Yosemite National Park Part II

One our second day in Yosemite we drove to Glacier Point. The road to Glacier Point is closed during the winter and early spring. While planning our trip, I read it often doesn't open until the end of May. This year the road opened on May 2nd, three days before our arrival! We are so thankful it did as the view from Glacier Point is breathtaking. It has been called "The Best View in All the West". From the Glacier Point overlook we could see Half Dome, Yosemite Falls, Vernal Falls, Nevada Falls, the Merced River and the Awhanee Hotel.

Half Dome

The Royal Arches

Both sections of Yosemite Falls

A close-up of the lower section

The Ahawnee Hotel

The Merced River and the Royal Arches

Vernal and Nevada Falls

Yosemite National Park Part I

For our family vacation we decided to visit Yosemite National Park, San Francisco, 17 Mile Drive and the Pacific Coast Highway. We spent the first 2 days at Yosemite. Before coming to California our pastor, a CA native, told us we should visit Yosemite. He said it was one of the most beautiful places he had ever seen. We agree. Words, and even pictures, can not accurately portray Yosemite's beauty. It must be experienced to be fully appreciated, however I hope you can get an idea of how beautiful it was from our pictures.

Our first stop was Bridalveil Falls. We were able to walk a short distance to the base of the falls. May is peak waterfall season in the park. (By mid July the waterfalls are almost dry. ) We were not able to stand at the base very long. The water pounding onto the rocks created an incredible amount of spray.

This is the view of Bridalveil from the parking area. This was actually the best view. Standing at the base of the fall you lose perspective of how high it is.

This picture was taken the second day of our trip. You can see Emily is catching Bridalveil in the palm of her hand!

After leaving Bridalveil we passed El Capitan. It is the tallest granite monolith in the world and a popular rock climbing site. It takes several days for climbers to reach the top. I read that climbers sleep in sleeping bags suspended from the side of the rock. Unfortunately, we did not see any climbers while we were there.

Yosemite Falls is the second highest waterfall in the world. It consists of an upper and lower falls. While walking the path to Yosemite Falls, we could hear the roar of the water. As we approached the base, the temperature dropped twenty degrees and the wind almost blew Brian's hat off his head. This was one of our favorite places in Yosemite.

The upper falls

The lower falls

We were unable to take advantage of most of the hiking trails due to the ages of our children, however we did hike to mirror lake. The hike was a little over a mile, one way. Unfortunately it was cloudy when we arrived, therefore the lake did not reflect a "mirror" image. The trail followed a stream though, so we enjoyed the journey more than the destination. (Except for the fact that I was carrying Andrew. We later realized we could have used the stroller!)

Mirror Lake

I am a North Carolina native. North Carolina's state tree is the dogwood. I have missed seeing the dogwoods bloom this spring. I was surprised to see them in Yosemite. The blooms on the trees there seemed much larger to me than the ones back in NC. I've read dogwoods do best under tall evergreens in filtered sunlight. Perhaps that is why they seem to thrive in Yosemite.

Happy Birthday!

Hayley celebrated her 8th birthday on April 21st. She was thrilled to have Mimi and Pa Pa here to help her celebrate. She requested chili and turtle cake for her birthday dinner. Mimi and Pa Pa gave Hayley two Littles books and some craft supplies. Brian and I gave her a watch and a mirror for the shower (at her request so she can tell if she has gotten all the soap out of her hair). Happy 8th birthday Hayley!

The Flower Fields

My parents came for another visit in April. While they were here we visited The Flower Fields in Carlsbad, CA. It is a 50 acre field of ranunculus flowers along with several other small gardens. We thoroughly enjoyed endless view of floral "ribbons". From the top of the hill we could even see the Pacific Ocean.

Apology

I am sorry it has been so long since I posted anything. We have had computer problems which we hope have finally been resolved. During my long absence our family visited several beautiful places. When I loaded all my pictures this morning there were only 487! I promise not to post them all here. :-) I'm planning to create some slide shows with Kodak Gallery. If you would like to view them, email me and I'll gladly share them. Enjoy!

Emily's 10th Birthday

Emily turned 10 on Valentine's Day. She received homemade gifts from her siblings. Brian and I gave her several pairs of earrings. She requested BBQ ribs, potatoes, broccoli casserole, whole wheat rolls and chocolate chess pie.

For each child's tenth birthday they are able to take a trip with either Brian or me. Emily's only request was that we walk through the shops in Laguna Beach. Laguna Beach is well known as an artist community. We spent the morning walking through the shops and marveling at the creativity of the various artists. We had lunch at BJ's Pizza Grill. Emily had her first deep dish pizza.

After lunch Emily and I went to Crystal Cove State Park. We spent some time exploring the tidal pools, walking on the beach and just sitting in our beach chairs relaxing and enjoying the beautiful view.

Later that evening I took Emily to dinner at the Rainforest Cafe. Our table was located next to one of many large aquariums located throughout the restaurant. There were also life-size gorillas and elephants that occasionally made noise. The restaurant was a bit loud but definitely unique.

After dinner we saw a stage production of Charlotte's Web at the South Coast Repertory Theater. It was very well done. When Wilbur escaped from his pen ("Pig's out! Lurvy, pig's out!"), he ran through our row. Emily and I were both quite surprised!

Emily and I both enjoyed the activities we did throughout the day, but most of all we enjoyed spending the whole day together.

Flair for Fashion

When I opened my bedroom door this morning, I found Kathryn reading a book. She was still wearing her pjs and had added some accessories.