There's no place like home

Youngest Daughter and I just returned from a four day trip to the California Sierra mountain range. It's one of my most favorite places to be, especially at this time of year when we averaged 12 degrees cooler than the folks at home. Demi went with us.

We stayed close to camp the entire time, something that was planned ahead of time. We made one foray into Truckee, but we've been there many times, as recently as January, so camping had more allure for us than town. We can do town at home!

My favorite part was the chipmunks, of which there were so many! The squirrels were in abundance too, the noisy chattering kind. The only thing noisier were the Steller's Jays, but usually the squirrels won out because they were more insistent.

Tent camping in well-maintained public parks is my preferred way to get away from usual routines and Donner Memorial, one of California's best parks (in my opinion) is a destination on my annual itinerary from now on.