Fallen Leaf Lake

Captain's Blog Stardate 20070604
Spent two nights at Fallen Leaf Lake campground in S. Lake Tahoe. This is probably the best campground I've ever stayed at. Over two hundred campsites but they are well spaced and lots of trees. We chose one in a little aspen grove. We had friends visit us, and hang out around the campfire. We roasted marshmallows. We laughed. We drank beer, wine, port, schnapps and brandy. It was fun. Only mildly bothered by Kiosk Mary and Neighbor Larry. Good times. We put new bike racks on the Forester, and they worked well.

Davis Creek

Captain's Blog, star date 20070528
Spent a night at Davis Creek Park in the Washoe valley. Due to the holiday weekend, we saw signs indicating the campground was full. I led a landing party up the Ophir Creek trail to pass the time. The trail was a grueling climb in the hot sun. About three miles up the trail we crossed the creek and shortly after that we turned around. When we got back to the campground we saw a couple loading up their popup camper. We got permission to pull in and secured the site for the evening. Sleeping on the four inch memory foam mattress with sheets was a huge upgrade from sleeping bags on blue backpacking mats. On the way home we stopped for a tongue box picnic at the rim trail parking/picnic area, at the top of spooner summit. We hiked around spooner lake on the nature trail before docking the mirthship at the cabin. One small incident occurred before the journey was done. Neighbor Larry (I think his name was actually Carl) saw me locking the gate as we left. He wanted to know why I was messing with the lock. I guess Larry didn't see us parking and tarping the trailer for the last half hour. He was nice though. Nice and drunk. After chatting and smelling his breath for five minutes, we headed home declaring the voyage a success.

Grover

Captain's Blog, star date 20070514
Took a short trip to the Grover Hot Springs Sector. We didn't soak in the hot springs but enjoyed ourselves nonetheless. Engineering completed interior carpet on the walls and the vent fan. Crew members had to put up with noisy Larrys in the next site breaking camp at 0700. Once the Larrys were gone we slept til 1145. Checkout time is noon so we got to see how quickly we could prepare for launch. We weren't ready in fifteen minutes but departed shortly after 1200 hours. We piloted the Halcyon around the corner to a trailhead parking area where we opened the galley and prepared coffee and bagels.

Yosemite

Captain's Blog, star date 20070507
The ship and her two person crew have spent the last three days exploring the Yosemite quadrant. The Halcyon docked at Hodgdon and we were greeted by , Shari and Anthony. The weather was cool, make that cold. Environmental controls were offline due to recent ship construction. Snow and ice outside made temperatures in the sleeping quarters less than optimum. The crew fought off the chill and endured with smiles. We spent the night cloaked in a parking area not intended for overnight camping. The small size of the Halcyon went undetected by patrolling rangers. After coffee and bagels we secured a legal dock at site #64. Then we joined Shari and Anthony for a short hike at Hetch Hetchy reservoir to Wapama Falls, followed by pizza and beer in the valley at Curry Village. Engineering had the heat on before lights out and crew members were able to warm hands and feet in a cabin that was probably close to 80 degrees. Warmer temperatures and no threat of Ranger Larry made for a more restful sleep. After parting ways with Shari and Anthony we visited the Tuolumne Grove of giant sequoias near Cedar Flat. The size and beauty of these ancient life forms was breath taking. The hike to the grove was only a mile, but descended 400 ft in that short distance. After hiking back up to the trailhead, and some grumbling about the transporter being non-operational, we headed for home. The Halcyon pulled like a dream and despite some chilly temperatures her maiden voyage was a huge success.