Shooting range

Our next destination we happened to stumble into. We were on our way off the mountain and as we turned...there it was, the boys dream... a shooting range.

Erin aka THE TERMINATOR

The lil man shooting with daddy...

Chalk Bluffs

The next destination was the Chalk Bluffs. After driving down a twisty dirt road in search of the Chalk Bluffs, we finally spotted an all white mountain. Not sure if this was actually the Chalk Bluffs we were looking for, but we checked it out anyways. The kids ran all over, up an down these mountains. The chalk was soft enough to write their name into it. I know Caden and Davin wished they had their bikes with us. We all made the best of it. The kids climbed and slid on their bumms on the way down. They all had fun, and then it was time to leave. How were we supposed to get all white children into our once nice all black car? We grinned and bared it and were on to our next destination.

Hot Creek Geological Site

From the Hatchery we drove down a bumpy dirt road to find the Hot Creek Geological Site. This place was unbelievably amazing. Boiling hot springs, fumaroles and geysers are found here. Some of these pump hot water into the water flowing down from Mammoth Creek warming the water into what is called Hot Creek. Swimming is officially not advised. What makes Hot Creek so spectacular is the view, and the way the water mixes. The colors were amazing.

Hot Creek Fish Hatchery

Next was the Eastern Sierra fish hatchery. This hatchery supplies the entire state with millions of trout each year. Visiting the hatchery was fun for the kids, they enjoyed feeding the fish. The warm springs of Hot Creek provide ideal temperatures for trout development. We were able to view all the different sized fish, from an inch to a foot long, in long rearing ponds called raceways. Fish are raised here to plant in local waters and to provide eggs for other hatcheries.

Obsidian Dome

We took one day to go sight seeing and let the kids have a break from fishing. Our adventure started at Obsidian Dome located near Mammoth. Obsidian Dome is a mile-long mound of black glass, reaching up to 300 feet high. The kids were able to climb up the mound and see all the different sized rocks filled with this black composition. The kids loved exploring the area looking for different shaped rocks. The material found in these rocks is the same material used by the Paiute Indians to sculpt arrowheads, spearheads and knives. The kids were determined to find an arrowhead...no such luck.

More fishing and another snake

After a great day at Dynamo Pond, we had to finish the day off with our end of the day fishing for the night time catch back at Twin Lakes. As we were fishing I saw a black furry animal approaching us. At first I thought it was a bear... thankfully it was only "Willow" a friendly local lab that came down to the lake to cool off and say hello to the kids. The boys were finally able to catch a gardener snake. Everyone had a chance at holding it. It turned out to be a great snake day for the kids.

Dynamo Pond

A little history on the area...Dynamo Pond was built in 1892. It was the first hydroelectric power plant in the eastern Sierra to supply power to Bodie, a then very famous gold mining town 13 miles away. This was the first time electricity was transmitted any distance. News of this engineering breakthrough spread clear around the world and the engineers soon received request to build similar hydro plants from far away as Australia. Today it is a beautiful little pond. The kids had a great time exploring the area. They had fun trying to catch a gardener snake, butterflies and fish. Davin was successful in catching a butterfly. We enjoyed walking along the river bank. It was very peaceful and serene. What another great day !

The 4th of July

For the 4th of July we woke up early and went to have a pancake breakfast in Bridgeport. The entire 3 blocks of the little city of Bridgeport was decorated for the 4th. The kids were able to go on jumpers and then we went to the parade. The city shut down the entire 395 highway for the short old time parade. The kids had a great time as the various cars and floats threw candy to the kids. They had a great time. We had lunch and then headed back so the kids could swim in the lake.

We ended our 4th of July with going back to the little town of Bridgeport for fireworks.

What a great July 4th!

The Echan's camp site

Our family loves the Echan's. They happened to be vacationing at Twin Lakes the same time we were up there. The kids loved playing with the Echan's kids. Every night they were there the kids asked if they could go to their campsite. I am always in no objection since Amy is one of my favorite friends/fire fighter wives to hang out with and that I happen to only see at Twin Lakes. The kids roasted marshmallows. And then we looked for bears. Slater was a little scared. We only saw one. Another great end to a great day.

Lower Twin Lake

After hiking to Twin Lake Falls we headed back down to the lake to finish our day fishing.

Hiking to Twin Lake Falls

We hiked to the Twin Lake Falls. The scenery was beautiful. The kids enjoyed looking for little creatures. They found a deer and its baby, a chipmunk and some small creature that Davin told everyone it was a Lemming. Another great day hike.

Bridgeport, CA

We stopped in the little city of Bridgeport to have dinner at the kids favorite Jolly Kone. Then we explored the few old buildings that lined the street. They were built in the late 1800's The best part was taking the kids to the Mono County Jail. Its always a little fun to use a scare tactic to drop them off at jail if they misbehave. We headed back to the cabin after another great day.

Green Creek River

Our next adventure was to Green Creek River. Erin drove our suburban down a rough road. Thankfully our car made it, not being an off road vehicle. We found this really neat place next to the flowing river. It was kinda spooky. Erin walked through it and from then the kids had no fear of walking through it. It was an old place, that possibly was a remnant of something from the later 1800's or early 1900's. It was a little eerie. I thought it was possibly an old jail. The kids loved exploring around it. We found an old boot nailed to a tree. It was an absolutely lush and gorgeous part of the forest. The kids ended their adventure by pulling out the BB guns again. It was a great day and a great place to have a picnic.

Blue Lake

Our first little adventure was to Blue Lake. It was a cloudy day. Caden was acting a little under the weather. He was very congested. I thought it would be too cold, but we all continued hiking back to Blue Lake. Erin reassured me it would burn off. After about an hour of the kids huddled under towels and tired of being rained on, Erin decided to pack it in. On our way back to the car, we were a little lost in the woods, thankfully we fond our way back. When we all piled back into the car after breaking a fishing pole, we turned on the heater and the rain started coming down hard. The thermometer on the car said 51*... a little too cold for me. The kids and I were glad to get back to the cabin and defrost.