Our weekend in King's Canyon National park

My husband and I are still working through our list of national parks in California. Last weekend we checked out King's Canyon and it (by far) exceeded my expectations. I hadn't looked up any details, I just had a visual of what I thought it would be like..  my mental picture didn't even come close. This park was so grand! There were hardly any other visitors, it felt like we had the place to ourselves. We chose to do the mist falls hike and were beside a beautiful green, clear river almost the entire day! There were also a few gorgeous waterfalls just off of the roads to pull over and see. Overall it was a very easy park to explore and navigate. Well worth the drive from Pleasanton.

There is this strong connection with water that I (and my family) have. We grew up going to our cottage in Caseville, MI on Lake Huron. Boating was always my Dad's favorite activity and so of course my siblings and I have all done our fair share of that. After I graduated from high school my family moved to Northern Michigan, and had easy access to several lakes, we were only a 30 minute drive from Lake Michigan. On my days off while I was in nursing school, I would head to the beach or take a hike in the upper peninsula where there are so many water features, it is like a playground! I watched a movie (one from the chronicles of narnia series) years ago where I saw a scene with the most beautiful blue water flowing between canyons. A quick google search led me to find out that New Zealand is quite gorgeous, and has some of the most beautiful water I have ever seen. I made a commitment to myself, at a young age, to go and see that glacier water! Years later, my husband and I actually got engaged in NZ! I even have tiny, blue/green stones "hidden" in my engagement ring, because he understood my lifelong love for that aspect of nature. 

My love for water is difficult to explain,  But it is something that I feel so deeply. The reflective details on the surface, the many different hues of blue and green, the bodies of water all over the world that are so life giving. The way that it continually pushes up on the shore and then pulls back, with loud swooshing white noise that could calm me in any situation. The way that it carves out valleys, and canyons  like the one in this National park. The way that it guided us along our hike,  and continued to flow from its origin while we soaked up its beauty.

I was so grateful for this trip, our views, and that river. This was some much needed quality time with my sweetheart <3