Pinnacles National Park

So new as a National Park it still has many Monument signs

As a family we like to camp so given that fact that money is tight on one income our vacations often involve camping. It took me many years to realize that was why we camped as children, I just thought my parents really liked it.  We don't have a traditional spot we go to every year instead we try to visit a new National Park every year. Living in the west we are blessed with an abundance of natural beauty within driving distance. We are starting to run out of new parks in California and we needed something within a few hours. We learned a hard lesson taking an 18 month old on a 9 hour drive to Death Valley. Our choice was Pinnacles National Park which lies approximately 45min south of Hollister Ca.

Pinnacles NP is the countries newest National Park. However it has been in the National Parks system for over 100 years as a National Monument. The parks two main attractions are the rock spires and outcroppings formed from an ancient volcanic field and the other is the Talus caves. The Caves are some of the largest Talus Caves in the world .A Talus Cave is not a cave in the traditional sense it is a cave formed by boulders falling a narrow canyon and sealing the top. Some other attractions of the park are the 30+ California Condors which was reintroduced into the parks in 2003. It is also a climbers paradise and much of the park has hiking trails specifically for climbing access.

We chose to go the week after the Labor Day holiday. Last year we discovered that nobody camps that week. It is really quite nice, the weather is still good and the summer crowds are gone. After the kids start school that will go away but for now we love it. We arrived at Pinnacles mid afternoon and found the park empty. The park has 134 camp sites and 5 were occupied the night we stayed. The park is split due to the lack of a road connecting the east and west sides. The campgrounds have flush toilets and showers for those of you who prefer those amenities. An added perk was a swimming pool, the park has no lake or river for cooling off so they have a very nice swimming pool.  Our girls were very pleased to be able to play in the pool after driving all day. On an evening walk we got to seem many deer, rabbits and quite a few bats.

Inside the Caves

We hiked the next morning to the Bear Gulch Caves. It took a little convincing to get Kaelin into them but once in she loved it. There were several times we had to take Leah out of the kid carrier due to low clearance. The hike to the cave was uphill but not difficult and most little kids should be able to make it.  The caves are also home to an endangered species of frog which seemed to us to be quite plentiful given the high numbers we were able to see.  We exited the cave and were able to see a small portion of the rock formations from Bear Gulch Reservoir. We headed back to the truck for our picnic and for Kaelin to complete her Jr. Ranger worksheet. She left the ranger station with a giant smile, new badge and even a patch for her efforts.

Snug fit at times

At this point we headed out to finish the rest of our road trip. We spent several hours on Hwy 1 trying to figure out why exactly Teddy Roosevelt had found it so special. This isn't meant to be a knock on the park it's just that we get spoiled with places like Yosemite and Death Valley. Not every park can be that awe-inspiring but we were a little underwhelmed. We decided that we really needed to see the other side of the park before we passed judgement.  So on our way home from the coast we did just that and checked out the park from the West Entrance.

Being such a small park it would be easier to hike from one side of the park than to drive it. Our kids prevented that hike from happening so we drove in from the west. This entrance has a brand new visitors center and provided a much better view of the formations. We attempted a to hike further into the park to check out some of the cooler formations but after fighting the kids for 10 mins we called it a day. The west end seems much closer to the bigger formations in the park as well as a chance to see the condor.

Rock formations from the West Side Visitors Center

We left still slightly puzzled as to why Teddy felt the need but it was still worthwhile. It is unlike anything else in the area and seems more like a scene out of the desert than on the coast. We will return without the kids to do some hiking and explore some more of the park and I would recommend anyone checking it out. We both felt strange not being completely in awe and while that might not speak well of Pinnacles it goes to show how spoiled we are being so close to so much extraordinarily beautiful country.

Bear Gulch Res.

Cal Fire Family Day

 

We were lucky enough to attend a Cal Fire Family Day recently. While this event was not a public event there are many local fire departments that offer tours. The event was held at the Cal Fire Academy in Ione, CA. We were treated to a whole host of demonstrations as well as a great lunch and lots of extreamly helpful Cal Fire employees.

Our tour started with a walk down "main street". Here was the heart of the hands on training that all of the firefighters at the academy must complete. There was a mock roof set up for roof venting exercises. A garage type structure that they will start fires in then give lectures on how the fire progresses with the cadets inside.  They gave demonstrations on a 5 story building for emergency ladder escapes and repelling. The creepiest building had to be the "haunted house" which was 2 story structure that they will fill with smoke to the point of zero visibility. The cadets must exit a maze or debris and wiring which resembles a house that the roof has collapsed. Their only time limit is their air supply.  There was a vehicle airbag deployment excise in which Elmo was blown 50 feet in the air. Now being a former mechanic and known vehicle crasher the violent power of an airbag is nothing new to me. There were however many people who had never witnessed an airbag deployment. I'm pretty certain that a few folks moved their seats back after having witnessed what an airbag is capable of.

Used for repelling and ladder drills

After a fantastic lunch there was a law enforcement demonstration. This came as a surprise as I was unaware that Cal Fire had Peace Officers. There are roughly 200 Cal Fire Law Enforcement Officers statewide that mostly investigate wildfires in the state. These men and women not only carry the responsibility of being Peace Officers but must also carry full fire and medic gear in there vehicles with them. They must be able to serve on fire lines as well as serve warrants. Pretty impressive range of duties. The officers complete the same training that CHP or your local Sheriff complete. The academy also has there very own gun range on site. They had most of the equipment used by the LEO's on display for people to try on and had a patrol vehicle open as well.

Shannon is riot ready

Back draft.  Most of us have seen the movie or been to Universal Studios and gone on the ride. We were lucky enough to see an actual one in full force. This was enhanced by the step by step explanations of what was occurring by the instructors. The demonstration is used to teach firefighters the signs and symptoms of a back draft. This teaching aid only became available 2 years ago and prior to that the fire cadets were shown video on what it looks like. This was a very neat demonstration however the lessons learned for the firemen are very real. These occur very rarely in real life but are extreamly dangerous to personnel when the do occur. I also learned the smoke is a combustible under the right conditions. They started the outside of the container on fire with just the contact from a flare.

While it's a little tough to see that is a fireball shooting out of the container

The final demonstration was rides in the fire trucks. Who doesn't want to ride in a fire truck? The look on my daughters face was priceless. If a face can say "holy crap i'm riding in a fire truck" it did. It was again staffed by a very nice instructor who actually seemed to be enjoying themselves.

Thank You again to my sister whom we were guests of and the Cal Fire Academy. All of the instructors and employees were extreamly helpful and I would say everyone learned something today. There was a genuine enthusiasm that was very evident and I'm not quite sure who enjoyed themselves more the kids or the adults. Great Job Cal Fire!

Cal Fire Facts

• Responsible for 31 million acres 
• On average repsond to 5,600 wildfires and 350,000 non wildfire emergencies a year
•  48 various aircraft used
• 4,300 inmates, wards or CCC are used annually

Watermelon Lemonade

Watermelon has to be one of the very best fruits the summer season has to offer. But after 3 straight weeks of watermelon from the garden our intake has certainly slowed down. It was time to get creative. What I ended up with proved to be unique and tasty, watermelon lemonade.

Watermelon Lemonade Recipe

• 6 cup fresh watermelon with seeds removed
• 3 cups pre-mixed lemonade
• 1/4 cup lemonade powder mix to adjust stength as desired 

1.  Prepare 3 cups lemonade and set aside
2. Cut watermelon into cubes and place in blender
3. Blend watermelon until liquid
4. Strain pulp if desired
5. Mix lemonade with watermelon juice and chill
6. Enjoy!

Road Trip Survival Pt. 2

Now that our bags are complete we need to fill them. Depending on how long you trip is going to be adjust your level of entertainment. Our trip is going to be a moderate driving trip. We learned the hard way about an 18 month old and super long road trips in Death Valley. Now there are certainly those of you reading this now thinking, why not bring the tablet or turn on a movie. There is a very simple reason, we don't own either and wouldn't do it if we did. If you have teens my only advise would be, take a trailer and lock them inside. No trailer? No problem, a small investment on quality rope won't cost very much and just imagine how much more room you will have with them tied to the roof.

Filler Ideas

• Build Your Own Coloring Book. There are many online galleries for ready to print coloring pages. Include some connect the dot style pictures too.
• Tic-Tac-Toe. Print a few pages of simple grids for your kids to play together or with your navigator.
•  Scavenger Hunts. Make a scavenger hunt for your trip. I made ours with pictures since our daughter cannot read yet. You can also make one with license plates from different states.
• Color Pencil's. Most of us take vacations when the weather is warm. Crayons melt in the heat so try color pencils for a nice treat.
• I-Spy. Now I can only handle this little game for a very limited time but for those of you that can handle it kids seem to love it.
• Binoculars. If you own a cheap pair bring them for the kids to use while driving or better yet let them make their own with empty toilet paper rolls. The optics aren't as good but it's the thought that counts right?
• Blank Paper. There is really an unlimited amount of things a child can do with blank paper
• Books. Break out a couple of favorites or hit the dollar store and pick up a new one.

Other Helpful Ideas

• Take breaks. This one is difficult for me to do but it is certainly worth it. Stop at a rest stop and let the kids run. Play tag or bring a ball to play with when you stop.
• Pack a lunch. Kids love picnics and for a family on a budget it's a simple way to control costs. Stop at a park if possible. Every town in every state has a playground, find it.
• Window Shoping. We tent to stop at a large sporting goods store while traveling south and let the kids look at all the cool stuff. There are many places like this that have large fish tanks or animals on display. Not your speed? Most small tourist towns have a main street that survives on tourist traffic. Stop, walk around check out a cool old town.
• Travel Books. This can range from from a AAA guide book to our family favorites the roadside history variety. Most libraries have a travel section with guides and roadside books are available at any tourist trap or bookstore.You can learn a lot just from driving with mind and eyes open.

 Links and Scavanger Hunt Lists

 

 Coloring Pages

http://www.coloring-pages-kids.com/

http://www.crayola.com/free-coloring-pages/

http://www.coloring-book.info/coloring/

 Family Favorite Travel Books and a few extras

http://www.amazon.com/Roadside-History-California-Series/dp/0878423184/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1378056396&sr=8-1&keywords=roadside+history+california

 

http://www.amazon.com/California-Historical-Landmarks-Historic-Preservation/dp/0941925196/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1378056453&sr=8-1&keywords=california+historical+landmarks

http://www.amazon.com/Roadside-Geology-Northern-Central-California/dp/0878424091/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1378056515&sr=8-1&keywords=california+roadside

http://www.amazon.com/California-Why-Stop-Roadside-Historical/dp/088415923X/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&qid=1378056515&sr=8-14&keywords=california+roadside