Yosemite National Park Wrap-Up

Day 1

It seems like this year, I’m destined to conquer California. From trips to San Diego, San Francisco, Napa, Sacramento, and Joshua Tree, the latest area of discovery is Yosemite! A couple of weekends ago, my friend Anna invited me to take a five-day vacation to the National Forest as her family had a cabin up there, and I eagerly agreed!

Her family’s cabin. I wish I took more pictures of it! Unfortunately, I was told that there was a spirit roaming the cabin, so I dared not to explore the cabin completely or go anywhere without Anna by my side!

First day there and we hiked thirty minutes to a lovely stream that quickly became a favorite destination of ours. The breeze was calm, the water was refreshing, and best of all, hardly anyone was there! Splashing our footsies in the water after a long day was the perfect way to end the evening.

Day 2

On our second day, we went up to the area where Sequoia trees grew. They were so cool looking! We walked nearly an hour before heading back. Most of the time spent, however, was with a particular deer that was so laid-back about being near humans (see pic below). We were THIIS close to her and the deer did not flinch, and just kept eating away.

Day 3

Day three in Yosemite and we spent the day carousing the neighborhood. We started off the day exploring the historic grounds that included a carriage ride!

Afterwards, we went down to the quiet stream right by the cabin and just took in the cool water.

And then we hung around the cabin, watching HGTV and feeding some bluejays.

And when the night was young, we attended a Barn Dance that Yosemite was hosting, with live music and instructions for beginners who’d never done square dancing. I’d never thought I’d say this, but I had a blast listening to country music while doing the do-si-do!

Day 4

On our fourth day in the park, we headed to Yosemite Valley, where most of the activities of the park are held. It took us an hour on the park’s shuttle to get to the Valley. We were planning on hiking up the Half Dome which is supposed to be a 7 hour hike one way, but we didn’t know you needed a permit. Makes sense.

So we ended up taking a tram tour of the area instead of getting lost and not seeing the iconic spots of Yosemite since we had no car to go to those spots ourselves.

The tram tour was okay. Our host pointed out the various landmarks of the Valley. I wish we had brought the car so we could have spent more time in certain landmarks, but at least we got to still see them!

Day 5

On our fifth day, we just relaxed. We went to the post office and sent off our postcards (thanks for the idea Anna! I love it!) and headed to the stream quickly afterwards for a more ‘read and relax by the water and nature’.

I had never experienced a swim in a stream before (or even witnessed one, for that matter) or danced a square dance until this trip. I’m going to miss Yosemite and being surrounded by bluejays and squirrels. It was a great five days being unplugged from the real world (aside from TV and HGTV!) and doing some outdoor activities. Wish I could have stayed longer!

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