-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!
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-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.
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- Blaise packs as lightly as possible for the trip. This is his first time camping by plane.
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- Blaise prepares to board the plane in Milwaukee.
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- Blaise sits in the rental car as they pick it up.
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- Tyler and Blaise enjoy a wonderful meal at Banana Leaf restaurant in Milpitas.
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-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.
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- Blaise looks across to San Fransisco from the top of Grizzly Peak.
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-Later Sunday Night Jim and Tracy returned from Hawaii.
-It was good for everyone to connect.
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-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.
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- Big Sur as viewed from the car.
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-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.
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- Tyler views the ocean from the small beachside cave.
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- Blaise enjoys the beach.
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- Sunset at El Capitán.
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-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.
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- Tyler and his uncle Ralph at Ralph's home in Ontario CA.
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-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.
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- Tyler and Blaise pose in-front of one of the many picturesque valleys of Sequoia.
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- Cows block the highway at sequoia national forest.
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-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.
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- The meadow of Holey Meadow.
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- Tyler and Blaise first arrive at Holey Meadow.
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- The campsite with both tents and hammock setup.
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-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.
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- Blaise poses in front of the root system of a fallen tree.
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- Tyler poses in front of a giant tree.
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- Tyler sits on top of dome rock.
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-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.
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- The drive to Ridgcrest really felt like desert.
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- The hotel in Ridgecrest.
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-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.
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- Tyler and Blaise pose on the Death Valley sign.
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- The travelers arrive at Mesquite Springs and choose a campsite.
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- Tyler poses next to his tent at Mesquite Springs.
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-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.
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- Blaise poses on Dante's Peak.
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- Tyler views Badwater Basin from Dante's peak.
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- The water of Badwater Basin.
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-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.
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-At around 4 AM Friday morning Blaise saw a lightning storm in the distance.
-There was no rain, as far as he could tell.
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-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.
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- Sunrise at Mesquite Springs.
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- Ubehebe Crater.
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- A caution sign along the edge of Ubehebe Crater.
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- Tyler poses at the edge of Ubehebe Crater.
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- A smaller crater nearby.
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- A smaller crater nearby.
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- Blaise walks along the edge of Ubehebe Crater.
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-Next, the pair visited the sand dunes.
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- Blaise visits the sand dunes.
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-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.
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- Tyler poses next to the car at the entrance to Titus Canyon.
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- Tyler poses in-front of a rock formation in Titus Canyon.
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-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.
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-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.
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