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California Vacation
Gloss Mtns
2008-07-03 - Claremore, OK to Woodward, OK
• The primary stop on this day were the Gloss Mountains between Enid and Woodward on US-412.
500' up and then 1 mile out and 1 mile back on an almost flat surface, that in some places, crackles under your feet.
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2008-07-04 - Woodward, OK to Alamosa, CO
• The primary stop on this day was the Capulin Volcano National Monument on US-87, east of Raton, NM.
Hiking up around the rim will get you to 8,182ft in elevation.
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Capulin
2008-07-05 - Alamosa, CO to Page, AZ
• 1st stop - Great Sand Dunes National Park, CO - CO-150. Hiking on sand is NOT FUN! At least it's beautiful.
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Great Sand Dunes
• 2nd stop - Treasure Falls Observation Site, Pagosa Springs, CO - US-160
Short hike off the highway takes you to these beautiful falls.
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Treasure Falls
• 3rd stop - Shiprock, NM - US-64. The monolith, rising 1,583ft above the desert floor, is 7 miles away from here.
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Shiprock
Glen Canyon Dam
• 4th stop - Glen Canyon Dam & Lake Powell, Page, AZ - US-89. This dam on the Colorado river is upstream from the Grand Canyon.
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2008-07-06 - Page, AZ to Convict Lake, CA
• 1st part - Driving through Arizona, Utah, and Nevada to get to California. 566 miles through mountains and desert.
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Nevada
around Convict
• 2nd part - A hike around Convict Lake, where we have a cabin for the night. A little over 3 miles.
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2008-07-07 - Hike behind Convict Lake
• About a 7.5 mile hike round trip. Starting elevation 7,800ft.
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behind Convict
2008-07-08 - Bodie & Hot Springs
• 1st stop - Bodie State Historic Park. Once a thriving silver mining area, it is now a ghost town.
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Bodie
Hot Springs
• 2nd stop - Hot Creek Geologic Site. I once spent some time soaking in these pools after a backpacking trip. Mary really didn't like the sulfur smell. Be careful - IT'S HOT!!
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2008-07-09 - Mammoth Lakes, CA to Los Angeles, CA
• 1st stop - (how can it be a stop? - we haven't started yet!) - wildlife at Convict around the cabins - bear, deer, cow.
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Convict animals
• 2nd stop - the road to Laurel Lakes - near Mammoth Lakes. We didn't get very far, but had a great view.
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Laurel Lakes
• 3rd stop - Hot Creek Trout Hatchery - we would often stop here to feed the fish - that might eventually feed us!
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Hatchery
• 4th stop - Sabrina Lake, high in the hills west of Bishop, CA
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Sabrina
• 5th stop - Dehy Park in Independence, CA
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Dehy
• 6th stop - On hwy CA-178 along the Kern River near Bakersfield, CA
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Kern River
2008-07-10 - Sycamore Cove Beach
• Swimming in the surf on an overcast day. I'm sure I didn't plan on getting that wet.
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Sycamore
2008-07-11 to 07-14 - Hanging at Mom & Dad's house
• Just hanging out with family.
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Mom & Dad's
2008-07-14a - Patti @ Grace Community Church
• I used to go to church here when I lived in California. I've lived in the mid-west (KS & OK) since 1979. We stopped here to see Patti because she had some discounted passes for us to go to Magic Mountain.
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Grace
2008-07-14b - Magic Mountain
• Home of the original loop coaster, it was still running in 2008. This shows one of the few rides in the park that isn't a roller coaster!
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Magic Mountain
2008-07-15 - Los Angeles, CA to Flagstaff, AZ
• Took the back way to get to Kingman (turn at Goffs, north to the cut-off to Laughlin, then over the hill from Bullhead City to Kingman. I like it better than driving all the way south of Needles to cross the Colorado River.
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train
2008-07-16 - Grand Canyon NP
• Drove from Flagstaff to GC and back. Beautiful drive to get to one of the most magnificent vistas I've ever seen. Did a little hiking as well.
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Grand Canyon
2008-07-17 - Flagstaff, AZ to Carlsbad, NM
• Changed our original plans from driving straight home from Flagstaff, to include a visit to Carlsbad Caverns. We saw some beautiful country, as well as seeing the VLA (Very Large Array), a set of antennae searching deep space.
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VLA
2008-07-18 - Carlsbad, NM to Claremore, OK
• In the morning we went down into the Caverns. Lots to see, but it's very dark down there. And deep! Took the elevator to get back out. Saw this road runner after we got out.
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0718
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