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+title: Tyler and Blaise visit California
+start: 2021-05-29
+end: 2021-06-05
+
+<p>
+Tyler and Blaise used the Memorial Day holiday as an excuse to take off work for a week and explore California.
+This vacation was especially special coming off of COVID-19.
+The timing was perfect and both travelers greatly enjoyed their vacation!
+</p>
+
+<hr>
+<h2 id=2021-05-29><a href=#2021-05-29>2021-05-29 Saturday</a></h2>
+
+<p>
+Saturday both Tyler and Blaise traveled to San Fransisco, rented a car, and made their way to Jim and Tracy's house.
+All the flights were packed and masks were required everywhere.
+Still, signs of COVID restrictions being lifted were everywhere during the trip.
+</p>
+
+<figure>
+ <img src="./blaise-packs.jpg">
+ <figcpation>Blaise packs as lightly as possible for the trip. This is his first time camping by plane.</figcaption>
+</figure>
+
+<figure>
+ <img src="./blaise-airport-mask.jpg">
+ <figcpation>Blaise prepares to board the plane in Milwaukee.</figcaption>
+</figure>
+
+<figure>
+ <img src="./rental.JPEG">
+ <figcpation>Blaise sits in the rental car as they pick it up.</figcaption>
+</figure>
+
+<figure>
+ <img src="./banana-leaf.jpg">
+ <figcpation>Tyler and Blaise enjoy a wonderful meal at Banana Leaf restaurant in Milpitas.</figcaption>
+</figure>
+
+<hr>
+<h2 id=2021-05-30><a href=#2021-05-30>2021-05-30 Sunday</a></h2>
+
+<p>
+On Sunday Tyler and Blaise visited Claire Till & Family in Napa.
+Afterwards they traveled to San Ramon, where Tyler lived until middle school.
+The sunset was wonderful passing over Grizzly Peak on the way back to Jim and Tracy's house.
+</p>
+
+<figure>
+ <img src="./grizzly-peak.JPEG">
+ <figcpation>Blaise looks across to San Fransisco from the top of Grizzly Peak.</figcaption>
+</figure>
+
+<p>
+Later Sunday Night Jim and Tracy returned from Hawaii.
+It was good for everyone to connect.
+</p>
+
+<hr>
+<h2 id=2021-05-31><a href=#2021-05-31>2021-05-31 Monday</a></h2>
+
+<p>
+On Monday Tyler and Blaise traveled to their first campsite: El Capitán State Beach.
+They drove down along Highway 1, experiencing the majesty of Big Sur.
+It's absolutely incredible how many miles of unspoiled coastal road there are.
+It was a little bit foggy, but still stunning.
+</p>
+
+<figure>
+ <img src="./big-sur.JPEG">
+ <figcpation>Big Sur as viewed from the car.</figcaption>
+</figure>
+
+<p>
+The El Capitán campsite was great.
+Very private and a great location close to the beach.
+The only regret was showing up to late---by the time Tyler and Blaise explored the beach it was already dark and setting up camp was challenging.
+Tyler slept in the car since they needed to leave very early the next day.
+</p>
+
+<figure>
+ <img src="./tyler-beach.JPEG">
+ <figcpation>Tyler views the ocean from the small beachside cave.</figcaption>
+</figure>
+
+<figure>
+ <img src="./blaise-beach.JPEG">
+ <figcpation>Blaise enjoys the beach.</figcaption>
+</figure>
+
+<figure>
+ <img src="./sunset-beach.JPEG">
+ <figcpation>Sunset at El Capitán.</figcaption>
+</figure>
+
+<hr>
+<h2 id=2021-06-01><a href=#2021-06-01>2021-06-01 Tuesday</a></h2>
+
+<p>
+On Tuesday Tyler and Blaise woke up very early, with much travel to do.
+The pair first drove to Ontario CA, where Tyler's father lived.
+They met with Tyler's uncle Ralph and family for several hours.
+</p>
+
+<figure>
+ <img src="./tyler-ralph.JPEG">
+ <figcpation>Tyler and his uncle Ralph at Ralph's home in Ontario CA.</figcaption>
+</figure>
+
+</p>
+After leaving Ralph's house around 13:00, Tyler and Blaise headed to their second campsite in the Sequoia National Forest.
+It was another stunning drive through the valley and up into the hills.
+Cows sometimes stood on the road.
+</p>
+
+<figure>
+ <img src="./pair-seqioua.jpg">
+ <figcpation>Tyler and Blaise pose in-front of one of the many picturesque valleys of Sequoia.</figcaption>
+</figure>
+
+<figure>
+ <img src="./cows.jpg">
+ <figcpation>Cows block the highway at sequoia national forest.</figcaption>
+</figure>
+
+<figure>
+Finally, with time to spare, Tyler and Blaise arrived at their second campsite: Holey Meadows.
+There was no running water, but the site was quiet and gave the pair a real forest experience.
+</figure>
+
+<figure>
+ <img src="./holey-meadow.jpg">
+ <figcpation>The meadow of Holey Meadow.</figcaption>
+</figure>
+
+<figure>
+ <img src="./holey-car.jpg">
+ <figcpation>Tyler and Blaise first arrive at Holey Meadow.</figcaption>
+</figure>
+
+<figure>
+ <img src="./holey-camp.jpg">
+ <figcpation>The campsite with both tents and hammock setup.</figcaption>
+</figure>
+
+<hr>
+<h2 id=2021-06-02><a href=#2021-06-02>2021-06-02 Wednesday</a></h2>
+
+<p>
+On Wednesday Tyler and Blaise were able to sleep in and have an easy morning.
+Once packed, they made their way to the Trail of 100 Giants, a famous destination in the area.
+As promised, the trees were huge.
+The pair visited Dome Rock (not the famous one) on the way out of the park.
+</p>
+
+<figure>
+ <img src="./blaise-roots.jpg">
+ <figcpation>Blaise poses in front of the root system of a fallen tree.</figcaption>
+</figure>
+
+<figure>
+ <img src="./tyler-tree.jpg">
+ <figcpation>Tyler poses in front of a giant tree.</figcaption>
+</figure>
+
+<figure>
+ <img src="./tyler-dome.jpg">
+ <figcpation>Tyler sits on top of dome rock.</figcaption>
+</figure>
+
+<p>
+Leaving Sequoia, Tyler and Blaise traveled to a hotel in Ridgecrest CA for the night.
+East of Sequoia felt like the beginning of real desert.
+Ridgecrest is a funny little town, and the pair were able to get supplies at WalMart and a meal at Denny's.
+The hotel was a little sketchy, including a painted-over sign.
+</p>
+
+<figure>
+ <img src="./ridgecrest-driving.jpg">
+ <figcpation>The drive to Ridgcrest really felt like desert.</figcaption>
+</figure>
+
+<figure>
+ <img src="./ridgecrest-hotel.jpg">
+ <figcpation>The hotel in Ridgecrest.</figcaption>
+</figure>
+
+<hr>
+<h2 id=2021-06-03><a href=#2021-06-03>2021-06-03 Thursday</a></h2>
+
+<p>
+Waking up early, Tyler and Blaise head to Death Valley---their final destination.
+Checking the internet one last time gave warnings of extreme summer heat.
+The pair chose to camp at a somewhat remote campsite with a slightly higher elevation: Mesquite Springs.
+They drove directly to the site and set up.
+Amazingly, they ended up having the entire campsite to themselves!
+It was windy and 113 deg F once the pair were done setting up camp.
+Luckily the wind never returned.
+</p>
+
+<figure>
+ <img src="./death-valley-sign.JPEG">
+ <figcpation>Tyler and Blaise pose on the Death Valley sign.</figcaption>
+</figure>
+
+<figure>
+ <img src="./mesquite-arrive.jpg">
+ <figcpation>The travelers arrive at Mesquite Springs and choose a campsite.</figcaption>
+</figure>
+
+<figure>
+ <img src="./mesquite-tyler.JPEG">
+ <figcpation>Tyler poses next to his tent at Mesquite Springs.</figcaption>
+</figure>
+
+<p>
+Tyler and Blaise visited the welcome center and came up with a plan for their two days in the park.
+They spent the rest of Thursday visiting Dante's View and Badwater Basin.
+</p>
+
+<figure>
+ <img src="./dante-blaise.JPEG">
+ <figcpation>Blaise poses on Dante's Peak.</figcaption>
+</figure>
+
+<figure>
+ <img src="./dante-tyler.JPEG">
+ <figcpation>Tyler views Badwater Basin from Dante's peak.</figcaption>
+</figure>
+
+<figure>
+ <img src="./badwater.JPEG">
+ <figcpation>The water of Badwater Basin.</figcaption>
+</figure>
+
+<p>
+Returning to the campsite, Tyler and Blaise were able to enjoy showers using the campsite hose (a huge luxury in Death Valley!) and a wonderful desert sunset.
+</p>
+
+<figure>
+ <img src="./mesquite-sunset.JPEG">
+ <figcpation>Sunset at Mesquite Springs.</figcaption>
+</figure>
+
+<hr>
+<h2 id=2021-06-04><a href=#2021-06-04>2021-06-04 Friday</a></h2>
+
+<p>
+At around 4 AM Friday morning Blaise saw a lightning storm in the distance.
+There was no rain, as far as he could tell.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The campers woke up at sunrise Friday morning for their second day in Death Valley.
+They needed to be on the trail early to do some hiking before the heat of the day.
+Their first destination was Ubehebe Crater.
+</p>
+
+<figure>
+ <img src="./mesquite-sunrise.jpg">
+ <figcpation>Sunrise at Mesquite Springs.</figcaption>
+</figure>
+
+<figure>
+ <img src="./crater.JPEG">
+ <figcpation>Ubehebe Crater.</figcaption>
+</figure>
+
+<figure>
+ <img src="./crater-caution.jpg">
+ <figcpation>A caution sign along the edge of Ubehebe Crater.</figcaption>
+</figure>
+
+<figure>
+ <img src="./crater-tyler.JPEG">
+ <figcpation>Tyler poses at the edge of Ubehebe Crater.</figcaption>
+</figure>
+
+<figure>
+ <img src="./crater-baby.JPEG">
+ <figcpation>A smaller crater nearby.</figcaption>
+</figure>
+
+<figure>
+ <img src="./crater-baby.JPEG">
+ <figcpation>A smaller crater nearby.</figcaption>
+</figure>
+
+<figure>
+ <img src="./crater-blaise.JPEG">
+ <figcpation>Blaise walks along the edge of Ubehebe Crater.</figcaption>
+</figure>
+
+<p>
+Next, the pair visited the sand dunes.
+</p>
+
+<figure>
+ <img src="./blaise-dunes.JPEG">
+ <figcpation>Blaise visits the sand dunes.</figcaption>
+</figure>
+
+<p>
+Finally, Tyler and Blaise drive through Titus Canyon.
+Along the way they visit the small town of Beatty NV for cocktails.
+Titus was surprisingly wonderful and definitely worth it despite the rough driving conditions.
+</p>
+
+<figure>
+ <img src="./titus-car.JPEG">
+ <figcpation>Tyler poses next to the car at the entrance to Titus Canyon.</figcaption>
+</figure>
+
+<figure>
+ <img src="./titus-tyler.JPEG">
+ <figcpation>Tyler poses in-front of a rock formation in Titus Canyon.</figcaption>
+</figure>
+
+<p>
+A family from France were the only other campers Friday night.
+They stayed in a rented "Minnie Winnie" camper.
+With no clouds in the sky, the stars were absolutely amazing at the campsite.
+It was a fitting end to a wonderful trip in CA.
+</p>
+
+<hr>
+<h2 id=2021-06-05><a href=#2021-06-05>2021-06-05 Saturday</a></h2>
+
+<p>
+Tyler and Blaise woke up early to put down camp and drive to Las Vegas to catch our flights.
+Even though masks weren't being worn in most places, signs of COVID were still to be found.
+The gambling machines at the Vegas airport were socially distanced.
+</p>
+
+<figure>
+ <img src="./gambling.jpg">
+ <figcpation>Socially distance gambling machines.</figcaption>
+</figure>
+
+<p>
+In total the travelers drove 1806 miles.
+In total Blaise spent $1,565.97 on this vacation, not including durable supplies that will be used again.
+</p>
+
+<hr>
+<p>
+<a href="https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/">CC0</a>: no copyright
+</p>
+