Sierra Lake Kayaking

We took several days off from work to visit Mammoth Lakes located in Mono County, California in the Eastern Sierras. This is Uncle Paul's "vacation house" (as Hikaru calls it).

After being somewhat homebound for the last couple years, it was a super nice getaway. Has anyone has noticed a lack of "real vacation" photos on our blog. :-)



Mammoth is usually known for its snow and skiing, but in the summertime it's a quieter place. At Lake Mary's elevation of 9000 feet, there was still snow visible in the mountains, and the lakes were beautiful.



We rented a kayak at the Lake Mary marina -- a three-person kayak with Hikaru sitting in the middle. It was Hikaru's "first" time in a kayak, and for Uncle Paul too. Uncle Paul asked the boat rental guy if the kayak came with seat belts, but he was reassured to find out that few people really tip over.



There was a light breeze, and the lake water was calm. Admiring the views, we paddled to the opposite shore. We were even able to kayak close to a few ducks.

After a careful passing of the camera between two kayaks, Uncle Paul took our family photo below.



We then raced Uncle Paul, and he won. He was zipping around in his kayak from place to place like a pro. Doesn't he look like a winner?



Hikaru says that next time, he wants to ride on a boat the goes "really fast". I suppose, he's too young to know that not everything in life is about going fast. And stressed out parents need a bit of slowness and quiet to settle the nerves.



Here's another family photo near the kayak "parking lot" -- the marina.



Hikaru says, "I like Uncle Paul's vacation house. I want to stay for a thousand million hundred years."