Pinnacles

Over Memorial Day weekend, we headed down to Pinnacles National Monument. The Pinnacles are crazy rock formations that are the remains of an ancient volcano. On the first day, we hiked a trail that goes out north of the Pinnacles then on the way back you have spectacular views of the rocks.


Nina was rather excited to start off on the adventure.

But by lunch time, she was pooped. Believe it or not, we had to carry her the rest of the way.


The second day, we took the High Peaks Trail. You climb up and up the Pinncles (a couple thousand feet). Really fun hike around all the rocks and plus great views of the surrounding landscapes. But even near the top of a pretty strenuous hike, you can't avoid the Japanese tourists. So we asked them to take our picture!

Actually, we got a fairly early start on the day, and they were only the second group of hikers we saw that morning. Since we wanted to minimize driving, we booked a room at the Inn at Pinnacles - a very lovely bed and breakfast just a few miles from the park entrance. I couldn't recommend it enough. Great views of the surrounding mountains and a wine and cheese tasting in the evening. Here is a view with the Inn in the background.



Great fun!

And finally, for something completely difference - let's end with a little video clip to show you just how much Nina loves to eat!