On our drive in, and just outside the park boundary, we saw Mono Lake, a high elevation salt lake - so pretty. There are lots of other, smaller lakes on the upper part of Yosemite, made from snow melts. We stopped at the Visitor's Center on the upper part and the kids squealed with delight that there was snow on the ground. It was the last remnants of snow pack that had been made by plows working the roads and parking lots over winter. At 55 degrees, it was still hanging on, but barely, and only in shaded areas. Bill got identification charts for birds, flowers, and trees in Yosemite in the gift shop. They had a wood-burning stove going in there, and it felt good. One of the clerks added some wood to the fire, and Mitch watched his every move. Boys and fire.
We also stopped at Olmsted Point, which gives a view of Half Dome from the upper part of Yosemite, a side view, you could say. It's far away, but you can still tell that it's big. Olmsted Point also sports a huge bare mountain of rock, that is steep but coarse enough for your shoes to get good traction, so we climbed to the top. One of the kids said "it's warm!", so that all laid down on it like lizards in the sun.
We drove on down into the valley and got checked into our tent. This was about 1:00pm, so we were pretty hungry. We got a pizza, devoured it, and then headed out for a couple of easy hikes. The first was to Yosemite Falls. This time of year, there is a falls to see. It's from snow melt, so as soon as all the snow up top is melted, this waterfall dries up. So, from late summer through winter, there is no waterfall. But, snow melt is still happening, so we're in luck. There is an upper and lower falls, and we hiked over to the bottom of the lower falls and got a refreshing, misty breeze, even from pretty far away.
Then we walked across the valley and saw two red-winged blackbirds, one nearly buzzed me he flew so closely over my head. We also saw minnows and water striders in the swamp part of the meadow (they've built a low boardwalk over it so that less of it is disturbed). And, from there, if you turn around you can see both the upper and lower falls at the same time. So, so pretty. The valley wildflowers are past peak, but you can occasionally see some late bloomers and get a sense of how beautiful the valley must have been just a few weeks ago.
By now, it was approaching 5:00, and we were ready for supper. We found a deli and, for the price of a meal at Olive Garden, we got a salad with chicken, a roast beef sandwich, a bag of chips, and 3 Lunchables. They have a captive audience here at Yosemite, so if you want to eat while you're here, you are going to have to pay. We knew this going in, so it's not a big deal.
We've had a pretty big day, so we're pretty tired. We're in our tent now, beds made - a fitted sheet, a top sheet, and two wool blankets. The kids are journaling and when they're done I'll read them a Pooh story. Last night's Pooh story had them all asleep by the end, so we'll see if tonight's chapter has the same effect. We have another hour until official 'quiet time' at Curry Village, and some of our neighbors haven't read Mother Curry's Camp Etiquette rules that state that you are supposed to be quiet all the time, so we're hopeful that come 10pm, they really will be quiet. Where are their parents?!?
The wireless network here is so weak that I can't upload the blog like I have been able to do at our other destinations. So, to all 6 of you who are following these posts, I'm sorry for the delay. ;)
ps - The magic continues - I just finished chapter 2, "Pooh Goes Visiting and Gets into a Tight Spot", and all 3 are out, despite the noise all around. I read these so many times, nearly every night, when they were little, I wonder if their brains are somehow trained to go to sleep to them. Whatever it is, I'm happy for it. It's a neat little trick, for however long it lasts.
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