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Posts from the ‘On the Road’ Category

Oct 19

Day 8: Lazy Day

Today was a pretty lazy day for us.  After of week of coordinated activities, the plan today was to take it easy.

As I was able to find access to the internet, I mostly spent my time in the village relaxing.  I also had ample opportunity to do everything I should not have been doing while in Nature’s playground — scan through my work emails, catch-up on world events, and read through some of my favorite blogs.

It was a pretty nice day.

Kelly, on the other-hand, was far more productive than me.  She visited some of the “less famous” attractions in Yosemite … like the history museum and cemetary.

Everything was on track to be a uneventful day, but then Lilly was stung by a bee, which definitely has put a damper of the evening.  Hopefully all will be better in the morning.

Oct 16

Day 5: Vernal & Nevada Falls

Today we decided to hike up into two of the more popular falls in the Yosemite Valley.  The two falls are described as neighboring twins – both narrow in shape, pushing their water charge over broad, vertical sheer rock cliffs.  All in, the elevation change along the six-mile trail was just over 2,000 ft.

A quick stop to enjoy the views

Unfortunately, it is Fall so most of the rivers and waterways are bone dry, resulting in significantly reduced falls activity.  Nonetheless, we wanted to venture up off the Valley floor for views from high above.  About 8 miles round trip from our campsite, the distance wasn’t material; rather the elevation rise was significant.

Up, up, up

Nevada Falls

Turns out Chris developed quite a thirst on the trail.

Refreshing

Blue skies and little tree cover made for hot temperatures and loads of sweat as we ascended to the top.  The effort was totally worth the work as the views from atop the valley are quite spectacular.

Once at the top, we ate our pack lunch and made no effort to be swift in that endeavor.  The expansive views and perfect temperatures made me wish I would be spending the night at the elevation, not in the crowded valley floor.

This little guy stole my apple core

Glad to be a the top

Soon enough reality set in and it was time to get moving again.  Katie Dog and Lilly were back at the Airstream waiting our return so that they could commence with their long walk of the day.

Oct 15

Day 4: Mirror Lake

I slept like a champ last night.  The air is cool, crisp and smells just like a world famous park should … so loving it here.

After breakfast, Kelly and I took Lilly for walk to Mirror Lake.   The hike is quite pedestrian in nature – gigantic trees loom overhead, creating a neat canopy effect .

Walking to Mirror Lake

A subtle bear reminder

Bikes are plentiful in the park

Mirror Lake, sans water

This time of year, Mirror Lake is bone dry, which is pretty interesting.  On the one hand, it’s a bit odd to see a lakebed completely dry knowing that in a few months time will be full, encompassing a quite large area.  On the other hand, it’s cool to see the lakebed itself.  Walking the area, one is able to see up-close how the water affects the natural surroundings.  Small rocks and giant boulders alike are very smooth to touch.  I cannot help but wonder how many of these water/no water cycles have occurred over the years, manipulating the size and texture of any item caught-up in such an occurrence.

Venturing onward, the path next brought us past an easy-to-miss collection of rock cairns.  It’s not too uncommon to come across a cairn on hiking trails, but I’ve never seen a collection quite as large as this – pretty cool.

Peaceful times in the rock cairns

Rewarding anyone taking the time to venture a bit further down the trail is the most spectacular vantage of Half Dome.  Today was the first-time I’ve seem the famous rock up-close and I was blown away.  Not to sound dramatic, but Half Dome is so impressive.  The sheer size of the face is something I cannot sufficiently describe.  Its dominance is it’s beauty – thousands of years of geology at work creating a perfect rock.  Awesome.

Half Dome

After marveling at Half Dome for some time, we needed to make our way back to the Airstream and await Chris’s arrival.

Chris arrived without incident, but not without having spent about 11 hours driving here.  We took the afternoon pretty nonchalantly – letting Chris relax, catching-up, and talking over options for our first big day hike tomorrow.

Oct 14

Day 3: Arriving to Yosemite National Park

Our campground check-in time was 12-noon and we were only about 40 minutes away so we took our time getting moving today.  That said, we were anxious to make our way into the park, so before too long we were hitched and once again rolling.

Yosemite park entrance

I’ve seen and read a lot about this place, but nothing compared to actually seeing the park up-close.  It really is majestic.  The scale of the park is nothing I’ve ever seen before; it really is beautiful.

Arriving a bit too early to check into our site, Kelly and I killed some time exploring the area known as Yosemite Village.  Essentially, this is ground zero – the place where gift shops, restaurants, grocery stores, and campgrounds all collide.  A place that is both convenient and horrific at the same time.  Some of the Rangers tell me that the park is quite empty this time of year, particularly on weekdays.

River running through our campground

How far down is the drop …

One of many sheer rock faces in the valley

Interestingly enough, the campgrounds are all quite full.  The real crowds are those visiting the park for day visits.  I’m quite surprised at the amount of parking throughout the broader Village.  Incredibly, during summer months, what looks like ample parking today is often woefully inadequate.

Anyway, our day was mainly about getting settled, reading up on day hikes and reminding ourselves how lucky we are to be  in this majestic setting.

Tomorrow Kelly’s brother Chris arrives with his dog Katie.  Neither of us has seen Chris in a while and we are really looking forward to spending some time with him this week.

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