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It seemed like everyone had been to Yosemite but us! We finally picked a weekend and headed out. We stayed in Oakhurst because the park was booked, except for some ridiculously expensive rooms which we decided to pass up. The drive into the park was about 45 minutes or so - and I don't think there's 5 feet of road that isn't curvy.
We saw the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias and went on the tour - which was very nicely put together and quite informative!
We drove to Glacier Point and looked down the three-thousand foot cliffs to the valley floor. On the way to the Point we caught a whiff of a campfire, except it wasn't fading. We found out later that the FS was doing a controlled burn to clear out excess debris alongside the valley road.
We headed down to Yosemite Village and had dinner at The Mountain Room Restaurant, Yosemite Lodge at the Falls. All the reviews stated that the view was so great that it "almost seems like the falls are indeed going to splash onto as you eat because the view is so clear." We found this to be a total lie! You could see the waterfall from maybe 2 tables in the whole joint - and we weren't sitting at one of them. The food was good, although the selection was limited.
We happened to be in the park during the full moon - so we got on the Moonlight Tour! It is a guided (by a FS ranger) open-air tram tour which was completely awesome. We saw the twinkling lights of the climbers making their way up El Capitan and took some 15-second exposures up at Tunnel View.
Finally we did the easy hikes to Bridalveil Fall and Yosemite Falls. Both were spectacular! It was time to head out, and after driving up through Fresno on the way in, Rick wanted to take a more scenic route home. We headed out the north side and must have stopped a good handful of times to take in the scenery.
At one point, we came to a dead stop in the road. We waited patiently until we started moving again. Everyone was out of their cars gazing into the grassy field on the right. So, of course, we had to stop and figure out what was going on! A moma black bear and her baby were grazing the field. They didn't seem to care too much about the crowd gathering not far from them, but we decided to get out of these quickly just in case.
All in all, the park in its entirety is completely breathtaking. The staff who guided our tours and answered our questions were incredibly knowledgeable and helpful. We had such a great time!
Entrance to the park is $20 or you may purchase the annual national parks pass for $80. During the week we got right in and practically had the place to ourselves compared to the weekend. If the entrance is piled up they stop taking credit cards, so make sure to bring cash or a check.
I know what you're thinking - where's the pics!? Ok, here they are:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sw33t/s...7600610429200/
We saw the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias and went on the tour - which was very nicely put together and quite informative!
We drove to Glacier Point and looked down the three-thousand foot cliffs to the valley floor. On the way to the Point we caught a whiff of a campfire, except it wasn't fading. We found out later that the FS was doing a controlled burn to clear out excess debris alongside the valley road.
We headed down to Yosemite Village and had dinner at The Mountain Room Restaurant, Yosemite Lodge at the Falls. All the reviews stated that the view was so great that it "almost seems like the falls are indeed going to splash onto as you eat because the view is so clear." We found this to be a total lie! You could see the waterfall from maybe 2 tables in the whole joint - and we weren't sitting at one of them. The food was good, although the selection was limited.
We happened to be in the park during the full moon - so we got on the Moonlight Tour! It is a guided (by a FS ranger) open-air tram tour which was completely awesome. We saw the twinkling lights of the climbers making their way up El Capitan and took some 15-second exposures up at Tunnel View.
Finally we did the easy hikes to Bridalveil Fall and Yosemite Falls. Both were spectacular! It was time to head out, and after driving up through Fresno on the way in, Rick wanted to take a more scenic route home. We headed out the north side and must have stopped a good handful of times to take in the scenery.
At one point, we came to a dead stop in the road. We waited patiently until we started moving again. Everyone was out of their cars gazing into the grassy field on the right. So, of course, we had to stop and figure out what was going on! A moma black bear and her baby were grazing the field. They didn't seem to care too much about the crowd gathering not far from them, but we decided to get out of these quickly just in case.
All in all, the park in its entirety is completely breathtaking. The staff who guided our tours and answered our questions were incredibly knowledgeable and helpful. We had such a great time!
Entrance to the park is $20 or you may purchase the annual national parks pass for $80. During the week we got right in and practically had the place to ourselves compared to the weekend. If the entrance is piled up they stop taking credit cards, so make sure to bring cash or a check.
I know what you're thinking - where's the pics!? Ok, here they are:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sw33t/s...7600610429200/
hehe
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