We stayed at the Wuksachi Lodge, where Andy works. It was a great place. The best part for the boys of the family, though (including Carl!) was the proximity to the snow. Now, it was the end of March, and the weather was really mild. So there was limited snow. But compared to our snow-free existence in Oakland, it was wonderful!
After waking up at the normal 6am and eating a quick breakfast, the boys were ready to sample the snow right outside of our room.
Erik liked just being in the snow, as well as running away from a few snowballs from Carl:
After playing for awhile, the boys came back in and we rested for awhile in the room. Around 9:30 we got ready to go over to the main lodge and meet up with Stacy and the kids (Andy was already at work). In front of the lodge was a big hill with lots of snow, and that is where we spent the rest of the morning.
Getting ready (hey, it's me!)
Ready to play
Erik, Carl, and Anders all loved sliding down the hill. Erik mostly rolled down, and Anders liked riding down on Carl's back. After awhile, he got brave and did the penguin slide down the hill.
After Stacy and the kids got there, all the boys built snow forts while Stacy and I (and baby Maya!) talked. They had a wonderful time building them--the best part was the building. They tried a bit of a snowball fight, but it wasn't as much fun.
Carl also dug out a few snow caves:
After a great lunch at the lodge, we went to see the largest (in mass) living thing--the General Sherman tree.
We also went to the museum in the park, where Erik really enjoyed looking at the model of big things, showing how big the General Sherman is compared to the Statue of Liberty, 20 elephants, and a space shuttle, among other things. Anders enjoyed trying to be like the other boys, including trying to climb the wall to see the video screen better
A boost from mom helped out:
After just a little while at the museum, it was time for us to say goodbye. There was a stretch of the park road under construction, and traffic during the day was only allowed through at the top of the hour. We had to be there ready, or we'd have to wait another hour.
It was hard to say goodbye--the time was just really fast. After a few more hugs for the baby and goodbyes to the boys, we were ready to go. Our drive down the hill was uneventful, except for the 5 minutes when Erik looked a little green and said that his stomach hurt. We stopped at a bathroom then, and that seemed to settle his stomach.
The views on the way down were beautiful:
My favorite part was the purple blossoming trees amidst all of the green.
The trip home was equally good. We stopped at In'N'Out for dinner, which is always enjoyed by our family. Erik fell asleep on the way there, so he was awake for the rest of the trip home. Anders was able to keep himself awake for a long time, in spite of being very tired, by reading book after book after book. We finally restricted him from books, and he fell asleep pretty quickly. Of course, he doesn't sleep well in the car, and he did cry on and off for the last 45 minutes of the drive. After a few rounds of "mom stories", though, he was able to settle down (for some reason, both boys find my boring stories about hippos, lions, alligators, and gorillas very exciting).
All in all, it was a fun family vacation, and a great chance to spend time with some wonderful friends.
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