Last week Max did a surfing day camp with Calvary Chapel Santa Barbara.  They had devotions in the morning and then spent a few hours learning to surf at Santa Claus beach (near the Padaro Grill).  He did really well, standing up on his first day.  I think his balance is very strong as a result of using his Rip Stick.

Here are some photos from his week at surf camp

Last night I played some Chinese Rummy until the wee hours ( 10:30 p ). I lost horribly after miscalculating (twice!) and holding on to my cards too long.
In the morning, we went into Yosemite Valley and had lunch before a tour of the valley in an open air tram. We were joined on the tram ride by the Wrights, the Stastnys and the Goebel / Williamsons. It was an excellent tour and very informative on the geology, geography, history and lore of Yosemite.[flickr]http://www.flickr.com/photos/theule/5926390287[/flickr]

After the tour ended, we had just enough time to do the walk to Bridal Veil Fall. This was an easy walk of about 1000 feet to the base of the fall. At the base, there was soooo much mist that we were wetted through and through in just a few minutes. [flickr-gallery mode=”photoset” photoset=”72157627058564149″]
When we returned to EverGreen Lodge, we had a Seal Family dinner that was excellent. We were served spaghetti with lamb meat sauce, penne with pesto and tortellini in alfredo sauce all followed by a selection of some of the most decadent desserts I’ve tasted.
After this great dinner, we took a family picture with all the kids, grandkids and great-grandkids and Gma / Gpa. This went as well as could be expected and it only took about a half hour to take 30 shots or so. At least one should be an OK picture.
Tomorrow the plans involve *not* going into the Yosemite Valley ( too many people on a Saturday). We will find hikes and adventures closer to the lodge.

Our first full day at Evergreen Lodge started off with a breakfast buffet of all the Seal family members in attendance. The evening before had been great with Max getting a key to the cabin and bringing himself home at 11p after spending the time with cousins.
After breakfast we went on a bike-hike-swim adventure. 24 members of the Seal family (including the patriarch) rode 16+ miles on bikes, followed by a short hike, concluding with a few hours of swimming. At the Rainbow Pool there was rock jumping and waterfall sliding. The water was very high in all of Yosemite, due to record snows this past winter. It snowed in Yosemite on May 29th, one of the latest days on record.
Our guide, Andrea, was great at pointing out scenic spots along the way, and passed on interesting tidbits of information about the valley. Lucy rode the 16 miles on a tag-a-long bike behind me, and Toby did very well on the hills. The ride was mostly downhill, but had just enough uphill sections to make it challenging. When we got to the Rainbow Pool, the bikes were loaded up onto a trailer and we rode home in Suburbans after swimming and lunch.
[flickr-gallery mode="photoset" photoset="72157627175140368"]

Tonight is a BBQ dinner followed by Bingo!
Lucy loves spending time with Papa in the hammock.http://www.vimeo.com/26286343

We left Reedley and cruised up to the southern entrance of Yosemite.
Just before the park entrance, we stopped for lunch and a ride on the Sugar Pine railroad. This was a restored narrow-gauge wood fired steam driven train.[flickr]http://www.flickr.com/photos/theule/5926339943[/flickr].

The kids also panned for gold. We learned how to tell the difference between fool’s gold ( 2 different kinds, mica and pyrite ) and real gold : density.[flickr]http://www.flickr.com/photos/theule/5926894690[/flickr]
We spent some time hiking in the Mariposa Sequoia Grove. The trail was very crowded, but we were able to catch up with a tour group led by a parks service ranger. He was very informative and entertaining. We saw the Grizzly Giant tree which is the largest sequoia in this grove at over 200 feet tall and 29 feet in diameter, but only the 25th largest in the world. The Grizzly Giant had branches that were over 6 feet in diameter.[flickr]http://www.flickr.com/photos/theule/5926343921[/flickr]
After the tour ended, we took a side trail back to the visitor’s center and experienced long periods of time of having the trail to ourselves. On the way into ‘the Valley’, we stopped at Tunnel View to see El Capitan, Half Dome and Bridalveil Fall (and more) from one spot.[flickr]http://www.flickr.com/photos/theule/5926911878[/flickr]

Arriving at Evergreen Lodge was a treat. The camp is very well laid out, and has wonderful amenities for both kids and adults. This is going to be a great time with the Seal Family.

After a little mixup with flight arrival times, Gran and GranDon arrived in Carpinteria last night. They were pretty bushed so they went to bed early. Max, Lucy, mom, and dad went to the roof to watch 4th of July fireworks. It was not a very good show. Max and dad used up some old sparklers in the alley and then everyone went to bed, ready to get on the road for our vacation the next day.
We aimed at getting on the road at 9:30a, but in true Theule family practice, we fired up the van after 11a. But no worries, we had no one waiting for us and no schedule to keep. After an uneventful drive along scenic route 99, we arrived in Reedley, CA. The town was fairly empty, with many downtown shops having ‘for lease’ signs in the windows and it was HOT. H-O-T. I got directions to a RiteAid and took a walk to get some cold water. It looked much closer on the map. After about 15 minutes of solid walking, according to Google maps, I was less than half way there. I turned around and headed back.
For dinner, Toby selected a local pizzeria, but when we walked up, there was a paper sign in the window saying that they were closed for the rest of week. We walked over to our second choice restaurant and saw a similar sign that they were closed for the next few days. We saw that our third choice was open for business.
Our hotel was an historic building in Reedley, and had been built in 1902. The interior was a homage to an age gone by, with lots of antique-y knickknacks and everyone of them for sale. The rooms had a/c and big screen TVs, so it was comfortable. The kids enjoyed having their own room, but were disappointed in the cable service– too many Spanish channels.