day forty-three...thanksgiving road trip day three

Woke up this morning to this weather report. Ummm...just a little cold. It didn't end up snowing, but it was still bundle-up weather. And bundle-up we did.

Breakfast
Before we headed out for some adventure, I made a chai latte using some hot water provided by the hotel. While drinking my chai, my parents and I read a few chapters of the Bible and prayed. Lovely start to the day.

Morning Snack
After our mini Bible study we headed out. We walked around the shops in Mammoth and then decided to go back to Bishop and attempt to hike up the snowy hills to the mine shafts. I made a egg nog shake (french vanilla shake packet mixed with some egg nog capella drops) before we left the hotel and it stayed cold for two hours easy...it was 30 degrees outside after all. PS...this is the best shake I have had to date. Perfect start to the Christmas season.

On our way back to Bishop, we stopped at Convict Lake. Story behind the lake is that back in the 1800's, a bunch of convicts escaped from prison and the chase ended at this lake with a big shootout. Bummer story, but beautiful lake. This is a picture of my mom and I with the lake and the snowy Sierra Mountains in the background.

We finally made it to Bishop, and we drove back to the hiking spot to attempt the climb. Here is the starting point. The end point is about the middle of the picture where the cluster of trees are.

Let me tell you...walking through fluffy snow is not easy...especially when it is about knee deep. It was quite the challenge and workout. Near the middle of the hike, we had to cross a bridge covered in snow. You couldn't see what you were walking on, so I was just waiting for my foot to go through some hole. Thankfully, that didn't happen and we made it across safely. Do you notice how the snow glistens? So beautiful.

After about 40 minutes, we finally made it to the mines. These mines were used back in 1879 during the gold rush. That little creek in the picture above is a part of where they would sift their pans in search of gold. I love history, so this was pretty neat to see. The wooden structure is connected to the mountain, where you can also see holes where the miners used dynamite to blow up the sides of the mountain.

On the way back from the mines, I took these pictures of the aspen trees...they are just so pretty against all the white snow.

Here is another portion of our path with the aspens on either side of us.

Lunch
After we got back into the truck, we headed back to town to find something to eat. There isn't a lot, so we just went to Carl's Jr. We never eat here, but the options were extremely limited for me. I looked up what I could have, and Take Shape for Life suggested I order the grilled chicken salad. Honestly, this salad wasn't that great...not TSFL's fault, but Carl's Jr's fault. The only thing that was okay, was the chicken. I won't be ordering this again.

After lunch, we made the decision to head back home. We were going to travel to Kern Valley and stay another night, but we just wanted to get home. But before we did get back on the road, we stopped at the famous Erick Schat's Bakery. They make a delicious sheepherders bread. Walking into this bakery was tough (with the sweet smells and free samples), but I made it through without eating any of the free samples. ;)

Afternoon Snack
After our bakery visit, we hoped back in the car and made our way home. On our way back, I ate a cinnamon raisin crunch bar. These bars are delicious...it was a great snack after such a bummer lunch.

Dinner
By the time dinner rolled around, it was dark and I didn't take a picture of my nacho chili puffs. But all the other pictures I posted today can make up for that...hopefully. :)

Dessert
We finally made it back home!!! I got everything unpacked and settled in and then I made myself a brownie and called it a night.

All in all, it was a really fun and exciting road trip and even more exciting staying on plan. I could not have done it without the help of the Lord.

Pray you have a blessed night!

xoxo,
Toni

day forty-two...thanksgiving road trip day two

Today was full of driving and adventure. I took this picture above when we took a little walk to a natural hot spring that just bubbles up from the ground. It is amazing how hot that water can be even though it was about 40 degrees outside.

Breakfast
I woke up around 9am this morning and made myself a vanilla pumpkin shake. I just mixed some pumpkin flavor drops with a french vanilla shake packet. Thought the pumpkin was appropriate being Thanksgiving and all.

After breakfast we were on the road to do some exploring. My dad wanted to show us some mines, but there was just too much snow to make the trek. So instead we walked around and took some pictures.

As soon as we got to the hiking site, the sweetest "guard" dog came right up to us and joined us on our walk. He was sort of like our guide, I suppose. You think the snow would bother him, but this little guy just loved it.

After walking around, we crossed a half frozen creek and found an area to relax near the creek. There was a giant spot of fresh powdery snow, so I decided to make a snow angel. Why not, right? And in case you were wondering, yes, it was extremely cold and uncomfortable, but I definitely don't regret it.

Morning Snack
Once we got back in the car, we traveled back to check out of our hotel and started driving towards Mammoth. On the way, I ate some brown sugar cereal crunch along with a bottle of water

We stopped along the way to Mammoth to check out some natural hot springs and ran into this creek called hot creek. It is basically a scalding hot creek of water. It was really neat to see actually. The water is heated by some volcanic matter under the earth...I don't really understand how it works. All I know is that the air is freezing, but the creek still remains piping hot. Simply amazing. Those really blue pools are just some of the hot springs.

We hiked down a trail and was able to touch the water, but couldn't get too close at times because it was blocked off. I guess the water is too hot to touch. Walking back, we found this giant rock on a hill, so my dad decided he wanted to take a picture of me sitting on it. He is quite the photographer, isn't he?

Lunch
We finally made it to Mammoth when I ate my lunch for the day. I ate a s'mores crunch bar while we looked around.

We then decided to head back up north to check out what was up there. We found out that there is nothing really past Mammoth. But we did find this gorgeous, giant lake. It was lightly iced over and just a beautiful sight to see.

Afternoon Snack
After getting tired of seeing nothing, we decided to head back to Mammoth where we got a hotel room for the night. My parents then grabbed some dinner while I heated up my dinner in the microwave (thankfully provided in the room). I ate the green bean casserole I made yesterday...such a delicious Thanksgiving meal! And even after sitting around for a day, it still tasted pretty good! Click here for the recipe.

Dinner
After we ate our Thanksgiving meal, we headed out to see a movie. I heated up a calorie burn cappuccino and brought it with me to drink about 30 minutes into the movie. I tried to make it scalding hot so by the time I drank it, it would be drinkable hot...but...it cooled down to a more of a warm temperature. Not my favorite temp, but still delicious! I wasn't able to snap a picture because...well, it was dark in the theater.

Dessert
We came back to the hotel room right after the movie and I made my last meal of the day. I blended up a peanut butter milkshake and enjoyed every last sip. Great ending to my Thanksgiving day. And you know, it feels pretty great going to bed slightly hungry on the most food-centered day of the year.

Well, I am off to bed. I hope your Thanksgiving was a blessed one!

xoxo,
Toni