Beautiful, Beautiful Mammoth

A couple of weeks ago, we had the opportunity to take 1 final vacation as a family of just 3. We ventured off to the beautiful mountains of Mammoth for some hiking, kayaking, fishing, playing & sitting by the fire. We stayed in a comfortable trailer with plenty of amenities. We were able to order the trailer ahead of time to be delivered & set up before we got there. That is truly the way to camp when you have a toddler! Even better, we were joined by several friends of ours during the course of our 5 day stay.

We started the trip by waking up at 4am, not suggested when you only got to sleep at 2am the night before (or I guess that would be the morning of). We finished packing up the car with all of our food & transported a dead asleep Riley into her car seat while it was still very dark outside. She was groggy, but nice to us & looked at us like we were insane. We had told her earlier in the week that we would be going to the mountains soon, so all she could could get out in her very sleepy voice was, "mountain?" When we assured her that that was the reason for our insanity, she seemed satisfied. :-)

We stayed at the Twin Lakes campground in Mammoth Lakes. Not only are there the two lakes to enjoy, but also hiking trails, fishing, & a nearby waterfall. We were also a short drive from so many other beautiful areas we could explore nature. For those of you wondering if I did any hiking, I have to be honest...no, not really. I took walks & I kind of did a short hike to an abandoned mining town that was pretty neat (although others may not call it quite a hike). The altitude was a little tough for a lady 7 months pregnant, like myself; but I did what I could.

On our first full day there, we drove to another area where Aaron, Riley & our friends, the Callahans & the Lamphears, had an adventurous hike around Rock Creek Lake. I also enjoyed Rock Creek Lake...in my own way. I had the lovely opportunity to sit in a chair, relax, admire this amazing lake & read a good book. After about an hour I met up with everyone at Pie in the Sky, where we had delicious hamburgers & the most amazing Mud Pie I have ever tasted!

Throughout the trip, we were visited by many forms of wildlife. We saw playful chipmunks & squirrels daily. Our friends even had a bear outside their trailer a couple of nights & Riley & Aaron came across a deer on their segway ride around the campground.

On our second full day in Mammoth, we went down to spend the day at Convict Lake. Aaron & I had hiked around it years ago (pre-kids). This time, however, we had the great opportunity to do some exploring on the lake. Our dear friends' Aunt Polly & Uncle Paul, who live up in Mammoth, lent us their kayaks for the day. Although I wanted to try it really bad, I was not sure if I would be able to get up & out of the kayak, if I even got myself into it in the first place. Aaron took Riley for a ride & eventually, I gathered up the courage to just go for it. I am so glad I did! The weather was perfect. The water was beautiful & so clear. (I never knew how deep that lake is!) We kayaked over to the far end of the lake & had our picnic lunch with our friends, the Lamphears. That night we were also invited over to enjoy a scrumptious dinner (those cheesy potatoes were amazing) at Uncle Paul & Aunt Polly's house. Thank you both so much for your generosity, hospitality & kindness! You gave a us memories we will treasure forever!

On our way home we visited the Law's Train Museum, http://www.lawsmuseum.org/index.htm, with the Lamphears & Bob & Katy Davis. It was huge & it had all these neat historical buildings & artifacts, as well as a train that you could little walk on & ring the bell (which the kids did over & over). There was a general store, an old fire station with antique fire equipment, a pioneer building & an interesting, but almost creepy, medical building which contained antique dental & various medical equipment.

The whole trip was a blast & ranged from fun & exciting to calm & relaxing. We feel very blessed to have these great memories & wonderful friends to share them with. We are looking forward to creating many new vacation memories as a family of 4 very soon!