Yosemite National Park - An Educational Visit, California, USA - 2-7 March 2014

Above left: A heart-shaped cavity on the wall of El Capitan; 

Above right: Half Dome view from the meadow

Yosemite is no doubt a place of beauty and history and I remain enchanted even on my fourth visit there. This time around, I went as a chaperone for a group of junior high students. Our group's program was led by a NatureBridge educator.  It was a new experience for me to be with these young adults for 6 continuous full days. Although the experience was taxing, thanks to sleep deprivation, a lack of down time, and physical fatigue from the daily hikes, it was overall still a fun and restoring time for me to reconnect with nature. 

The kids learned a lot in just a week by getting out of their comfort zone. I noticed a positive change in them over time. They became more optimistic, worked better as a team, learned perseverance, communication, and trust, and gained new attitudes and perspectives about themselves and nature. Many of them were inspired by the silent spirit walk on the meadow - for these teen-agers, this was a chance for them to listen (to nature and to their inner voice) and learn in golden silence. They also discovered the spirit of stewardship - I loved how enthused the kids were about picking up other people's trash. I chuckled when a boy said to his buddy, "Is that another acorn cap (you picked up)?" The kids also learned about the scientific research process (observations, hypothesis, and constants/variables) in a fun and engaging way. The NatureBridge educator taught them games as a transition to learning. I was also fascinated to see the students conduct field science research on Tenaya Creek. They tested its water for PH level, turbidity (clarity), dissolved solids, oxygen level, and temperature. Physically, they conquered a challenging 6.5 mile hike on snow (in some parts, there was as much as a foot of snow on the ascent) and climbed through 2 dark talus caves over the week. 

Personally, I enjoyed the hikes, outdoor picnic lunches (one of them on snow - a first foray), gorgeous scenery, and awesome cool, crisp weather (thank God it only rained twice at night the week we were there). I was also grateful to see bright stars (and a shooting star!) on our night hikes. We saw deers and a bobcat on the trail too. Nature is SO amazing. I loved the calm and serenity and I have no one to thank but God for His wonderful creation. He has touched the hearts of each and everyone of us at Yosemite. Glory be to God.

Above: Bucks jousting

Above left: Morning fog near Curry Village in Yosemite Valley

Above left: Fireplace in a cabin at Crane Flat campus - rustic accommodation; 

Above right: Trail hike from Crane Flat campus to Fire Lookout

Above right: Fire Lookout at elevation 6,644 ft.

Above left: Trail hike from Crane Flat to Gin Flat (a 6.5 mile loop hike)

Above left: Back at Yosemite Valley; Above right: Spider cave near Yosemite Falls

Above left: Yosemite Falls (2,425 ft)

Above right: Tenaya Creek

Above: Split Rock at Yosemite Valley

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Previous post: Space Stuff

Space Stuff

Chabot Observatory
Oakland, California - February 9, 2013

Shining brightly were planet Jupiter (seen with the naked eye) and her 4 moons (seen with the telescope)... awesome!

Endeavour Space Shuttle
California Science Center, Los Angeles, California - December 24, 2012

The Transit of Venus

NASA Ames Research Center, Mountain View, California - June 5, 2012

For more info about the Venus transit, see this clip:

You may also like: Monterey Bay Aquarium, Monterey, California, USA

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Previous post: Favorite Quotes

Favorite Quotes

1. "The happiness or unhappiness of a man does not depend upon the amount of property or gold he owns. Happiness or misery is in one’s soul. A wise man feels at home in every country. The whole universe is the home of a noble soul." – Democritus

2. "I went along all the earth, searching for a guiding light. I went all over without rest, at night and during the day, and then I heard from a preacher, who opened the truth to me, that the answer is inside my soul, and that the light which I was looking for everywhere in the world is inside me." – Eastern wisdom

3. "The rivers and seas are the masters of the valleys across which they flow. This is because they are lower than the valleys. In the same way, a person who wants to be higher than other people should be lower than they; if he wants to guide people, he should be below them." – Lao-Tzu

Skyline Ridge Open Space Preserve, California, USA - 02 November 2013

I couldn't think of a better way to spend this beautiful warm, sunny day than to be with a group of children and adult chaperones at Skyline Ridge OSP, off of Hwy 35 in the Peninsula. It's so nice to see the young ones having a good time outdoors because you-know-what, nature is cool and fun. :-) 

The kids were troopers - we hiked a total distance of about 3.5 miles (~5.6 km) and saw animals like deer, centipedes, lime lizards, turkey vultures, and American coots. We also touched and smelled plants like the California bay leaves and nuts, manzanitas, blackberry bushes, and lichens ("old man's beard") - some kids were even brave enough to taste raw acorns (a super fruit high in protein, fat, and carbohydrate) and Douglas Fir needles (very high in vitamin C - great for tea!). 

Their enthusiasm, laughter, and curiosity were definitely uplifting - especially when coupled with the gorgeous scenery. What more could I have asked for? :-)

Check out the American Coots in the short clip below:

You may also like: Pinnacles National Monument; Negative Tide @ Half Moon Bay

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Previous post: Sequoia National Park, California, USA

Sequoia National Park, California, USA - 28-30 October 2013

Once again, I heard the call of the wild and responded. This time, I headed southeast to Sequoia National Park, the country's second-oldest national park created on September 25, 1890, where I fulfilled a long-time desire to see The General Sherman Tree, the world's largest living tree (by wood volume).

On the 4 1/2 hour drive from the Bay area to the park (on hwys 101S, 152E, 99S and 198E), I passed several towns like Los Banos, Fresno, and Visalia and saw many orchard groves, farms and processing plants for almonds and citrus fruit along the flat valley. The entrance to the park is near the town of Three Rivers, pop. 2,600 at an elevation of 800 ft (or 244 m).

It dawned on me, as I was driving into the park, that autumn season is now upon us. For those who don't know, one of the perks of living in the SF Bay area is its almost-year-round beautiful weather - sometimes we get as much as 10 months of sun a year. During Indian summer (i.e. now), we get warm summer-like weather in autumn in the Bay area. So it was an unexpected treat to be in autumn conditions in the park. Still, I was told that the weather in the Sierras is unpredictable and that pleasant weather can turn hazardous and nasty within a day's range. There was a tire chain advisory for the park when I arrived the evening of October 28. Snow had fallen in the upper elevation during the day (the day before, it was dry and sunny).