McAlister Matters

  Our trip to California in June started off great. The drive out was smooth and easy. The weather was nice. We enjoyed a week in Turlock going to parks and the kids playing on splash pads and the trampoline. Paul completed at least 20 puzzles. We visited the Modesto temple site one day with Stephanie, Milo and Orion. We visited the office and saw the model for it and met the site missionaries. It's going to look a little like a California mission and has almond blossom and waterfall elements to represent Yosemite. Friday we had a fantastic day at Pinecrest Lake up in the Sierra Nevadas. The weather was perfect and the beach wasn't crowded at all. The kids had a lot of fun. Of course we got giant ice cream cones at the end. The next part wasn't fun. On the way home from the lake our car was totaled after a car tried to cross the highway unexpectedly in front of us. We collided with the other car hard, spinning it around and into the railing. Both of our front airbags deploy...

  Last Month Sarah and I backpacked for 3 days in the Grand Gulch which is part of the Bears Ears National Monument. We actually hiked through Kane Gulch, then part way thru the Grand Gulch and into a bit of Todie Canyon. It was an amazing place and a fun adventure for us.  We didn't see anyone on the trail the first day. It was surprisingly shady and pleasant in the gulch and there was a ton of shade and vegetation. We started with just 3 liters of water each. Luckily there was a lot of water available to filter this season, more than usual according to the rangers. The rock walls were beautiful and we saw a few ancient cliff dwellings and some petroglyphs and an arch. We had planned to take a lot of video but we forgot the charging cord for our phones so we only shot photos and video the first day. Click for pics