Bishop Creek, California

I usually camp alone, but last weekend I took my grandsons up to one of my favorite places; Bishop Creek Recreation Area just outside of Bishop, California. Even though it was hot down in the city, the 8000 or so elevation at the campsite kept us cool in the shade.

Even though we started driving at 4am, the campground was full when we arrived save for one horrible site in full sun with no views of the river. I was so discouraged. As we were leaving, a little old man stopped me and asked if I was looking for a site. Immediately I said yes. He asked if I wanted his site; a gorgeous, shady site right on the creek. Of course I agreed and immediately unloaded our gear, thanking him profusely for his gift. God is good!

Several families were camped right up the road and the boys immediately made friends with all the kids, running, jumping, crossing the creek and playing like there was no tomorrow. Must say that at times it nearly gave me a heart attack but they had a blast! The innocence of youth....

This humongous tree lay across the river forming a natural bridge. The kids had more fun racing back and forth the log like little river rats....now when I tried to cross it, it was more like some clumsy, blind, three legged-critter. Very scary, but that's another story altogether.  

Surefooted Wyatt, crossing the bridge like a pro. Both Ethan and Wyatt had to hold my hand to get me to cross over.

This little squirrel hauled this heavy cone to the middle of the log bridge, then sat down and started madly ripping the pine cone to pieces while munching on the seeds.

Ethan was so very brave and wasn't afraid to jump in the swimming holes or soak in the ice cold water! Below, Wyatt in a pensive moment; such a thoughtful, intelligent young man.

Sabrina Lake is a sight to behold at an elevation of 9128 feet. From the shore we saw schools of trout swimming in the clear water. At one spot, the guy camping next to us was fishing off the shore and held up two fresh  rainbow trout, all cleaned and ready to cook as a gift to us for our dinner. The boys weren't too sure about eating the fish but were determined to go swimming in the lake, even if it disturbed the fishermen.

At last we found a quiet spot but the boys didn't look like they wanted to jump in. I certainly had no plans to join them.

Ethan was the first to submerge into the ice cold water, just like his daddy would have.

Always willing to follow his brother, Wyatt quickly plunged in, splashing about like a giant fish.

On our way home, we drove to the Whitney Portal, the starting point for hikers beginning their trek to the summit of Mt. Whitney. At 14,500 feet, Mt. Whitney is the highest mountain in California and the highest mountain in the lower 48 United States.  I took the boys over to the huge waterfall cascading down the mountain in graceful tiers; a glorious site. After that we plunged into the river and soaked our weary bones. All in all the trip was fun, but very exhausting for this Camping Queen.