So this last Sunday we drove up highway 88 to Hope Valley. We’ve been dreaming about this place since we discovered it late last year. It’s 125 miles from Manteca. It’s full of our beloved granite rocks and pine trees. It has several places to camp. And it has a great little trout stream. It’s majestic. It’s just over the crest of the Sierras so it’s technically the eastern Sierras, Yum’s favorite side. And the PCT goes right through it. So it’s a very special place.

Yum and I camped Sunday night after a long drive and a very late evening of fishing (Yum was still fishing by moonlight). If I hadn’t mentioned bears, Yum might have fished until midnight. We had a great campfire and a quick bite to eat and were off to bed, snoozing before the witching hour.

The next morning we broke camp and drove a quick 25 miles to Minden/Gardnerville. It’s amazing how close Hope Valley is to this part of Nevada. One day Yum and I will live in the Minden area, and Hope Valley will be our playground. Anyway… after breakfast we started home. We decided to take highway 4.

I knew there would be lots of places to fish, and I was right. I must have stopped the car 3 or 4 times to get out and fly fish on the way home. It was a perfect afternoon, one that fly fishers dream about. My grasshopper patterns were killing. Every other cast was granting me a strike. The top water action was incredible. I’m surprised you didn’t hear me whoopin’ and hollerin’ way down here in the city! As the late afternoon became early evening I found myself in the middle of a hatch, and those hungry little trout would snap at anything. At one point, while I was wading upstream to the next riffle, I let my line drag behind me. A brave little brookie rose and took my fly. I wasn’t even looking! Magical.

Highway 4 was the long way home, but it was worth it. I’ve only been back in the city for two days and already I wish I were back in Hope Valley.

Here are some pics of highway 4.

Dad cooked all the meals, as usual–no complaints from me. I was happy to help clean up afterwards.

Yum and I spent Sunday afternoon fishing in Tuolumne Meadows. I fly fished for a few hours and Yum used worms. We didn’t catch a single fish, let alone SEE any fish. The water level is very high and very fast–not good for fly fishing. It’s still too early in the season. The temperature needs to rise and the water levels need to fall.

Sunday night we went to the ranger campfire program, where they talked about bats again. That night we slept outside, under the stars. Yum was asleep before her head hit the pillow. I tried to stay awake–I love how bright and how many stars are visible at 8,000 feet–but I soon fell asleep too.

Monday we walked down to Yosemite Creek and spent a few hours fishing and enjoying the scenery. We absolutely LOVE the high Sierra granite. There’s nothing like it (that I’ve seen) in all the world. I haven’t been down to Yosemite Creek in about 10 years, but it was everything that I remember. Yum kept saying over and over again how beautiful it was. The water level was just high enough for some good fishing. Yum caught 6-7 fish and I caught only one. We threw them all back.

The hike back up the trail was tougher than I remembered. The 89 degree temperatures didn’t help this old man. So I had to, uh, stop and rest a few times on the walk back up!

Back at the car we went straight to Lake Tenaya, where I spent a looooooong time soaking in the crystal clear and cold water. It was shocking at first how cold the water was, but man… was it worth it. I cooled down and relaxed–enjoying the breathtaking scenery. We spent an hour at the end of the lake opposite the sandy beach (where everyone goes) and enjoyed some time all to ourselves. After a bite to eat and quick nap we drove east.

Past Tuolumne Meadows and over Tioga Pass we drove. We stopped just outside YNP at a creek along the road for some more fishing. Again, Yum put me to shame by catching manymuchmore trout than I did. We kept a few for supper. It started to rain. Crazy! It’s almost July and it’s raining really hard. It rained all the way to Olmsted Point. When we got back to our campsite we found out it hadn’t rained at all there. Sierra weather is sooo unpredictable.

Last night we opted to sleep in our tent. I’m sure we both snored, having just had a very active day, and slept soundly and peacefully. This morning after a quick breakfast we broke camp and drove home.

And the drive home was only 115 miles, done in 2.5 hours. We love living this close to Yosemite.

(No pictures this time, I was having to much fun to take out my camera!)

In mid-April we went swimming at Lake Camanche off highway 88.

Lake Camanche was nice and cool during that heat wave we had here in California. We finished off our evening with some gambling at Jackson Rancheria.

In late April we explored the Clark Fork of the Stanislaus River off highway 108.

Clark Fork was a nice surprise. I haven’t been up there since I was a kid. I loved all the smooth, bright granite rocks. There’s nothing like that High Sierra Yosemite-like scenery. I can’t wait to explore highway 108 some more!

That is, after the rest of road opens…

First impression: Manteca is Hayward. I see the same people, the same downtown, the same good side of town and bad side of town.

Except Manteca is 40 degrees hotter than Hayward in the summer. And Manteca is stupid cheap–rent, food, gas–everything is cheaper here.

Surprisingly, I feel quite comfortable here. It kinda feels like home (Hayward). Moms and Pops still live and do business here. The town has character. I can hang. I like it here.

I’m really liking our new apartment. It was looking awfully small with all our boxes in here on moving day. But now that almost everything is put away it’s looking much better.

I keep saying to myself, “I’m only 90 miles away from Yosemite.”

It’s been a year in Vacaville. It’s been nice. I didn’t really get a good feel for it. It was too much like suburbia to me. Caught in the middle between Sacramento and the Bayarrhea. So much for Leisure Town and the Road To Fun. It’s time to move on.

So we’re moving to Manteca, and I’m excited. 90 miles from Yosemite works pretty well for me. We’ll be much closer to fly fishing and granite rocks and pine trees.

So far I like what I see. It seems to be more of an outdoorsman’s community than Vacaville. The Bass Pro Shop in Manteca is comparable to Cabela’s in Reno. I love both places.

Our new apartment is close to downtown Manteca. I’ll scout it out, I always do. I’ll find the ‘spots’.

Two more weeks. Good bye Vacaville. I hardly knew ye.

Here is my favorite one

I love my new camera!

After choosing our new apartment in Manteca this afternoon we took a drive up to Sonora and decided to keep going to Yosemite Valley.

We’re staying at Yosemite Lodge tonight. It’s warm and dry and the bed is quite comfortable. Yum is already asleep.

And son of a goose… I’m lying here in bed with my laptop and I’ve got free WiFi. WiFi in Yosemite! Crazy.

Tomorrow will be an early day. We’re going to spend all of it in the Valley taking pictures with our new digital camera–the Nikon Coolpix S560.

‘nite!

We didn’t count on the economy turning on us. So no jobs in Sacramento. And no leapfrogging to Auburn or Placerville. I also didn’t count on my job in Concord being moved to Livermore.

But Vacaville to Livermore is 65 miles. I can’t drive that distance twice a day, AND pay $5 to use the bridge. And we can’t continue to pay $1600 a month in rent here in Vacaville. That’s just silly.

So the plan has changed. Hunker down. Ride out the recession. Keep my job with Comcast (the one that’s moving to Livermore). That means moving closer to Livermore.

Right now that’s looking like Manteca, which is 35 miles away (and no bridge toll). We like Manteca. It’s quiet. It’s strategically located between highways 5 and 99, right along 120.

120, which is the road to Yosemite. Awww yeah!

Our new location will put us about 2 hours away from Yosemite Valley. I’m liking the sound of that a lot.

We’ll also be very close to Yum’s favorite highway–88, which is the road to Kirkwood. It’s also our favorite way to get to Tahoe.

Our lease is up at our current apartment on May 1st, and that’s right around the time that my job is moving from Concord to Livermore. So far, so good.

Everything is going according to (the new) plan. And I love it when a plan comes together.

Me, fly fishing in Tuolumne Meadows, Yosemite National Park, July 2008

Picture by the Anonymous Mystery Photographer