2015 Vacation: Days 5 and 6

Day 5: Yosemite

We woke up early, grabbed a hearty breakfast at the Lodge restaurant, and then headed out to Yosemite Valley.

[caption id="attachment_1923" align="aligncenter" width="200"] Sugar Pine[/caption]

First, we hit the visitor's center. There was a nice, thorough, museum highlighting the park and all the people who contributed it it, etc. Honestly though, I was just chomping at the bit to hit the trails!

Our first stop was lower Yosemite Falls.

[caption id="attachment_1922" align="aligncenter" width="200"] Yosemite Falls[/caption]



Our next stop was Mirror Lake Loop.

[caption id="attachment_1924" align="aligncenter" width="200"] Mirror Lake Trail[/caption]

This trail was unpaved, rocky, and was strewn with horse droppings. That just added to the excitement!

[caption id="attachment_1929" align="aligncenter" width="200"] Tenaya Creek[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1928" align="aligncenter" width="200"] "That's a nice boulder."[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1925" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Mirror Lake with Bald Mountain View[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1927" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Duck on Mirror Lake[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1926" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Bald Mountain[/caption]

 

 

Mirror Lake was smaller than usual, but it was still a fun hike!

We ate lunch at the grill. Gabe set his jacket down we were sure it was lost. Luckily, Tim helped him retrace his steps and he found it!

After lunch we drove to Bridalveil Falls.

[caption id="attachment_1935" align="aligncenter" width="200"] This way to Bridalveil Falls[/caption]

A short hike led us to the base of the falls where there were a lot of boulders. A sign warned that the granite boulders were very slick and many people had been injured and even killed scrambling over them. Everyone else started to climb the boulders, but Gabe slipped twice so I made him come back and sit with me.

[caption id="attachment_1931" align="aligncenter" width="200"] Bridalveil Falls[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1932" align="aligncenter" width="200"] Hanging with Mom[/caption]

Needless to say, he was not thrilled with being left out. He sobbed for about 10 minutes. I apologized and told him I was sorry, but it just made me uncomfortable. We walked back up the path a bit and I convinced him to do some rock climbing near the creek. Luckily that perked him up a bit. Soon everyone else joined us and had a good time, I think.



[caption id="attachment_1937" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Taking a break[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1939" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Karen and Gabe[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1930" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Jumping rocks at Bridalveil Creek[/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_1934" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Stone Bridge over the Creek[/caption]

 

We were exhausted at this point so we headed back to the Lodge. We grabbed a few things at the little store there and then headed down to the salt pool. It was wayyy to cold to swim, but the boys got to sit in the hot tub for the first time so that was cool.

At dinner we overheard a waitress say that Tioga road was being closed in spots due to a large storm coming through. Unfortunately, the Tulomne Meadows is along that road so that had to be crossed off the list.

After dinner we hung out at the rec center. This was the only place in Evergreen Lodge that had wifi so we let the kids play and just sat around updating FB. Karen taught Luke how to play pool.

Day 6: Yosemite

Day 6 was rainy and chilly. Before heading out we explored the Lodge playground a bit.

[caption id="attachment_1940" align="aligncenter" width="168"] Big pinecones![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1941" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Cool Playground[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1942" align="aligncenter" width="168"] Mini ropes course[/caption]

Our plan was to drive south through the park to Mariposa Grove to see the sequoias.

Unfortunately, it was so chilly and rainy. By the time everyone was done standing in long lines to go to the bathroom, they weren't in the mood to see anything. We knew we'd be seeing sequoias anyway so we just decided to head on out.

I did get to snap a few pictures of the covered bridge.

[caption id="attachment_1943" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Covered Bridge Info[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1944" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Covered Bridge[/caption]

 

We ate a good lunch at a brewing company and made a stop at a Costco. We stopped for the night in Visalia, close to Sequoia State Park. It was disappointing to miss out on Mariposa Grove, but I liked the fact that we'd be able to devote plenty of time to Sequoia.