Well, we are already back from Yosemite, sadly. It was quite possibly, the best vacation I have ever been on. It is just so magnificently beautiful. So quiet, calm, and relaxing. So adventurous, exciting, and exhilarating. So enjoyable. So my place to be. I jokingly mentioned to Dave that I would like a summer home in Yosemite. AS IF.
When we arrived on Wednesday, it was freezing and cold. Did I mention it was pouring rain while we were setting up our trailer? Nice! It flash flooded for about 2-4 hours, then miraculously cleared up and changed from about 47 degrees to about 75! Praise God!
Thursday morning brought beautiful clear skies and our bike/hike to lower Yosemite falls. Our group of 31 (The Brooks, Tubbs, Jensens, Harasicks, and us) went together. It was spectacular, as usual. We kicked around our beautiful campground that afternoon. We were in North Pines this year, which backed right up to the Merced River and an unbelievable view of Yosemite Falls, which, as a bit of trivia, is the 5th largest in the world. And I had a view of it from my backyard for 5 days. Breathtaking! The boys loved riding their bikes around the campground.
Friday morning, some of us met up for our annual hike to Vernal Falls. This year, however, my sister and I decided we wanted to "kick it up a notch" and hike the next leg to Nevada Falls. Both of us have been fitness training for it for weeks to maximize our efforts in getting to the top. So we hiked the mist trail to Vernal Falls, rested for about 30 minutes at the top of Vernal Falls, and then headed up the trail again. And, all my kids decided to go, too! My sister sweetened the pot for them and told them they would each receive $5 if they beat her to the top. Nothing like a little motivation to keep them walking. Well, after several hours of strenuous hiking, we were all at the top of Nevada Falls, which was quite an accomplishment for all of us. Woo-hoo! We were now only about 5 miles from Half Dome. My brother in law said we will hike all the way to Half Dome next year. YIKES! Better get training right away. The view from the top of both of the falls we hiked to was utterly breathtaking to say the least. What a view from up there.
Saturday, we started off our morning with a worship service, since Sunday was going to be check out day. We had a group breakfast together, and then Rich taught us and we also enjoyed some singing. We also biked to the Swinging Bridge for more views of the Merced and the Falls. It was quite the sight to see us all biking together. Heads turned as they witnessed the largest biking group go by single file! The boys also swam in the Merced (can you say FREEZING), and played on the sandy shore.
Sunday it was already time to pack up and leave. We had such a fabulous time with these other dear families. They are just the most wonderful and enjoyable people to be around. The kids had a great time together around the campsite, playing four-square, biking, playing board games, frisbee, doing shows for the parents, etc. And we made memories to last a lifetime. Pics in the next post!
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