too bad we didn't meet any bears

Part two of my mom and stepdad's visit began when they came to stay with us last Wednesday. We spent two days close to home, just showing them the base and what life is like at NAS Lemoore. Jason even showed us around his shop.

On Saturday morning we met up with my stepsister and her fiancé and caravanned to Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, which we got into for free because September 25 was Public Lands Day. We stopped the cars at lots of scenic viewpoints to gaze out at the peaks of the Sierra Nevadas, squeal at the adorable chipmunks, and walk about craning our necks to look at the giant trees, including the Generals Sherman and Grant (all the while swatting away the ever-present flies--funny how they don't mention fly hordes on the tourism websites).

My mom and I climbed the 400 steps to the top of Moro Rock even though she was coming down with the plague:

Homegirl wore 70 SPF sunblock and still got sunburned on her pasty shoulders.
Jason was a good sport and let me take his picture a lot, so I did the forbidden dance to entertain him:

Seriously, no dancing like that. Can't you see the sign?
Sequoia is gorgeous and completely doable as a day trip, or if you are so inclined there are areas to set up a tent and camp out overnight. I even found vegan cookies, meatless jerky snacks, and nondairy chocolate bars at the campers' convenience store!

Look how beautiful:


It was a great day, and we were both sad to see my parents leave the next day to go to Yosemite without us. I had to fight back the tears as we said our goodbyes in the driveway.

Now that we've had our first California houseguests, I want more visitors! Who wants to come see me while Jason's deployed?