Day 24 ~ Yosemite Day 1

 

Day 24 ~ Yosemite Day 1

Off to Yosemite today!  We expedited breakfast, dishes, and lunch packing.  The park wasn’t overfull when we arrived, but later it was packed with people.  It is hard to have a “Nature Experience” when you feel like you are at a World’s Fair or Disneyland. 

We still saw some amazing things.  This is a true story……After a great day at Mount Rushmore, I have felt that each place we go can’t possibly hold new and amazing things that are as intriguing as the last place we visited.  Yet, each new place we go is intriguing and beautiful.  I have never been so amazed in my life.  Each and every day has taken my breath away…..(except that day in Spokane…..not much happening there….) This trip is a once in a life time experience for me.  Mike and I feel so blessed to have this opportunity to see so much and take so much time to do it.

The standard family photo in front of the park sign:

Our first look at El Capitan!  We were aware of tall rock walls along the road, but when one monolith suddenly appeared in front of the car, Mike gasp and let out an expletive.  As I have been riding in the back, getting rather car sick from the twisty turny roads and up and down motion, I couldn’t see the top of it.  We got out and took pictures.  It is an amazing sight.  The granite is so hard, it has no signs ofcracks or weathering.  Natalie had a unit on National Parks in her 4^th grade reading book.  Ever since, we have longed to travel to these sites to see them in person.  Wowzers.  America the Beautiful never disappoints!


El Capitan

 

Next we located Yosemite Upper Falls, which is one of the tallest waterfalls in the world.  Then we parked our car and hiked to Yosemite Lower Falls.  …….by way of the Ansel Adams Gift Shop….Natalie and I got a digital photography book.  She is loving taking pictures with my old camera! Besides, I wanted the kids to know who Ansel Adams was.  They enjoyed seeing the pictures of him on top of his Woody Station Wagon shooting the scenery of Yosemite with his black and white box camera.  What talent!

 

 

 

 

Natalie and John Muir

Upper Falls

Upper Falls

Natalie being strongly encouraged to drink more water.....

 

Scaling the Wall

Upper and Lower Yosemite Falls

Then Mike got thirsty and drank the waterfall!

 

On our way back to the car, through Yosemite Valley, we got a good look at Half Dome.  Don’t ask me where the other half of the dome is!  Harrison already told us that it formed that way….nothing fell off.  (He was reading while the rest of us were using the restrooms!) 

We saw a bit of wildlife:

Then Mike drove us to Toulumne Grove, where we hiked an easy trail down to a patch of glorious Sequoia trees.  One tree was cut back in pioneer times to let horses and buggies through it. 



We drove through a series of tunnels.

 

Steep Drop Down

The Sun Through the Sequoias

Big Tree

Bottom Up

"Drive a Stage Coach Through" Tree - Really Big Pinecones

 

 Blue Skies, Big Trees

 

 It was a delightful easy hike downhill…………………..The way back was KILLER.  As were going down, we heard some guy tell another guy that it takes about an hour down and back.  Well, since it took us 45 min. down, Mike told Harrison to run it back to the car and see if he could run straight uphill a mile in 15 min.  Harrison did it in 17.  America the Beautiful isn’t the only amazing thing.  To think a child of mine and Mike’s can run!  Uphill to boot!  It truly is an amazing thing!

Now you might be wondering if we were OK with him running off again, but this was a much different situation.  We had conferred where we would meet again, and the woods at Yosemite is much safer than a large unknown city.  However, a little voice in my head did say, “What bad thing might happen to him while he is gone?”  “A BEAR!” I thought.  Then I dismissed it as I KNOW I am a worry wart!

So after Harrison finished his marathon, he headed back to meet us.  He got tired of waiting for us because we were so slow.  I think he was worried about us because many of the people who were behind us got to the top first. Now the shoe was on the other foot!  Anyway, along the way, some people were standing on the edge of the path taking pictures.  I asked a man if there was a bear down in the grove.  He pointed it out to me, so I tried to take a few pictures, but they weren’t really very good.  Harrison said that he already saw the bear.  It was just a little one, and it crossed in front of him in the road while he was running!  I guess a Mom usually knows what she is doing when she worries!

 

We stopped at a Vista Point to take a picture of Half Dome.

Half Dome refers to the rock formation between Mike's and my head.  Not the half dome on HIS head.  Ha ha ha.

Telephoto View

Then Mike drove us to the village to get more water because it is so hot here.  We drank up all our water bottles and another gallon besides.  It still wasn’t enough.  So we filled up on water and got a banana and peanut butter granola bars to refuel with.  Harrison fell asleep in the car because he was so tired!

Then Mike took us to Bridal Veil Falls.  We were pretty tired and Natalie was getting a headache, but this was a pretty short trail to a really cool waterfall.  The wind blows the waterfall and moves the water into what looks like a misty veil.   I had given Natalie some aspirin, so she was feeling better by the time we descended.

Bridal Veil Falls

Bridal Veil Falls

 

Sooooooo exhausted and hot, we headed back to the campground.  After a chicken breast, baked potato, and pear dinner, we took showers and relaxed in bed with our Kindles and fans!

Tomorrow:  More Yosemite!