Into the Valley

We awoke to a beautiful morning at the Yosemite Springs Bed and Breakfast. We were treated to a wonderful and breakfast by our hosts, which included incredible French toast and very yummy orange-banana smoothies. After a few errands we got a somewhat late start and headed off for the Yosemite Valley.



When people think about Yosemite this area is what they probably envision: A vast valley sandwiched between granite monuments like El Capitain and Half Dome with waterfalls plunging thousands of feet over each size. Interestingly the image that has recurrently popped into my head when thinking about this trip will be like is from one of the Star Trek movies. I have no idea which one it is, but one of them starts with Kirk climbing El Capitain while camping with Spock and Bones. I know its pretty weird, but there it is.

Anyway, the valley is an incredible place. As we drove in on Oak Flats Road the view of the valley was amazing. We then descended to the floor for bottom up views. It is pretty surreal standing in the completely flat valley with granite monoliths jutting up straight out of the ground. We went to the visitors center and decided to take a hike up the Mist Trail to Vernal Falls. The last bit up to the falls was steep and fighting the flood of people coming down made it a bit treacherous, but in the end the view was worth the climb. We stopped down for a picnic lunch (PBJ and apples) and returned to the visitor's center to browse the Ansel Adams Gallery and get some pictures of Half Dome and Yosemite Falls. We then made our way up to Glacier Point for some pictures of the sun's evening rays on the valley. We were then treated to one last great view as Sara spotted a massive Grizzly Bear with two cubs off the side of the road on our return drive. The dusk lighting was bad for pictures, but we did have the bear family to ourselves for several minutes watching the cubs play as the mother bear seemed to teach them to how to look for food.


The Yosemite Valley is one of the most amazing places I have been, but the sheer number of people was disconcerting. We knew the valley would be more crowded, especially compared to our tranquil day in Tuolumne Meadows. We hoped going in the middle of the week would make it tolerable. Its really great that so many people want to get out and experience nature, but sad that they all decide to converge on the exact same piece of nature. I'd really hate to see what a weekend was like . . .



- Posted by Shawn using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Yosemite Valley