It was nice being back to our home church yesterday.
One reason we hurried home so fast was because Randy and Kari were headed back to Kisii, Kenya where they have been serving as missionaries. They were home for Christmas, and it was nice to see them again. It amazes us how people can be so dedicated…
One thing I regret about this past trip to California was that we never made it to Yosemite, absolutely one of my favorite places on earth. We were headed there….got up to Lake Tahoe on the first leg of the “eastern entrance” route to the high country of Yosemite…but the motorhome’s transfer switch melted…and we headed back to Sacramento.
We did make the visit in 2012, Marcia’s first visit. This picture above is from one of our most favorite lunch spots…at the foot of Half Dome near Mirror Lake.
To get the full scope of Yosemite, one really has to visit it during each of the four seasons…a bit hard to do in a motorhome unless you are prepared for cold weather. I have been to Yosemite in the middle of winter, and Yosemite Falls, shown above, was one huge ice fall….very pretty.
Of course in the spring, early summer, and fall you get your best opportunity to see bear, like this momma and baby bear we saw in the little visited area of Yosemite by Hetch Hetchy Lake….unfortunately the fire of 2013 took out much of the underbrush and trees in this area, and I am sure some wildlife lost their lives too.
And of course, a visit to a place like this would not be complete without a shot of our brave girl, perched high on a wall with Nevada and Vernal Falls in the background…..I only wish we had our new camera back then…but hey, that’s a good excuse to be sure that we visit the park later this year after our Alaska trip.
We haven't been to Yosemite yet......it's on the list! Love the water falls!
ReplyDeleteWhen you put it on your list, you might need to put it on a spring and a fall list. The waterfalls are so good in the spring, and some can only be seen in the spring. The high country will not be open in the spring, and is best seen in the fall. And the valley in a fresh winter snow....wow....
DeleteLove Yosemite! We need to go back for a longer stay and to do lots of hiking.
ReplyDeleteMy youngest son hiked to the top of Half Dome nearly 10 years ago with his uncle. I understand that they now limit the daily numbers going up there...but it is still his favorite all time hike.
DeleteOk I need to pick your brain about Yosemite. David REALLY wanted to go there this year and I haven't given up trying to make that happen. Go to the West side in the spring? And stay where do your recommend? Go to the East side - high country?? in the fall and stay where? Boy your pictures are fantastic! They make me all the more excited and I can use it for sure. Alaska and Yosemite. Sounds like a winner trip you've got planned.
ReplyDeleteSherry, In 2012 we stayed at the Yosemite Pines RV Resort, but that is right at the south-west limit of the big fire of 2013, and in my opinion, the smoke smell will probably be lingering, and the drive into Yosemite would not be pretty. I would recommend staying at Yosemite Pines RV Resort, which is a shorter drive to the valley anyway. Of course, you can "try" getting a spot inside the valley, but they are very hard to come by. In the fall one can stay outside the park near Mono Lake, that is what we were going to do in 2013. However, there are camps within Yosemite in the Tuolumne Meadows area which are easier to come by than inside the valley. The thing about Yosemite is that the hiking varies from easy to hard, so depending upon how David feels, you can't go wrong.
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