Yosemite

Bridalveil Fall from the entrance road

Entering the park, we drove in from the west on Highway 120, which winds around the mountaintops and becomes Big Oak Flat Road before slowly descending to the valley floor. The sun was low in the sky and Half Dome, Bridalveil Fall, and the Merced River were catching the last of the rays. We stopped so many times to take in the ever-changing view, it took us more than an hour to reach the campground, and only made it just before full dark.

Upper and Lower Yosemite Fall

Reservations sell out so quickly, that we had originally reserved one night in the Upper Pines campground, and planned to stay outside the park for the rest of the visit. Fortunately, we happened to find a block of four nights that had opened up in the Lower Pines campground just before we left on our trip, and snapped those up as quickly as possible. Getting a spot is so competitive that we held our breath until we had the confirmation, just in case someone else was faster!

Coyote

Vernal Fall trail. Even the trees can't stand up straight!

We woke up early the next morning and decided to take a pre-breakfast stroll to the Vernal Fall Bridge before the crowds were on the trail, and quickly discovered that everything is uphill in Yosemite. What started out as a stroll turned into a bit of a trek and breakfast turned into brunch.

After breakfast we packed up and moved over to the Lower Pines campground to get checked in, then drove to Yosemite Village to explore the museums and exhibits, and pick up a hiking map. Even though the upper road and trails were still closed because of snow, there were still miles of trails to hike, and we managed to cover quite a few. Tom did a couple of the longer hikes without me, while I took walks with Cooper and relaxed at the trailheads. Tom liked the Glacier Point trail so much that he left his wedding ring somewhere along it so that he’d have an excuse to do it again. He tried to find it before dark, unsuccessfully, but we got up early the next morning before too many people had been up the trail and that time was a success! No ring shopping for us, after all.

Yosemite deserves every awe-struck adjective imaginable, and these pictures can't do it justice. This time of year the waterfalls are nearly at full peak, and Yosemite Falls roars and booms so loudly it can be heard across the valley. The weather was ideal, and while the roads busy, we were always able to find a parking spot at trailheads and pullouts. Before we left we were already talking about coming back in the fall to visit during another season, and experience another side of the park.