Yosemite National Park

Spontaneous trips are the BEST!  Especially when they work out like you hoped!  Friday after I finished work at the hospital, we decided to drive down to Yosemite (we basically planned all this on Thursday afternoon).  It's about a 4 hr drive because many of the mountain passes are still closed for the winter... so we had to go a little out of our way to get there but it was a really scenic and beautiful drive.  The trees and meadows were all that "new spring" color.  

Everything was green and the flowers were beginning to bloom. 

This was the last weekend of "first come, first served" camping... beginning on Wednesday most of the campsites will be by reservation only (please note: you must make reservations 6 MONTHS in advance and all campsites are usually reserved within minutes of opening the reservations).  So, I felt like this was our last chance to go for a while.  The weather was supposed to be BEAUTIFUL so we took the risk.  Because of the long drive we didn't get there until late afternoon/early evening on Friday and I was nervous we would be too late and the sites would be full.    

BUT... we made it and we got a perfect little campsite with no one else around! We got everything set up just before it got dark!  

We spent some time by the fire... had a few s'mores... and headed to bed.  

I got up and the dog took my seat!!! 

Overnight lows were in the 40's... it was chilly.  

The next day we spent our time walking and driving around the park.  As we were driving in I kept thinking, "This is really nice, but it's not anything amazing."  Then we rounded the corner and caught our first glimpse of El Capitan and Half Dome.  From then on... it. got. amazing.  

Mike and I in front of El Capitan and Half Dome (way in the distance). 

Bridal Veil Falls (in the distance) and the Merced River. 

 Seeing El Capitan in person is awesome.  I completely understand why this National Park is so popular!  It is a 3,593 ft vertical wall of sheer granite!  It is truly breathtaking.  

El Capitan on the right and Ribbon Falls off to the left. 

Bridal Veil Falls

Not a cloud in the sky!!!  And waterfalls EVERYWHERE! 

 We did a short hike to Lower Yosemite falls which is a super easy walk that takes you right to the base of the falls.  The hike to Upper Yosemite falls was quite a bit longer and much more strenuous so we opted not to do that one.  Besides, you get a lot of views of the upper falls from all around the park.

Upper Yosemite falls

Lower Yosemite falls

YES... That IS a tight rope walker walking across the UPPER Yosemite falls!  CRAZY. 

Upper and Lower falls in one picture. 

Upper and Lower falls again... yeah that guy was walking a tight rope UP THERE at the top!  Ridiculous! 

After our little hike we climbed out on some rocks and sat beside the rushing river while we ate lunch.

Another landmark of Yosemite National Park is Half Dome.  Such a prominent part of the landscape.  I can't believe people climb this dome in the summer.

A different view of Half Dome... from the backside. 

Mike and Zater enjoying the view of El Capitan and Half Dome.

Perfection. 

 After seeing those major landmarks... we hit up one more trail that promised views of Giant Sequoias.  We walked a mile down a pretty steep road without seeing anything (we saw some big 'ol trees, but nothing "GIANT").  Again... we came around a corner and there they were!  Sadly, the pictures don't convey their magnitude.

 When a tree falls in the woods, and no one is around to hear it... does it make a noise???  In this case I'm pretty sure the answer is YES.  It made a noise.  I feel pretty certain.

That's a big 'ol tree... 

It was actually pretty cool reading all the plaques that shared info on the history of the area.  The road we were walking on was once a toll road (in the 1800's) and they cut this opening in the tree to encourage drivers to use the toll road.  

Welcome to my new tree house!  

TONS of carvings done by visitors on the inside of the "Dead Giant"

From the inside looking up through the hollow part.  

Mike... giving a little perspective on how LARGE the base of this tree was. 

After hiking and driving around in the park all day, we went back to our campsite to rest our weary legs.  We couldn't have asked for a better trip to Yosemite.  Because it was still early in their season, there weren't too many other visitors/tourists (Mike and I kept saying how we can't imagine this place in the summer... I feel positive it gets PACKED with tourists).  The weather was simply perfect: highs in the 70's and lows into the 40's at night.  There wasn't a cloud in the sky the whole time we were there.  And at night, we would sit by the campfire and watch millions of stars come out.  

Anyway, now we are home and thoroughly exhausted from cleaning the car and all of our camping gear.  Time to rest and relax before getting back to reality tomorrow: first day as a full time outpatient PT is TOMORROW!!!