Yosemite National Park I

Day 1

 

The trip was a good one. I have always wanted to go there as everyone said Yosemite is one of the most beautiful NP in the world! Ta-dah, thank God for a good bunch of friends who are willing to travel with me. Most of all, they tried to satisfy my request. Hehe… they were very accommodating too.

We set off at noontime from SD to Irvine then had dinner at Fresno . wowo, we crave for Chinese food so we went to this place. Hoho, full of Caucasian. We were one of the few. The nicest thing is they do not have ‘Chinese’ menu, nothing in Chinese but the restaurant is run by some hongkees. We asked for a more authentic dish preparation and ya, it is still very Americanized. Oh well, they tried. The food there is cheaper than South California. 

We spent a night at Merced past 2am. My goodness, the courtyard Marriott was right beside a train track. We can actually hear honing in the early morning! So.. we did not really get to enjoy the bed that well.

Almost 7 hrs drive in a day. I have to give it to Charles and YY.

Day2

Yosemite Valley

 

Rise and shine. We decided to sleep less and headed to Yosemite early in the morning to avoid the crowd! We woke up and 6 and arrived at the park at 7.30pm. hehe. That was nice. 

 

Not many people, visitor center is not open until 8.30pm. so… we walked to Lower Yosemite Fall and back to Visitor Center deli for hot breakfast. Then we took the path to mirror lake after packing our sandwiches. Hehe.. it was pretty cloudy and drizzle most of the time. Well, good though, no sun.

One of the highlight of the day was we went to Vernal Fall. Nice hike. Up the hill. A bit strenuous but you met a lot of keen hikers along the trail. Good choice. Essentially we split into 2 small groups due to the interest and fitness level.

 

The drizzle is perfect. I like the splash from the fall. The vernal fall is humungous. I felt like I am at Niagara fall again!! Many wear raincoat, I use umbrella at times. It is as if I am in heaven. I just know I keep smiling and feeling very happy for such wonders. I was like a kid and I did not care how others see me. There were steps lead up to the top of the fall, it is again the journey and hardship and the fear that made the hike enjoyable. Of course YY was kind enough to keep a look out for me. 

Oh yes, along the way they (Charles and YY) fed the squirrels. We happened to bring walnut and it is hilarious to watch the animal munching his favorite food. Btw, you’re not supposed to feed them.

 

Day3

                       

Tioga Pass. I kept voicing out my want and the urge to see mono lake! Hehe. They were so kind again. We went past the park and took Tioga Pass for Meadow and Tenaya Lake! Based on the weather forecast, it was supposed to be warm. I wore short. No one would expect it snows at that height in the Yosemite NP. This NP is kind of big. Tourists usually go to Yosemite Valley but not other area. BroMY told me about it and I was persuaded and convinced to visit that! Hehe… btw, broMY had not been to the valley. Ha.

 

The drive was tough. The road was very whiny. Since my driving skill is not as good as them, they think it is a better idea for me to sit back and relax, than having them to be worrisome as I drive. Haha. We first stopped at this place to have some fun with the snow. Ha. Then we passed by the meadow and wow. The landscape is magnificent, really. Breathtaking. You see a different type of cascade and you’re simply in awe by God’s creation. Even when they are shiny bald dome, they look very pretty!!! Saw half dome from far.

Tenaya Lake is the next spot we stopped by for a picnic. Nice view. 

 

We strolled further to see the clear reflective lake. It is very beautiful. Sorry. I do not have many words to describe that. It was so serene and peaceful. 

 

Heaven again! We all found a spot for self for appreciation on the great nature. That was the first time we all wanted to do a star jump. PappaWill always told me about the picnic by the lake. I am glad we did that. Soaking the feet in the water is a blessing too.

 

We persevere and decide to drive further to see my mono lake. Once we went downhill, you can feel the drastic change of the temperature. Suddenly it becomes very hot and here we are, the desert! We followed the sign and went up to a vista point for Lake viewing.

 

I was like: NO, this is not what I expect. That could not be mono lake. They looked at me and smiled. Hehe… oh well, we then decided to drive to the visitor center for another shot.

As we passed by the board, I pointed to them that ‘TUFA’ is the thing that I hope to see and what I used to see in the pictures featuring mono lake. Haha. For all you know, Tufa only appears in less than 5% area of the lake and it can be found at certain corner. Haha. the lake itself is super big. No wonder. Haha.

 

We were very happy to locate where the tufa is. Took pictures. Star jump. Thank you for pardoning my childishness.

                                

The drive back to Mariposa was long. We listened to the mandarin praise song and they shared a bit of their lives. Interesting chat. I mean you feel the connection and fellowship in Christ.

First day was tiring but we all enjoyed the hike a lot.