Griffith Observatory

On the second full day of our California trip, Ryan, James, Memere and I...

went to the Griffith Observatory.

Surprisingly, this was a very popular destination that day.  So much so that the parking lot was completely full and we had to park halfway down the mountain. 

It was a long, hot hike up to the Observatory... 

but we made it!

Once inside, we followed the signs...

to... 

the Gunther Depths of Space exhibit. 

The kids spent a lot of time looking through telescopes...

and reading about the planets. 

They especially liked finding out how much they would weigh on each planet.  Remind me not to move to Jupiter!

Mars might be ok. 

 And this is the combined weight of the three Buxtons on Pluto.  Woo hoo!  We're so skinny!

James and the moon.

Ryan and the moon. 

We also spent quite a bit of time enjoying the views from the various observation decks. 

Ryan and James in front of the Hollywood sign. 

Of course no visit is complete without a trip to the gift shop and cafeteria! 

August 2012

Root beer floats

There's no better treat after a long, hot hike than a root beer float.

Thanks, Memere!

August 2012

Eaton Canyon Falls

After our long, hot hike up the canyon, the kids couldn't wait to get into the water.

Ryan was content to stand near the waterfall...

but it was only a matter of time... 

before James decided to stand under the falls. 

Holy crap!  That's cold! 

Blue lips. 

He's cuddly when he's cold and wet. 

Brrrrrr! 

 It wasn't long before Ryan started collecting rocks...

and other sediment...

which he used to build a dam. 

Working together as good friends should. 

The dam. 

By the time we put our shoes on and got ready to leave... 

the area around the falls...

was crowded with hikers...

and the morning sun had found its way to the canyon floor.

So glad we got up early!

The sun  

Beautiful Eaton Canyon. 

August 2012

Hike to Eaton Canyon Falls

Despite the triple digit heat, Ryan, James and I were all determined to hike to Eaton Canyon Falls.  On Friday morning, we woke up at 6:30 AM and headed out.

Ryan led the way across the canyon floor.

 It was already warm, but fortunately most of the canyon was shady.

Hoof prints on the trail! 

This time we turned at the sign...

and followed the trail under the bridge. 

The trail zig zags across the creek bed.

 Lots of big rocks!

There was only a little bit of water in the creek... 

 which made all the crossings a lot easier.

Still, there was a little bit of scrambling as we traversed the canyon floor.

Ryan set a speedy pace... 

punctuated by occasional stops to study some of the canyon's man made features.

Here's one of them. 

We walked on... 

and on...

and on! 

Somewhere along the way, the creek dried up entirely.  We began to worry that the falls would be waterless. 

Fortunately, that wasn't the case.  

We rounded the final bend, and there was the waterfall! 

August 2012