Corvallis, OR

Another very special trip to see Duncan, Katy,  Oli and Maggie. A 4 hour drive from Crater Lake NP and with our own bikes and own car for a change, we hoped to be not quite so helpless , transport wise, as on our former visits.

Huge success and we had some happy days with the family over the Memorial Day Weekend.

Daddy back from work - big excitement

hikes.....

....laughs

...and biking

The Lumos winery we all went to for a delicious sandwich lunch and a lot of wine tasting - we were on bikes

.. and a boule lawn . Memories of GSR and Duncan ( at same age as Oli ) in front of the Howtown Hotel, Borrowdale

Yosemite & Crater Lake National ParksThe 1,00

First time in Yosemite en route to Corvallis , OR.  We weren't disappointed !

The 1,000 odd mile drive across Colorado, Utah and Nevada

Nevada State Capitol  - Carson City, Nevada

Kit himself !

Yosemite Lodge, CA ( we didn't stay here ! )

1st afternoon's hike - to top of Vernal Falls

Face of El Capitan - scene of Free Solo

Yosemite Falls - at about its most impressive with Spring snowmelt. We hiked to the top of this on day 2

Believe it or not, we're nearly half way to the top at this stage. These falls have a further 500 feet so so to fall before reaching the valley floor

Where we did  stay - Treetops Lodge on the southern entrance to the Park. Communal loos and showers, but v comfortable

The Mariposa Sequoia Grove . A cool 1000 odd years of growth and in some trees here much more.

Identity of this rhubarb looking plant still to be identified

This was our introduction to Crater Lake NP in southern Oregon. Only managed to get to this point by bike. Road closed - reminiscent of Yellowstone on our trans am trip

No inflow ( other than rain and snow ) and and no outflow ( other than seepage and condensation - I'm still waiting for an email from the Park rangers to tell me approximately in what proportion ! )