The Great Outdoors

The great outdoors has been part of my life since I was a baby.  

1952

1953

1956

First there was the teardrop trailer, then the bigger trailer.  We visited parks on our way to Minnesota, and around California. We climbed mountains and went boating and fishing. Every family member has heard the story of stubborn Catherine, who at the age of two was determined to climb the mountain with the Dads and older kids.  I finally was allowed but only with the understanding I had to walk the entire way.  I have no two year old memories, so I can't corroborate the story  that goes on to say I made it to the top and back down to the bottom and then I slept for an entire day!  


Later as the family grew bigger and Dad no longer found much time for summer vacations, there was Camp Pendola in the foothills near Nevada City.  In high school there was Camp Sierra, a camp for the developmentally disabled, where I worked as a counselor or kitchen staff for three summers. 

1979

1979

Fortunately, Greg was even more into the outdoors than I. For more than forty years we backpacked, camped and hiked through the parks of California.  No trailer for us, it was tent or under the stars until we found Sardine Lake in 2006.  There we had the pleasure of a cabin for a week or two each fall.

Joining the California State Parks Foundation and the San Mateo County Parks Foundation allowed us to support the great outdoors that we so enjoyed.  It also provided access to some wonderful “insider tours.”

It is my intention in this blog to share pictures and a few memories of my sixty-six years and counting of travel to the National, California and San Mateo County Parks and Historical sites.