Day 4, Yosemite

We started off the day with a wonderful complimentary breakfast at our hotel. Before we left for Yosemite, I also got a chance to mail some postcards and letters back home to my friends. The drive to the park was long, but scenic and it was neat to see the landscape change from a barren desert into forests that covered the mountains like a blanket.

There were several stops we wanted to make once in Yosemite, and with the park being the only thing on today’s schedule there was plenty of time to see everything on our list. Our first stop was at an overlook. Here we stepped out of our Silver Bullet to get a spectacular view of a valley enclosed in mountains, El Captain, and a brilliant waterfall, which looked like a white veil falling over the side of the cliffs. After a few quick pictures though, we were back on the road, making our way to the next destination. The main stop we were going to make was to see the majestic Upper and Lower Falls of Yosemite. Originally we had planned to take the trail that lead to the Upper Falls, but we didn’t have time the 5 or 6 hour hike. The trail to the Lower Falls was less than a mile round trip, and it still allowed us to get a great view of the Upper Falls too.

The next stop we made was to take a trail down to see some giant Sequoias in the Merced Grove. This trail was 3 miles round trip, but with the path starting off downhill, we knew the hike back up would be difficult. Once at the bottom of the trail, we encountered the massive trees, usually with 4 or 5 trees clumped together in one spot. In order to see the top of the trees, we had to strain our necks back and look up as if we were staring at clouds rather than treetops. It’s amazing to see some of the wonders that exist in nature. The size of these gigantic trees is something that is sure to stick in our minds for the rest of our lives.

Once done exploring the Merced Grove, we headed back to up to our car, heaving and sweating the whole way up. With nothing left on our schedule, we began driving out of the park to our hotel in Manteca, California. The only other stop we made was at a local farmer’s market, where we purchased some fresh peaches to snack on. This day was without a doubt the busiest day we’ve had so far, but it was also my personal favorite NP so far and is sure to remain as one of our vacation’s top highlights.