California a state of mind

We've been driving for a while through the west of the US, and have decided to update our blog that has been neglected for quite some time.

This country is made for roadtrips, the highways are so well kept it can blow your mind, but I will talk more about that in another entry which we will specifically name Roadtrip.

For now, we will talk about Sunny California and the amazing National Park culture.
California has everything anyone could ever want: a beautiful coastline, wonderful weather, perfect snow and perfect conditions for the growth of ancient trees, as well as Vineyards.

Yosemite is spectacular.  You cannot help but be stunned by it's high Rock walls,  thick woods and majestic waterfalls.
We got to experience the park by car which is something very normal in the US, as a National Park should be enjoyed by every American, so the accessibility and perfect conditions are always present to experience it at your own rhythm.
Of course you can hike, walk, run or even climb but you'll soon notice that among nature there are paved trails, bathrooms and signs reminding you that everything has been groomed ahead of time.
We visited the hotel where The Shining was filmed and got to experience a few hikes.

We didn't come back to Yosemite after that day, though.  Life is unpredictable and what we've learned so far in the road, is that you have to adapt to it.
I got a message from home letting me know that Teodoro, my beautiful sunshine, had passed away after a fast health decline. He was 13, and he was a happy dog. The news hit me and my family hard. Being far from them made me feel like I needed to have a ritual on my own to release the sadness and remember his wonderful life with us.

We took the car and drove up to Sequoia National Park in the search of the oldest and biggest Sequoia tree in the world.
We thought it was a good way to spend the day in his memory.

We got there after 4 hours of driving.  The weather changed as we were driving up the park and soon everything was covered with snow. We walked alone through a forest full of giant trees with cinnamon bark until we reached the biggest of them all. One of his branches could have been a normal size tree.  It is astonishing.  General Sherman is 2200 years old, alive and still growing. Teo would have been happy to see and mark that tree.

We highly recommend this national park.  It makes you feel tiny and young. Time doesn't seem to pass among these trees.

We continued our trip through California heading for a ski resort in Lake Tahoe.  Again, friends are the fuel of our trip, and this get together was long overdue.
We met with Chi at a bar where he was mesmerizing with his music an audience of skiers. Every now and then another passerby would enter the bar almost under a spell.
It doesn't take long to get two friends up to date with life. Specially these 2.

Next day was skiing day at the Sugar Bowl and back on the road by 5pm to continue trajectory, after all we do have a schedule to keep.

San Francisco is a great city.  What's not to like!?!  I guess, just how expensive it is. We knew it was going to be a hit to the budget but it was worth it. In a nutshell we ate dim sum, drank wine in Sonoma, visited alcatraz and all the top attractions. We ditched LA plans to stay longer and so got to see Gumi. We couldn't be happier with our visit.