Friday the 13th (and Saturday the 14th)

Shortly after waking up yesterday morning the heavy rain turned to heavy snow. Before I knew it we were out in the female llama pasture playing and sledding.





Later that night, after the roads cleared, we made our way to a party in El Portal, a small community at one of the entrances to Yosemite National Park. All the elements for a good party were there: bonfire, music, dancing, interesting people, good food. Ediza and Maggie entertained the crowd until we feel asleep in the early morning.

On our way back home we paid a visit to Amber's dad, Valen, who was celebrating his birthday. He was born on Valentine's Day 50 years ago! This evening Amber made a fancy dinner and Ediza charmed us afterwards by dancing to romantic French music with her pink cowgirl boots. Ooh la la.

'Ultimate Guide to the World'

I wanted to say thanks to everybody for their support regarding my story in the Los Angeles Times travel section. The story -- about our around-the-world journey -- can be found online (travel.latimes.com) and in the paper's "Ultimate Guide to the World 2009" (published 2/8/09).

The goal of my story was to inspire people to turn off their televisions, quit obsessing over the "recession" and go out and have an adventure -- whether it's walking down the street or traveling around the globe. And having kids shouldn't stop you.


This weekend we went down to L.A. for a change of pace. On Saturday, we visited the zoo, which was celebrating the Chinese New Year. I've never been a big fan of zoos (they're actually quite depressing), but it was neat for Ediza to see some of the animals from all of her books come to life. Wearing her favorite color, Ediza blends in with a flock of pink flamingos below.


The next morning I took a walk down Sunset Boulevard and went to a Starbucks inside of a huge laundromat. I bought an L.A. Times and sat down to read it. When I came across my story, the opening line struck me: "My boss handed me a fortune cookie on my last day of work." Ironically, that last day of work was exactly (to the day) a year ago.

When I quit my job and was about to embark on our epic adventure I knew good things were in store. Did I think a year later I would be sipping a chai latte while watching people shove dirty laundry into washing machines and reading about our trip in one of the country's largest newspapers? Probably not.

Cleansing

Last week we tried this cleanse where you can't have any sugar, caffeine, alcohol, gluten or animal products (including eggs, cheese and milk). This week we made up for lost time, eating Ben & Jerry's ice cream for Amber's 26th birthday on Wednesday, and as I type this I'm nibbling on a chocolate truffle.

Following our hiatus, we returned to Starbucks yesterday before driving up to Pinecrest Lake. We took Maggie to the lake for her first big outing. Some people, including Amber and Ediza, attempted sledding despite the lack of snow. Lately, it has been feeling more like June than January around here.

We plan to take advantage of the weather tomorrow and return to the old railroad grade where I started my training a year ago for the Great Wall Marathon. Come to think of it, I haven't ran since the marathon eight months ago:)

Happy New Year!

To wrap up our adventurous 2008 we decided to do something that epitomizes adventure: A 20 mile (roundtrip) snowshoe hike up steep switchbacks to a remote cabin in Yosemite National Park.

The trek was quite challenging, especially with Ediza on my back. After hiking all afternoon (not to mention hours in the dark) we finally made it to Snow Creek Cabin. Once we made our way inside, we entered a tiny, dimly-lit room that was filled with people sitting around a wood-burning stove. We were then handed a plate of spicy veggie stir-fry and a drink made with lemonade, vodka and, of course, snow.

In Amber's backpack, wrapped up in a sleeping bag, was a bottle of pineau -- a mixture of Cognac and grape juice -- that we were given as a gift while staying in southwest France. At midnight, a bottle of champagne was passed around. We later cuddled underneath a table in the main room and fell asleep. This was definitely one of the more memorable New Year's Eve parties I've been to.


The next morning some of us made our way back down the mountain, while others stayed at the cabin for more snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. It was incredible to experience some of the rich history of Snow Creek Cabin, which was built in 1929 and restored in 2006.


In unrelated New Year's news, we were lucky enough to be included in the 2009 calendar of the New Zealand Llama Association. Below is the calendar's amazing cover.


The month of February was dedicated to Ediza, who is pictured trying to halter the llama that was named after her at Rangemore Llama Farm in Kerikeri.


A family photo of us at Llama Lookout in Governors Bay was featured for the month of May.


Aside from our photos, what I like about this calendar is that you learn new holidays -- like Feb. 6 is Waitangi Day and June 1 is the Queen's birthday.

We hope everyone has a blessed 2009!

Peace on Earth

Mike, Amber, Ediza, Maggie, Golden and Sherpa wish you a beautiful holiday season!

Today we took Maggie for a walk in the freshly-fallen snow, ate warm chocolate chip cookies and wrapped Christmas presents. We hadn't been in the snow since we were in the Swiss Alps back in June. The fluffy flakes that fell today have left us dreaming of a white Christmas.

'Tis the season

We walked two llamas -- Mac and Golden -- in the 25th annual Historic Downtown Sonora Christmas Parade. The parade is held each year the night after Thanksgiving. Last year the llamas wore packs with presents in them, while this year we put lights and bells around their necks.

Thousands of people lined Washington Street to watch the parade and get into the holiday spirit. We continued with the momentum of the parade by attending a Christmas craft fair today and tomorrow we'll cut down our Christmas tree. Not bad for it still being November.

Second fall

During our around-the-world adventure from February until July we stayed in a variety of accommodations: guest bedrooms, fancy hotels, cheap motels, historic homes, modern lofts, a chateau, a motor home, and so on. Now we can add another to our list: tent cabin.


This weekend we stayed in a canvas tent cabin in Curry Village, a longtime establishment in Yosemite Valley. Our heated tent was just a short distance from an area roped off (and now permanently off limits) due to a large rock slide last month.

Despite Curry Village being the site of a convention for recovering alcoholics this weekend, we managed to drink a bottle of champagne (and eat way too many chocolate-covered espresso beans) in celebration of my 27th birthday!



Earlier this year, during California's spring, we were in New Zealand during their autumn. So, really, we are experiencing fall for the second time this year. The crisp air, the foliage, it's amazingly similar whether you're in California or thousands of miles away.