Sequoia Cabin & A Ride across the Bay

We arrived late Friday evening to darkness. We heard the sound of crickets, frogs and a rushing river. And we saw stars! Oh my the stars! It was like we were in a planetarium, only 5,000 times better. After the exhausting five hour drive, we found the cabin without a problem, and were happy to see our friends from down south. Once the produce was unloaded, we settled in and relaxed with a glass of wine. My eye lids were heavy so we turned in early, and our dreams were filled with anticipation of what we would find once the lights were turned on.

The least rustic cabin I've ever seen

Mother Nature flipped the switch around 6am, and Nik and I joined her. Out our bedroom window, we saw a hillside covered with trees that had not yet been touched by the morning sun while horses grazed for breakfast. We were the only ones awake, so we left the cabin and strolled through the garden and orchard towards the river and watched as the sun slowly peaked up from behind the hillside. Everything we saw was pure with only the softest touch by human hands. This was a place where rodents, deer, snakes, foxes and spiders ruled. We were there as observers.

Our Fourth of July weekend near and in Sequoia National Park consisted of three full days of relaxation, laughter, nature gazing, walking, cooking, polar bear swimming, sun scorching, game playing and reading. It was the perfect escape from city life, and made me wonder if we would one day make this life a full time thing. I think we could handle living in the middle of no where. I think we could fall asleep every night with a huge blanket of stars up above. I think we could watch the progress of fox cubs learning to hunt on their own. I think we could do it if the opportunity presented itself. I hope it does!

The top of a trophy collection

Jet ski flies across the water at Lake Kaweah

Jon relaxes under the redwoods

My first bear spotting...

of a Mama Bear and her two cubs

Nik and the Sequoias

All four of us on Moro Rock

We returned to San Francisco late Monday evening and were greeted with the bone chilling fog of the Richmond. Immediately, we missed the warm crisp air of the mountains, but were happy to be home.

Nik’s Post: Holiday Weekend Around Sequoia National Park

The week was fairly uneventful, and this weekend was low key as well. Yesterday we took a ride across the Bay to Berkeley to see what was to be seen. We had lunch at the Cheese Board and strolled around for a bit. We walked through neighborhoods where if we didn’t know better, we could have sworn we were in east Portland. The streets were lined with voluptuous trees. The people were jolly. The gardens were organic, and the houses were Craftsman. This made me wonder why people moved all the way to Portland when they were ready to leave San Francisco. Why didn’t they just move across the bay to Berkeley?

Then we saw a real estate office with a few of these four-square Craftsman houses for sale, and I knew the reason. These cities by the bay are expensive. Ridiculously expensive. Especially when compared to Portland.

Artichoke Flowers

Song Birds