Yosemite and a visit from DJ

Its been a busy June here at Yosemite Pines Resort. Everything is up and running now. The Deli is now open with some delicious food,the pool is open and full of visitors trying to stay cool,and the hayrides,campfire programs,and,movie nights are in full swing on the weekends. Jeni and I have been puttin in the hours but we have been lucky enough to get weekends off so we have been doing alot of sightseeing.
We took a day trip to a part of Yosemite we have not visited before. We headed into the park,I showed my senior pass,(we get in free-a nice perk for being old!) and we headed up the #120 toward the Tioga pass.To some who we have talked to, this part of Yosemite is the most beautiful place in the park. We stopped at Tenaya Lake,Tuolumne meadows,and the wild and senic Tuolumne river. Our journey ended at a cute little cafe on Tioga pass at about 10,000ft.elevation. The beauty of this area is to us the hidden treasure of this park. On the weekends this area is less crowded than the more popular Yosemite Valley.


DJ checking out the tractor at the park.Jackie and DJ visited the park last weekend. DJ liked feeding the animals  the best.Sunday we had all you can eat pancakes at the Deli. Jeni and I had a great weekend with them.



This little cafe at Tioga Pass was our lunch spot in Yosemite. The food was good but the atmosphere was great.

Jeni is relaxing by the Toulumne river reading her book. I was looking for wildlife but was unsucessful. No matter where you are in Yosemite there is sheer beauty all around you

The picturesque Toulumne meadows area.

I did see a buck way out in the meadow here but I had to use my binocularsw!

The sheer granite walls sure define the park

Jeni dipping her toes in the cool water of Tenaya lake. A beautiful  area with sandy beaches,in a heavily forested backdrop. lots of hiking,waterfalls,and picnic tables.

No that isn't snow on that little mountain but we did see patches here and there. I think this area is about 9000ft elevation.

A closer look of the lighter colored Granite in this area.

The beauty of Yosemite is without words! Jeni and I will be back.

What a trip that was! Another area in Yosemite we will explore next month will be "Hetch Hechy reservoir. We hear this place won't disappoint.
July brings Dentist appointments,more Yosemite,park activites,and maybe just maybe a SF Giant game!
We have cut back our working hours at the park just a bit as we are not used to the ole 40hr week. Thus, more play time! YEA!
We are also trying to put together an ocean weekend down in Ventura with Gary and Martha. Probably late July.
Ah June. Summertime,Yosemite,and DJ......life is good!

A Graduation and a Birthday

Jeni and I have been busy working 8hr shifts at Yosemite Pines Resort.It is a lot of fun. Jeni works in the office and helps fold laundry for the cabins, I work maintenance and occasionally drive the Hayride on the weekends. We sure love it and, were making money! The managers, Jesse and Aimee are the best.
 Gary and Martha rented a cabin and visited us here. Then we all headed to Sacramento for Grandaughter Alyx's high school graduation. It was a moving experience for Jeni and I, Aginst all odds this amasing young lady graduated and is off to college. In spite of all the Grad parties that night she chose to be with her family This is one proud Grandpa.
 We also were surprised to find out we were off work for Waylans 1st birthday so we headed back to Sacramento. We got to party with Lil Waylan. We only stayed about 5 hrs and then we headed back to the resort.The end of May and the first days of June have gone by fast.Here are some pics of the last few weeks.


this is our manager at Yosemite Pines Jesse. He is great to work for



Jeni at Priest grade cafe, a delightful cafe overlooking the valley below.One of the fine little eateries in the area.



Grandma and Waylan at Katies house prior to Alyx's Graduation.



The Graduation at Casa Roble high school. Alyx is in there somewhere



Here is our "LIL BOO" all grownup.I choke up just thinking about it!



A week after Alyx's graduation,we were back in Sacramento for Waylans 1st birthday.



GOT MILK!



Back at the park on the weekends I occasionally drive the tractor for the hayride.



My beautiful Daughters and the birthday boy.



One proud Grandpa!



this picture got put in the wrong order,this is our manager Aimee jesse's wife.she is in the middle.thats her daughter Rayanna in front and one of the seasonal employees Val in the back

Its been a busy May for us.And June looks to be just as busy as May was.Jeni and I plan to visit every inch of Yosemite this summer and the surrounding towns in the gold country.
 We are one big happy family at the park. On Wednesday we close early and have a potluck and play cards.It just like being at Park Sierra. There are 29 of us working here and everybody is just a delight to work with.Lets hope the love continues in Sept! Ha Ha.
We are already thinking of places to work this winter. One place we are thniking of  working is down in Ventura close to my Brother.The resort is called Ventura Beach Resort.We are working this summer and the winter so we can travel north next summer to Yellowstone park and South Dakota.
We will undoughtily be heading back to Sacramento during the summer for some Grandkid time.just as we did in May......for a Graduation and a Birthday.....See Ya

Our summer job and Stagecoach Days

We moved from the park to Yosemite Pines RV Resort for our summer job.The Managers,Jesse,and Aimee are the nicest people. They made us feel very welcomed and are easy to work with. They just tell us what they need and  leave us to it. Its pretty much what we do at Park Sierra only 8hrs instead of 4hrs.I think this is going to be a great summer!
 We did get time off to attend Stagecoach Days, and as always Laverne and Marge put on a great 5 days of non stop fun.5 breakfasts,4 lunches,and 4 dinners. 4 nights of fantastic entertainment,and games,raffles, and events going on all day. And the most exciting of all, the "Hayrides"!
 We hitched up Sunday right after the "Hitch up Breakfast" and headed back to Sierra Pines. We were dog tired when we to the RV. And we are back to work tomorrow. But we figure to get some rest, work will be the best medicine!

This is my work vehicle at the resort.Jeni and I really love it here.

the park is set in the pines and it is really spacious here.lots of activities for the guests.

They have yurts for the semi rugged camper,

and custom cabins for the upscale camper.



Jeni and I love to explore the gold country on our days off. We stopped off in Jamestown, one of the many quaint little towns in the area.



one little shop caught our eye a .gold prospecting shop with a claim jumper hanging from the storefront.inside was an array of gold finding equipment for sale. They also have gold panning tours you can take.

We headed back to the park in late April for "Stagecoach Days".5 days of fun and frolic.The first night was a great dinner and a game from the TV show "Minute to win it"Jeni and her team are attempting to suck up an M&M
 on a straw and drop it on a plate.

then it was "casino night" with 21 tables,poker tables,roulette,and a wheel of fortune table.Jeni and I spent the night at the 21 table.We had a great time.

Jeni takes part in the "cake walk"where you can win goodies and home baked treats.sleep and our waistlines take a beating during the 5 day event! 

This is "Potsey",she shows up at all park Sierra events.Actually she is one of the members who is very talented and is with our entertainment group.

Here is the hayride crew.Me,RJ,and Ron.We had 4 wild flower rides,and 6 park tour rides. RJ and I man the tractor and Ron manning the mock border stop/water station. 

Here is the hayride stopping at the mock US-Mexico border and Ron telling the passengers the pitfalls south of the border.The Banditos are everywhere! Ron also makes sure everyone has water for their journey.



Here is the gals conducting their flower tour giving info on the many different varieties of wild flowers.



Jeni was our MC for our Variety show again this year.She does a great job.We had a lot of talent.Our entertainment group does a wonderful job and they come off very professional.



This was one of the acts,a tribute to Micheal Jackson to the song "Billie Jean".



Friday night was "Magic" I forgot his name but he was great.He is from So cal and has performed in Vegas.Saturday night was dinner and dancing to the music of two fantastic gals (see last years blog for their name and picture) Senior moment I didn't get either this year. Sunday morning was the "Hitch up breakfast" with biscuits and gravy sausage and eggs,toast,juice and coffee.Thus bringing to an end of another Stagecoach Days.



After breakfast Jeni and I hitched up the "Ole steed"(the RV) and headed back to Yosemite Pines for the summer.We decided we need some rest after a busy week so getting back to work seems like the thing to do.Its been a great April and we are excited about all the summer plans we have.May brings our Granddaughter's graduation,sight seeing around the Yosemite area and workamping at the resort.The four other couples from Park Sierra will be joining us at the resort soon to work here like us.On we go into the summer....Our summer job and the memories of a great Stagecoach Days.

Spring is in the air

What a beautiful time of year.The blossoms are in full bloom, the birds are active,and people are sneezing. Yes its Spring.Park Sierra is beautiful this time of year.
Jeni and I will be leaving the park early to start our workamper job as they are short staffed and need help.We are exited.The park is "Yosemite Pines RV Resort" and we are scheduled to start March 27th.We will come back for" Stagecoach Days" and the head back for the summer.
Jeni and I took a tour of the "Blossom Trail" near Fresno.It was spectacular!

the tour starts just south of Fresno and you drive about 22 miles through beautiful blossomed trees

Walnut blossoms

These pink ones are amazing

The trail is well marked for ease of driving

These signs are all along the trail

The white ones are also beautiful

Even the orange trees look great

Jeni and I stopped at the end of the trail for some grub and to try out their shooting gallery

They had all kinds of antiques in the place.These soda ice boxes were primo

Of course Jeni found the taffy and stocked up

This is the place at the end of the trail.A bar,restaurant,antique shop,produce house,general store,wine tasting,and snack shop.WOW! I can't pronounce the name of the place but WOW!

Even the African Daisey's were in full bloom

It was a great day for the tour and we would do it again.
Jen and I  are scrambling to get things done before we head out.Jeni has park commitments and I have Dr. things,and possible jury duty.Its going to be close but we will make it.
After my Dr. visit I have to do some tests that are scheduled in April when we are at Yosemite Pines.We will have to drive to Fresno.We will make it work.
What a great time of year,from snow,rain,and cold to blooms,green grass,and warm temps.......Spring is in the air!

Above the fog below the snow

I start this post with a comment about our beloved Park of the Sierras.Their nice promo pamphlet of the amenities of the park has one typo in it.A minor glitch if your an easterner,but alas I am not.To me its a big oversight on the parks part. A glaring mistake I want corrected now.No, not the typo, the actual event.The typo wrongly states that the park is "above the fog below the SNOW". The fog I can deal with but that snow has to go! OK,I've said my Peace. I'm good now.
February has been busy with Jeni putting on her"movie nights",Valentines day,the "Super Bowl",and other doings at the park.Our summer plans are set,we will be working at "Yosemite Pines RV resort from may til October.This will be our first workamping adventure where we will receive money.All our previous jobs have been volunteer jobs.We will leave the park for Yosemite Pines right after "Stage Coach Days" which is our annual fundraiser for the park.Here are some pictures from February.

This is our hard working volunteer propane crew.They collect our tanks,fill them,and deliver them back to our site.We have 252 sites so that's a lot of propane to deliver.Hats off to you guys!

This is Nemo,he is 5ft long by 3ft high. He is cruising around our RV! Somebody donated him to the park,so Jeni got nominated to operate him for our Valentines day party.He is remote controlled.Jeni did a great job flying him around our clubhouse.

This is the snow storm that hit us earlier this week......I Hate SNOW!





Jeni and I exchanging our valentine gifts

 Not a lot of photos this month,but we will have more in March.We have a trip to Riverside to celebrate our 2 Grandson's birthdays,St. Patricks day,Movie Nights,and other park doings going on for March.Hopefully the weather will cooperate.No more snow because we are "above the fog and below the snow!

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