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Published: October 9th 2016
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#Week 4
The title of this week’s blogpost basically says it all. Ron, the father of my host family, had decided to take me and three other girls up to the family cabin by Bass Lake, near the Yosemite National Park. I could not be more grateful for being given this amazing opportunity to see one of the most amazing National Parks in all of the US. But to get there, we had a very long drive ahead, which was at least 7 hours. Luckily Ron took good care of us and stopped at a lovely diner on the way there, and we were able to get all sorts of American snacks to survive the journey. When we got to the cabin by Bass Lake around 2 AM, I was amazed by how big and absolutely gorgeous it was! The cabin had several master bedrooms which all had their own bathroom. There was a very cosy livingroom and a big kitchen in which Ron would make us a big breakfast every morning. The breakfast included sausage with potatoes and some vegetables, cereal, fruit and of course the best American pancakes!
On Saturday we had the opportunity to sleep in
for once. My biological clock woke me up at seven, like every morning on the ranch, but I was very happy to go back to sleep for at least two more hours. When we all had breakfast and cleaned a few things up around the cabin, it was time to take the boat out to the lake. At first I expected a “normal” boat, but when Ron opened the garage where it was standing, I was happily surprised to see a really awesome orange speedboat! After putting the boat in the water, Ron and me had to go back to bring the car back to the house and walk back to the boat. When we decided to take a shortcut, I had to go under a chain which had the words “NO TRESPASSING” on it. Of course, I should’ve just listened to the sign. When I got up after going under the chain I walked straight into a pole and within a second I was flat on the ground. Great. Why is it always me?!
I didn’t think my nose was broken, but it sure turned a little blue and red. The rest of the day on the lake
was incredible! The boat was going so fast and I loved the wind in my hair! Some of us even did some watersports and swimming. The day was amazing and I got to take a lot of pictures! To finish of the day we went to a restaurant next to the lake. From the place where we were seated, we could see a small harbor and almost all of the lake.
After almost breaking my nose, speeding on the lake all afternoon and having the best dinner ever, it was now time for me and my sore nose to go to bed.
I have to be honest, I am not much of a sports person. I love to be in the outdoors, see beautiful sights and take lots of pictures, but sports is not something I am very good at. Still, we all decided to go on a 5 mile hike in the Yosemite National Park. Even though all of my muscles in my legs, feet and butt were hurting it was a very beautiful hike and a great experience! I had such a beautiful view on the glacier and along the trail I was hiking on. Luckily,
we did not see any bears on our way down. Yes, we only hiked downhill. After the hike we decided to have a look around in the local village down by the valley, where they had all sorts of theme shops and places where you could learn more about Yosemite. I saw a movie about how all of Yosemite was established and who was the founder. After wandering around in the village, I wanted to take a few more pictures and then we headed back to the cabin by Bass Lake. On our way back we had dinner at this local diner called Carl’s Jr. I’ve seen several of these diners along the way, but had not been to one yet. They had such good burgers and fries! I now know that I can have an American body, and a European body. Though I have no idea how I will get my European body back when I keep eating so many hamburgers.
The travel back home from Yosemite was long and very, very hot. At some point it was even more than a hundred degrees outside, and of course I was in the passengers seat without any shade. Screaming
shotgun before getting in the car was not such a smart idea after all. On our way back to the ranch we saw a lot of beautiful roads and small towns. Also, I saw these giant pipes going through the hills, so I asked Ron what they were used for. Apparently, these pipes make sure the places in the desert can get water from the bigger cities. Unfortunately we only passed by Los Angeles, and didn’t really get to see the city. I did decide that I want to go to LA later on, maybe stay at a nice hostel so I can see more of LA over the weekend.
When we got back to the ranch around 6 PM everyone who did not go on the trip was very happy to see us. It felt just like coming home to your family after a nice vacation. In this case, a very short vacation. I think it is amazing how me and the other workawayers have become a part of this family.
Later this week, Kiersti took me and two other girls on a trail ride in the most beautiful area near the ranch. We got to climb
hills with the horses, cross rivers and even swim with the horses! Since we need the big horsetrailer to get there, not everybody gets the chance to go to the river with the horses. Also, I was lucky since there was actual water in the river, because for the past couple of years, this area has been incredibly dry and hot. Whereas I from Holland absolutely loathe rain, over here they are praying for a few wet days to give all the plants the opportunity to grow.
During the rest of the week I have been doing chores at the ranch and did as much horsebackriding as possible since the weather was not as hot as the weeks before. I will have to enjoy the slightly cooler weather for how long it lasts, since it will get hot again by the ending of next week.
Sorry for posting this late! But since there have been so many fun things to do in the last couple of weeks, I first wanted to get the full experience before writing my blog and doing schoolwork. I hoped you liked this weeks blog!
Love, Anouk
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