It’d been almost three years since Lisa was last at the cabin (I made a trip with the kids last harvest), so fun to get up to the mountains for a week-and-a-half with friends to enjoy the fresh mountain air. The Taylors joined us for the first four days in Arnold, it was great to have them stay and see the kids all getting on so well. We were in the lake every day and out by the fire each evening, lots of good reflecting on the past with nice wine and good company. It was Grandma Carol’s birthday during the Taylors’ stay, so I made her a cake and we all sang her Happy Birthday to celebrate the occasion. The cabin was definitely her happy place, so it was nice to be staying for what would have been the beginning of her seventy fourth year…
We zipped up to Lake Alpine for a swim on Father’s Day during the Taylors’ stay, but we didn’t quite plan on the monumental snowpack from this past winter still being around in the middle of June! The beach where we were heading was still completely covered by snow, and there was still quite a bit of ice on the lake itself. Kevin wasn’t about to let snow ruin his fun though, so cold plunged into the depths for almost three minutes, much to the delight of the boys.
The trails behind the cabin were classic foothills dust during our stay, lots of fun to explore on the bikes but such a powdery mess in some sections. It caked up our chains and derailleurs every time we ventured out… I rode the Arnold Rim Trail from top to bottom one morning, the ol’ legs were feeling it on the way back up the highway from Avery to Arnold after more than two hours in the saddle. Ben joined us on a couple of rides, he did a great job tackling the climbs for a little guy who isn’t on the trails anywhere near as much as Lilia and Max. There’s a new MTB store in Avery called Mountain Aloha and the crew from the store had been busy building trail in the forest between Arnold and Avery. Some great new sections to ride, machine-formed with some super fun berms and features throughout. Max was pretty jazzed when I took him down a new trail called Yabba Dabba Doo: “That was awesome, Dad! Can we go do it again?!”
A week-and-a-half at the cabin wouldn’t be complete without throwing in a few lures. Max and Ben spent a number of hours hooking bluegill in the Lakemont Pines lake, and we also took a few trips down to the Stanislaus to rock hop for trout. Kevin and I snagged a few babies below McKay’s Point Reservoir, a spot to which I took the kids one evening and reeled in a reasonable-sized rainbow with Lilia. Such a pretty spot down there! We also ventured further south to Beaver Creek, where Max helped me haul in an 11 inch rainbow that made its way onto a plate for an afternoon snack that day…
The McGarrys joined us for our last weekend in the mountains. It’d been a few years since we’d seen them (Shell Beach in the midst of COVID) but it was great to reconnect with Jim, Michele and the kids. Everyone got on like a house on fire. Late nights by the fire, some great new card games and plenty of time on the beach below the cabin. The good life for sure.
We finished up our week-and-a-half with a trip down to Natural Bridges to tour the McGarrys through the cave. The water was pretty cold – although not as cold as the icy waters of the Stanislaus – and it certainly took our breaths away as we swam through the darkness of the tunnel. Lunch and beers at Murphys Pourhouse to finish off the week, can’t believe we have to go back to work tomorrow already! The kids have the life though: Kathi and Gramps met us at the cabin this morning to spend another week up there with the kids, so the fun continues for them…
