Hiking to Rainbow Falls

Just posting a few more photos from our vacation trip to the Mammoth Lakes area. On the second day, we hiked inside the boundaries of the Devils Postpile National Monument.



The first portion of our trip was a mandatory shuttle bus ride from Mammoth to Reds Meadow. Costs $7 bucks for the ticket. No one can just "drive" into the park (to reduce the motorized vehicle traffic). It was an entertaining bus ride, though, and the driver was pointing out squirrels along the way. From Reds Meadow, we hit the trail...

Of course, Hikaru likes to eat, so our first hiking stop was for "lunch" at the Devils Postpile. We ate our homemade turkey sandwiches (yes, made from genuine Schat's Bakkery bread) and viewed the Postpile. Hikaru was also quite excited to learn that this rock was once molten hot "lava" from the volcano.



Why is it called the "Devils" Postpile? I have no idea, but perhaps it is leaning into the "Dark Side". Volcanic lava (basalt) pooled and cooled, and solidified into this column-like formation. Pretty cool -- at least today.



Hiking with a 4-year-old kid can often present some challenges, but Hikaru did good. On the two-mile hike from the Devils Postpile to Rainbow Falls, Hikaru's motor was starting to whine, so we kicked around some pine cones and searched for sticks.



And there were some water crossings and nice views along the way...



Finally, we arrived at the awe-inspiring Rainbow Falls! Looking into the mist created by a hundred feet of water plunging downward, yes, a "rainbow" does form under the sunlight.



Here is Daddy's tourist photo at the base of Rainbow Falls...



One might note that the horse (in the photo below) and Uncle Paul may share some remarkable similarities. Hikaru rode Uncle Paul for most of the uphill trail back from Rainbow Falls.



Back in civilization, at the Reds Meadow General Store, we rush to get some -- ice cream!



Eating a cold ice cream cone after a hot day of hiking... This is the life, huh? :-)



Finally, for those who are sufficiently motivated, one can view our entire Mammoth road trip video too. Please click below.

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."

Visiting Relatives

On the weekend after Chinese New Year, we made a spontaneous visit to see "Grandma" and "Grandpa" (as Hikaru calls them). The weather was nice, and it was Super Bowl Sunday, so we hit the freeway.



Both Grandma and Grandpa are retired, and they live in an age 55+ community. Hikaru likes their small park, and recreation center.

And we enjoyed having a lunch with pizza... And for the very "first" time in his life, Hikaru ate a potato chip! He really liked it a lot, and he ate another one. In the photo below, Hikaru hangs out with Grandma.



And both Daddy and Hikaru say "cheese" for a picture too...



Hikaru likes to run! We watched part of the Super Bowl on TV, and he got inspired. Here he's running for a touchdown!



In the photo below, Hikaru poses with Grandma and Grandpa. We had a "super" visit, and it was great to see everyone.

Mother's Day

We personally think that "every day" should be Mother's Day (and Grandmother's Day), but we had a family gathering at an Italian American restaurant to celebrate this holiday. Parenting is a rough job, and it's really nice to have grandparents. Pau-Pau is one "super woman" who takes care of three grandkids during the day while we go to work -- Hikaru, Marcus, and Sarah.

All of our family gatherings revolve around eating, so here's a photo of Hikaru shoveling pasta into his mouth.



And this Hikaru's cousin "Dai-Dai" (meaning younger brother in Cantonese) or baby Marcus.



And this is "Mui-Mui" (meaning younger sister) or cousin Sarah who is roughly the same age as Hikaru.

Earth Day 2008

Today we went to the Earth Day Festival in Pasadena at Memorial Park and the Armory Center for the Arts. Hikaru had so much fun that he was in a good mood for the entire day. He couldn't stop talking about his first experience riding on this "green and clean biofuel machine" -- a horse.



There were community booths of all kinds from "Saving the Orangutans" to the "Pasadena Water and Power". From the "Whole Foods" booth, we picked up some free reusable tote bags for carrying groceries that should save on our usage of plastic bags.



This bus is a solar-powered mobile woodworking shop from the Side Street Projects. Pretty cool.



And we participated in some street art by drawing on a large piece of cardboard. Hikaru's favorite color is orange. He drew two snakes that he saw at the festival.



This modest electric vehicle called the Xebra Xero might give us a hint of what our next car could be. It plugs into a regular electrical outlet and has a range up to 40 miles. At close to $4 per gallon for gasoline (and rising), it's starting to look pretty good.



Shouldn't every day be Earth Day? Hikaru enjoys tossing leaves in the air.

Life Is But a Dream

We spent an afternoon going merrily merrily along the stream. Hikaru was very focused on throwing various-sized rocks into the stream, and seeing the water splash.



We watched the water striders gliding effortlessly on the surface of the stream, and tadpoles wriggling underneath at the bottom. The spring flowers were also blooming...



Yes, Hikaru could probably sit there by the stream all day -- throwing one rock after rock after another rock...



Hikaru also enjoyed doing some "fishing", and he catches a big piece of green algae.



These yellow coneflowers are a common sight here.



And we followed a beetle making it's way over the rocks.



This was our weekend afternoon of family fun...

Hikaru's First Snow

As you might guess, it never snows in LA, so "snow" isn't an experience common to Angelenos, except maybe for shaved ice...

My childhood winters in Ohio consisted of shoveling 150 feet of driveway after every snowfall, building snow forts and snow monsters, skiing and sledding. Hikaru won't see quite the same amount of "winter fun", but maybe he can get a little...



Right now, Hikaru's favorite book is the Three Snow Bears, so we thought we should show him what "real" snow is like. Looking up at the San Gabriel Mountains, it seemed like there was still some snow left, so we took a drive along the Angeles Crest Highway. And "yup", there was snow! A little icy and crusty now, but still snow...



Emerging from the car, Hikaru took a few careful steps on the slippery surface, and touched the snow with a finger -- "cold!" A stick is a useful tool to probe the icy surface.



In this photo, Mommy poses with Hikaru on this historic moment when snow is discovered!



Daddy shows Hikaru how to make a snowball.



Hikaru also tries to make his own snowball, and can throw it!

New Year 2008 is a Rat

Chinese New Year begins with the new moon and ended with the full moon last week (that included a lunar eclipse). Hikaru received lots of "hong bao" from relatives -- or red envelopes with "lucky" money for good things like happiness, health, and fortune.



It must really be working, since Hikaru's been waking in a good mood. The past couple weekends, we've been staying healthy and free of colds, so perhaps more reason to keep the new year traditions alive...



During Chinese New Year, we burn some incense to pray for good luck and health in the coming year.



And then we make an offering of some oranges and cakes to the gods. Everyone's usually is in better mood when they have enough food to eat.



During Chinese New Year time in our community, they usually block off the street with a street festival and a parade. It could be a bit of a "rat" race with the crowds of people, especially for small people...



But Hikaru had fun. In the photo below, he exclaimed "guitar!" after seeing a display of some traditional Chinese instruments.



There were many rides for kids, but unfortunately Hikaru was too short to go on most of them... The photo below is that of the "Dragon Wagon". Maybe next year.



But he did enjoy jumping around on this inflatable jumper.



And this was the first time in his life that Hikaru has seen a live "horse".



Mom thought she might be able to win a goldfish. This is a game were you try to throw a ping pong ball into a container of water. It's not as easy as it looks. I guess, that's life -- luck can only go so far...



Happy "Year of the Rat"! Gung Hay Fat Choy!