections of it to carry off. The kids went to a fish hatchery with Grandma and Grandpa. They said it was pretty boring, but then they went to a park that was right along the river in Kernville. They had fun running around in the sprinklers, going on the swings and throwing rocks in the river.

Day 4 - Wednesday we ended up going to hang out by the river. We found a little beach area with some shade. Brandon bought some tubes that we tied to a tree so we could float without getting carried down river to our deaths. The kids loved playing in the river. The water was really cold, but it was really hot, so it felt great. Maddoc loved playing in the sand and throwing it. Only he has an early release and he lets go of the sand when it's about over his head, so his hat ended up covered in sand.

Day 5 - Thursday, everyone but Phil, Maddoc and I went rafting. The doctor had told my mom that she could still go rafting, especially since it was a trip for young children. They all had a lot of fun. The kids said it was the best vacation day ever. They got to float in the river next to the raft for part of the trip. There was a platform up in a tree over the river that they got to climb onto and then jump in the river. There was obviously much less paddling involved.

Phil and I had slightly less fun, taking Maddoc to the Bakersfield Zoo, Botanical Garden and Natural History Museum. It made the Santa Ana Zoo look world class. The Hummingbird and Butterfly garden consisted of one overgrown bush, covered in bees. At least half of the enclosures were empty, and nearly all of the ones that weren't had animals that were tucked away in some corner, asleep. The best part was when Maddoc saw two chipmunks running around in a glass enclosure in the middle of the reptile exhibit. (Is that really fair to the snakes, taunting them like that?) But Maddoc got such a kick out of watching the chipmunks chase each other around. He was dancing around and giggling. It was cute. It was so hot that we left after an hour and went to find a malt shop. That it was 11 in the morning didn't matter. We figured that the $12 we paid to get in averaged about a dollar per animal.

Thursday afternoon we went back to our beach by the river. We got a longer rope, so we were able to paddle all the way across the river. There was an eddy on the other side, and once you made it across, you could just sit in the shade of a large rock and relax until you wanted to go back. It was a lot of fun when you first got out of the eddy and the current picked you up. It went pretty fast. The rope was so long, that you got pretty close to the rapids that were just past the section we were playing at, it felt a little scary. Rowen got stung by a bee, and so we were lucky to find out she is not allergic to them. We actually got Phil to wear a swim suit and float in a tube. It was great. Finally, the sun went down on our last day in Kernville and we had to pack up our fun and head back to the house. We played Pit that night, and learned that with only 4 players, the game was more about luck and quickness than anything else.