Dear Reader,

I hate to say it and I don’t mean to sound sentimental , but the RV has brought me closer to my undying, completely biased and utterly cloying love for our state. The beauty of California is breathtaking. I also have to tip my hat to the National Park System (http://www.nps.gov/index.htm) and the California State Park System (http://www.parks.ca.gov/) as one of the greatest investments our nation and state have made and I applaud the fine political minds that still deem these parks a suitable investment. I look forward to hearing about the joy the next generation feels at seeing Half Dome for the first time or swimming in Tenaya Lake as you can see from the following video it’s been nothing less than amazing.

Oh Dear Reader,

please give me but a second of time for a background story. Last Summer, while on yet another road trip with the famous (now infamous?) BB, we were driving though a lush Oregonian coastal forest when BB said

“I like trees, big, green trees” that was it.

That statement punctuated a thirty minute, well-deserved round of silence (perhaps after yelling at some semblance of three kids- this time two of hers and one of mine- for an end to bickering and a bit of peace). The car was silent after the comment and I was left to my thoughts considering was BB being profound or something other than profound. After another 15 minutes of silence, the kids and I began to discuss the import of BB’s statement and within a few minutes we were all rolling with laughter deciding the comment was far north of profound.

Cut to the present day. Sequoia has the General Sherman Tree the largest and second tallest tree in the world and it’s 2200 years old. We had to see it and to be honest it is incredibly impressive. BB seemed to have a transcendent moment and commented on the hike up.

“I like trees. They provide shade”

Profound or not? You, Dear Reader, can decide.

So, we are camping in one of the most beautiful sites in the National Park System, Lodgepole. Really, Space 154, is not to be believed with the running river and the tall pines, we had it all. Of course, after breakfast we had to hike to a gorgeous waterfall 2.0 miles away from where “Ole Rey” (our RV’s name, Thank You Maddy B) was resting.

The hike travelled along a gorgeous river that had huge slides, big pools and beautiful rapids. The hike was a continuous yet gentle uphill and the weather couldn’t have cooperated more. The younger boys ran up front, jumping off of fallen trees and climbing rocks along the way. My Big G is well-versed in convincing himself that he “can’t” do something or “isn’t” strong enough. All of which is categorically untrue as Big G is the innovative thinker who may not be the athletic powerhouse of some boys is the sensitive and imaginative thinker that will change the world; however, he still has to hike…

There were pains in his arches, hunger pangs that threatened to maim, and a loss of motor coordination induced by star alignment that threatened the hike at different stages. All the while, we plugged along (truthfully Dear Reader, I am not the best with whining and complaining in fact I have a great deal of patience to learn in this arena)… The long and short of it, Big G and I made it intact and happy (in the end) that we had both made it. We sat together with his little brother watching the power and beauty of nature and couldn’t have been more in awe. Big G ran back down the hill with his younger brother and pal without a thought of the energy expended. As a parent, I realized that sometimes pushing, okay let’s face it, requiring a child strongly to get out of their way is a lesson in perseverance and patience that I continue to need.