Yosemite trip

June 25th 2010

To sum up Yosemite in one sentence - Great hiking trails, biking trails, horse riding, and beautiful waterfalls, picture perfect, star filled sky with mountains all around you. I cannot describe in words. There is something to do for everyone (Adventurer, Lay back and relax, fun)


We went to Yosemite along with our neighbors. It is 4 hrs drive from San Jose . We reached Yosemite around 9.30 PM on Friday. By the time we carried all our stuff from the car to the tent in Curry village and got settled it was 10:30 PM and we went to bed for a good night rest. Recommend reaching their before it gets dark , so you can take your time to settle in and have dinner at Curry Village pavilion. Curry Village tents have very basic amenities – Towels, beds and blankets. All food and toiletries need to be stored in bear boxes outside the tent. No eating or drinking allowed in the tent. I should say they designed the village very well hidden away in all those trees. Except that the tents are too close each other they are perfect for Yosemite trip. We had shared bath rooms.

Mist Trail - Vernal falls


Next day, bright and early we explored around the curry village on our bikes, had breakfast and saw a show on Yosemite natural wonders and history by the rangers at the curry village pavilion. Once our friends woke up, we got ready to go for a hike to Vernal falls. We took a shuttle from curry village to Vernal falls trail head. It is a beautiful hike all the way to Bridge. Once we reached the bridge, it is amazing to hear the power of water flowing under the bridge from Vernal falls. You can see Vernal falls from the bridge. We took some rest at the bridge and started to go up the mist trail. I have read in books and heard from my friends at work that you will get wet on this trail. So I was prepared with poncho’s for kids and did not expect to get totally drenched. Depending on which time to go to Yosemite the mist intensity varies. End of spring, beginning summer the water falls are full and expect to be totally drenched. There is an alternate route to get to Vernal falls through John Muir trail , but you miss the view of the falls all the way and it is longer route. I loved to go up the mist trail. After certain point on the trail, you need to climb up the steps. They are sometimes slippery – watch out. By the time we reached to the top of the Vernal falls even though all wet, it is totally worth it. The first thought on my mind when I reached the top is - Is this how heaven looks like? It is so wonderful . Water falls from Nevada falls ( one level above Vernal falls) , Emerald lake, flow of water, beaches , Of course the Vernal falls. We spend some time eating lunch. Please pack your lunch and snacks for this hike. Totally it took us 5-6 hrs to the complete hike with pit stops, lunch breaks and fun at the water. It is a total of 4 hrs hike( one way through mist trail and the other way through john Muir trail) if you hike without stopping. On our way back we took John Muir trail to come back. You can choose to go to Nevada falls if you are interested from here. This trail has lot of switch backs and very long trail compared to mist trail. Horses are allowed on John Muir trail, so you will see lot of horse poop on the trail and it stings too. If I do this trail again, I will go and come back on mist trail only.

Once we reached the village, I really needed to clean up. Had a nice shower and then headed out for dinner on our bikes. We went to Yosemite village, unfortunately the deli there is closed as we went late. So we had Pizza for dinner and brought the leftovers for tomorrow’s lunch. Very exhausted.. Ate Ice cream for dessert at Curry village pavilion and played few board games and slept.

Taft Point hike - Glacier point - Yosemite falls
The next day, our friends slept in. So we went to venture on our own. We woke up and left early. We visited Bridal Veil falls. The trail is only 0.5 miles. Easy hike. Recommended for families with small kids.
From there we started to go to glacier point. On the way we stopped to admire the tunnel view of Yosemite. Splendid. Words cannot describe it. Then we headed to Taft point and fissures hike. This is on your way to Glacier point. Parking is very limited, so parked on the side of the road. This hike takes you through the forest, meadow to the edge of the mountain. It is not a strenuous hike. The final climb at Taft point is little work and it is not a long distance. The fissures in the rock are so deep that you can see the valley below you. The view from Taft point is a bird’s eye view of Yosemite. There is a overhanging rock at Taft point. If you stand on it you are standing on a hanging rock nothing but air under it. You have to experience it , cannot describe the feeling. We had the cold pizza we packed yesterday for lunch at Taft point and went back on the trail. At the beginning of the trail you will find marble stone that was deposited many many years ago. I heard that this is the only place in Yosemite you will find marble stone.
Once we reached the trail head, we debated if we should go on Centennial dome hike. I was up for it. Jay ( My son) was so tired, so we skipped it and headed to glacier point. Glacier point is a visitor spot. It is overcrowded and we made few circles before we got parking here. Recommend going here after 3.00 PM , you will find parking easily. They have a snack shop and water available here. From glacier point you can see all the wonderful places of Yosemite ( ¼ of the park ) – Yosemite falls, Vernal falls, Bridal Veil falls, Half dome , Curry village, Yosemite village, mirror lake etc.. After took in the nature and its beauty we went to see the archeology center which describes how Yosemite was formed and how it looked from ice age to now. Great history. On our way back, we made a stop at snack shop. It was very hot that day. We had water and water all the way that day. From glacier point we headed back to curry village. You can also hike back from Glacier point to curry village. It is a 4 mike trail. ( did not attempt it, but heard it is beautiful trail). We took our bikes and biked to Yosemite falls. The biking trails are great in the valley. You can go anywhere in the valley on your bikes. If you are flying in , they rent bikes at curry village pavilion.
We parked our bikes there and hiked to see the Yosemite falls . This is a easy hike. Yosemite falls has lower and upper falls. Upper falls is a long hike. Then we headed back to the village, showered and had dinner at curry village pavilion. We had burgers and fries for dinner. After dinner Jay, his friend Adi and I went biking to Yosemite village and came back. Lots and lots to do even in night. The other adults saw a movie where they showed the fire fall in 1964 and why it was stopped etc.. Then we played gestures game for couple of times and went to bed. There are lot of mosquitoes in the valley. Get lot of mosquito repellents.

Horse back riding and mirror lake

Next morning Jay and Adi went horseback riding ( half day trip) . I made the reservations ahead of time. Recommended to make reservations ahead of time for 2 hr rides as those fill up fast. While my husband dropped the boys, I packed up and was ready to go exploring a little bit more. Once Lakshman is back, Lakshman and I took our bikes and went to mirror lake. You can bike all the way to mirror lake on the trail. Then we were trying to find half dome and other shadows in the mirror lake. You can see the shadows very clearly in the lake. Then we hiked trail around the lake to see the rock slide. This trail will lead to the stables. We went 2 miles on the trail and headed back as we need to pack and leave by 11.00 AM . Mirror lake is now becoming a mirror meadow as more rock slide comes down every spring . Take great pictures when you are there as it may not last for long.

We picked up the boys from stables and then off we are on our way back. On our way back I was disappointed that I did not see a bear in Yosemite. Then as we heading to the entrance , we saw a bear in the meadow taking a nap. I was so thrilled.

I will be back to Yosemite to hike the half dome. That is my goal .

Gold Country,CA trip

July 5th 2010

Interested in Cave Adventures Gold Mine tours , Gold Panning , Zip lining and Rock Climbing…. California gold country is a perfect place for it .

Last few years we heard a lot about gold country , but did not get a chance to go and experience the wonders of this beautiful place. I have a 13 year old and now he understands the history of California and Gold Rush era, we wanted to take a trip to gold country. The location of the caves is around 21/2 to 3 hrs drive from bay area.

Black Chasm

On our trip we planned to visit 3 caves and 1 gold mine. Our first stop was Black Chasm cavern in Volcano city . You can enter this cavern on a guided tour only. Compared to other caverns we visited this is comparatively new. All the caves we visited are active caves( Formations are still growing). You are not allowed to touch the formations in any of the caves we visited as the oil on our fingers will stick to the formations and the water will run over them and the formations will no longer grow.

Our guide explained that helictites are very rare, only appearing in about ten percent of the caves found in the U.S. and most of these caves only have two or three examples. She led us into the Landmark Room, where hundreds, perhaps thousands, of stunning helictites grew out of the walls. One, shaped remarkably like a dragon, is the cavern's mascot, Mushu. It is the helictites growing from the walls of the cave that made this cave a landmark. It has the standard underground fare of stalactites, stalagmites, and flowstones, and from the platforms you can see down through holes in the floor to lower caverns, unexplored by any but the guides and scientists who study the cavern. Through one, a clear blue lake is visible, home to the cavern's only living creatures, eyeless, clear shrimp that have adapted to the lightless environment

Another pretty interesting fact about this cave is that they wanted to film the Matrix trilogy inside this cave, but they weren't allowed because the cave is still active and they did not want these formations to be disturbed. The environment is very delicate. Matrix movie team did come in to sketch and model the interior so the underground city of Zion is partially modeled after this cave.

The tour is around 45-50 mins long. The guide is very knowledgeable. There is a tour every 1 hour. The temperature inside the cave is 56 degrees year around. No jackets are needed in summer or winter. No food or water allowed on the tour. The reason water is not allowed is if anything spills in the cave, it will change the balance of oxygen in the cave. The fact I learned is that the atomic mass of the oxygen molecule in the air and water in the cave is O18 ( 8 protons and 10 neutrons) while the one we breathe and in our water is O16 ( 8 neutrons and 8 protons). Very popular cave and lots of people visit this cavern. Once you come out of the cave, you smell the trees which did not before you entered the cave. Outside the cavern, Kids can spend time gem mining and gold panning. It is fun activity for kids trying to find precious stones in sand bags ( which you purchase at the gift store)

After having lunch at the picnic tables we headed to Sutter gold mine in Sutter Creek.

Sutter Gold Mine

Sutter Gold Mine is a modern hard rock mine located on historic Highway 49 just north of Sutter Creek, south of Amador City at the site of several historic mines. These include the Lincoln Mine from which Leland Stanford made his fortune enabling him to be the founder of Stanford University and to partner in financing the Central Pacific Railroad. Although originally developed for gold extraction in the late 1980s, the mine is now open exclusively for one hour underground tours deep into the heart of the Mother lode.

The Sutter Gold Mine tour focused on educating people about life inside a mine, the safety issues involved, and what the earth looks like so far underground. At the beginning of the tour we are given hard hats to wear. The guide counted everyone and “tagged them in” by placing a metal tag over a number so everyone will be accounted for at the end of the tour. We boarded a bus buggy shuttle, used in real mines which carried us to the entrance of the mine. The entrance is cut into the rocky hillside, framed by a metal gate and metal pipes. You can hear lot of loud noises, which is the ventilation fan. Beyond the first 30 feet, the mine is pitch black. The buggy went through the tunnel down the mineshaft, and on the way we saw few mining equipment exhibits. After traveling 1,850 feet down, we entered safety chamber. The safety chamber is made of green rock which is very strong. The guide explained map of the Motherlode, how the safety chamber works, how the mine used to be blasted and what the 49er’s used to drill and how it was in those days with candles and Chisel to drill through the mine. Next, we walked through the “comet zone,” where gold-bearing quartz was extracted. Then climbed up few stairs and went through a tunnel to see more mining displays depicting mining activity and see the drills that are used to extract ore. We saw a gold spec on the walls of the mine and the guide taught us how to distinguish real gold from fool’s gold. Then we came to the shuttle and out of the mine shaft. It was a great experience and I was thinking how did they work in those pitch dark places with a just a candle. Once we are out of the mine and accounted for, Jay ( my son) wanted to do gold panning. It took us approx. 45 mins to finish that activity and yes, he did find some gold. Then we went to see a movie in the gold mine theatre about gold rush and how 49er’s came to California and what happened to Sutter. ( 30 mins ) Very interesting.

We heard that this mine may be back into production next year, once they have the surface plant build. At this point not sure if the tours will continue after the mine becomes operational. Kennedy gold mine is another place if you want to see what happens on the surface after that rock is lifted from the mine.

We stayed at Days Inn in Sutter creek that night and next morning headed to California caverns in Mountain Ranch( 30 miles from Sutter Creek).

California Caverns (Highly recommended)

This is the largest cavern I have ever seen. This cavern has 13 rooms that are open for walking tour and lot others are being explored by scientists and guides. This cavern also has mammoth adventure tour where you really get to venture to rooms which are not visible through walking tour by crawling through spaces and sliding the muddy slopes. The adventure tour is 2-3 hr tour. On our walking tour I saw a group of 2 doing the cave adventure tour and it looked to very fun. My husband and son are claustrophobic, so I did not have company to do that adventure. Next time I will go with someone who is not claustrophobic to do that adventure. They also have 4+ hour middle earth tour and it is reported to be one of the most extreme caving adventures in the US. If you are not afraid of tight spaces and not worried about getting all muddy and wet , this will be a great adventure.

We went on the guided walking tour. It is a 1 hr tour. When we went, we are the only ones on the tour , so we got a personal tour of the cave and the guide was very patient explaining and answering all our questions and stopping for more time in places where we went waah! Aah! Stalactites, stalagmites in the cave are splendid. Each room in the cave is used by the Mohawk Indians for different purposes. AS the temperature of the cave is 56 degrees year around, they used to use the cave to escape from heat or severe winter. Each room is used for different purpose – Church ( bishop room), Weddings ( Bridal room ) , gathering s etc.. This cave is well preserved the guide even turns off the lights once the tour is over in a certain room to avoid development of mold near the light. The cave floor is still the same as it was when found, no steps or anything like that. It is muddy and wet. The water level in the cave gets pretty high. They were pumping the water out when we visited. We saw a lake and passed around it. It is crystal clear. Clearer than mirror lake in Yosemite. Blue in color. Beautiful. After going through some of the rooms that miners and the cave city Indians explored, the guide took us through a narrow passage way to a new room called Jungle room. This room was discovered recently, so it is not destroyed by the miner and the formations are beautiful . This room is called Jungle room and it is huge and lot of formations. We saw a formation that looked like Buddha, A Medium sized dragon, temple. Your imagination runs wild here. If you see the cave upside down by bending down and seeing through your legs, you see it like the city Atlantis

This is one cave I recommend to everyone. Great time in the cave and definitely try the cave expedition if you are not claustrophobic. Great experience.

They also allow you to camp at this location overnight if you buy at a minimum the walking tour tickets.

Moaning Cavern ( Vallecito) and Zip lining (Great fun)
Moaning cavern is a vertical cave. It has a 3 ft wide hole (natural hole) which is the entrance to the cave and you rappel down into the hole and then to 165 ft down into the main room of the cavern. This cavern can hold statue of liberty ( that is how big it is ) . They also have 3 hr challenging cave adventure tour, if you are an adventurer. If you don’t want to Rappel down the hole, the other way to get into the cave is through a spiral stair case down 165 ft. The cave itself is not as beautiful as California caverns , but it is different view – vertical cave Vs. horizontal cave . This cave has huge stalactites and flow stones. There is lot of iron deposit in the rock in this cave and the stalactites are brown in color near the spiral stair way.

Moaning Cavern is a limestone cave in the heart of Gold Country. It was discovered in modern times by gold miners in 1851, but has long been known as a geological feature by prehistoric people. It's name comes from the moaning sound made by the water dripping into small holes at the bottom of the "chocolate waterfall" flowstone formation, causing a drumming sound, which echoed off the walls and be carried to the natural entrance of the cavern by the wind.

People were attracted to the cavern by the moaning noise and often fell in, creating the nicely preserved bone pile at the bottom of the cavern. They did find bones of an 13 year old Asian girl 15000 years ago. You can see the bone pile once you reach the bottom of the cave. These bones are preserved due to acidic nature of the water in the cave

The other fun part is on the top of the moaning caverns – Zip line. The zip line is between 2 mountains with valley in between. Jay and I went on it couple of times. The third time you can go super style ( fly like a bird). That looked so much fun. Jay did that the 3rd time. I went only 2 times. It was awesome. The cost is 39$ first time and 24 $ thereafter. You get a zip card and you come back any time and it is 24$. If there is no wait time, it takes 30 mins to do 1 run. They take you up the mountain in a 4x4 and once you land on the other side, you get ride back or you can hike back through the nature trail. The best time is early morning before 10.00AM. No wait time and the wind is with you, so you get good speed. As you go into afternoon , the wind will be blowing against you and will not be that fun. ( For 3 runs, it took us 3 hrs) .

They also have climbing tower, if you are interested in rock climbing or want to try out for first time ( 5$)

If you are an adventurer, this cave has a lot of activities for you to spend the day.

On our way back, we wanted to explore Jamestown, but did not have time. I heard Jamestown has gold exploring tours where you go to a river and pan for gold like the 49ers did. If you plan for gold country trip, please check out Jamestown packages offered.

For more details on caves and mines to plan your trip visit www.caveandmineadventures.com