I feel my outdoor side coming out a little bit more and Tim and Trent are so excited about the possibility of more hiking and camping as a family. We didn't have anything planned on the weekend, so we decided to drive north just 6 hours to Yosemite. I had never been to Yosemite and could not wait for the pictures I have seen come to life. The week leading up to Yosemite, Tim and Trent were so excited about the trip and could not wait to show me and Terra around.
Tim got home early on Friday and we hit the road by 4:00 p.m. Trent and Terra were set with watching movies and we hoped we would make good time to Yosemite. We hit some fog, but other than that the drive went really well. The kids watched movies and Terra slept for awhile. We arrived at Camp Curry around 10:30 p.m. We stayed in a hard sided cabin vs a tent cabin (where Tim and Trent usually stay). Tim wanted me to be as comfortable as possible, so he conceded to the hard sided cabin...thanks Tim! So, I got to sleep in a pretty comfy bed, but had to walk about 20-30 feet to the bathroom (which didn't end up being so bad). I was pleasantly surprised how clean and "nice" the cabin was. We got settled in and got into bed...well, Terra had other plans. Turns out she wasn't tired. She had been cooped up for hours in the car and just wasn't ready to snuggle with me and close her eyes. Turns out it wasn't until 3 a.m. that she was finally tired enough to close her eyes. Tim and I were at our wits end with her after four long hours of her playing around in the bed. She fell asleep at 3 a.m. and was up at 7 a.m., I guess four was our lucky number for the day. We were in for a long day.
Our cabin
Not bad at all.
Ready for the day.
The breathtaking (warning I might use this word a lot in this post) views from Camp Curry.
Glacier Point behind the trees.
North Dome
Glacier Point
Half Dome
Miss Terra waiting at the bus stop oh so patiently.
The bus took us to the Happy Isle trail that would take us to see Vernal Falls.
The creek at the start of the hike.
Terra running back to me...Mammmmmaaa!! I think she was thinking are we really doing this?! Yes, Terra we are.
The views along the trail.
Just cruisin' along...up, up we go.
We made it to the bridge where we made the decision to hike up the John Muir Trail in hopes to make it to Clark Point where you can see both Vernal Falls and Nevada Falls. Tim and Trent had hiked up to Clark Point before and loved the view. Well, we didn't make it up to Clark Point...it was becoming quite the hike and a hiker I am not. So, we turned around and made it back down to the bridge and then made the decision to hike the Mist Trail, which usually isn't open during the winter. The Mist Trail takes you up to Vernal Falls, which is just beautiful.
My Loves.
I am smiling before we started hiking up the Muir Trail.
Love this boy!
He insisted I take this picture of him.
Our walk back down to the bridge. Trent is an amazing hiker and swimming has really conditioned him because he wasn't even tired. He just ran on down to the bridge. So proud of him.
Vernal Falls just up ahead.
It was a bit of an uphill hike.
We are really bad at selfies.
There wasn't a lot of water going over the edge, but it was still so pretty.
Just taking it all in.
A little waterfall...Trent thought it was so cool.
Walking along the road to the bus stop...off to our next adventure...lunch.
Our view from lunch...Upper Yosemite Falls...not too shabby.
We had a nice lunch at the Deli. Trent had a chili dog, which he enjoyed...and Tim did too. It was very relaxing after a long morning hike. It felt so good to sit down and take it all in.
After lunch we walked through the Nature Center and Trent loves John Muir and had to take a picture with him.
This girl is nuts and we love it.
Terra wanted to be just like all of us and drink from the water bottle.
She isn't one to be left out.
Lower Yosemite Falls
You can't see it in the picture, but from this angle you can see the upper, middle and lower Yosemite Falls...oh and then there's this funny boy who likes to photo bomb pictures.
Love him and his freckles.
Love these tall trees.
Taking it all in.
Terra spent a lot of the weekend on Tim's shoulders.
Making our way to the bus stop and heading to the Ice Skating Rink.
Trent was so excited about going ice skating. They have a nice ice skating rink in Camp Curry and Trent could not wait to get on the ice. Since my legs were jello from the hike I was sitting ice skating out. Tim took Terra and Trent out on the ice and Terra lasted for one lap. Terra likes to be firm on the ground and slipping around on the ice wasn't for her this time. So, Terra and I bought a smores kit, roasted some marshmellows and roamed around. While we were roaming around I got a chance to look over the railing to sneak a peek at Tim and Trent ice skating...and in that moment I see Tim fall and bang his head on the ice...oh it looked like it hurt and I held my breath until he got up from the ice. He made it way off the ice, thankfully, but he was really shaken up and the back of his head was bleeding pretty good. We asked the staff to get an ice pack and they suggested that it would be a good idea to call the EMT to check Tim out. We agreed and the EMTs came and took a look at Tim. They said Tim was ok, but that we would have to keep an eye on his condition to make sure he didn't become confused or start vomitting. Tim was pretty banged up and sore, which was too bad because our day was going so good. He is a trooper though and toughed it out. We went back to our cabin, he took a nice warm shower that made him feel a little better and then we headed to get pizza.
Bundled up on the ice.
All smiles.
Thankfully, I was able to get a picture of all three of them on the ice before Terra made her quick exit.
You can't see Terra's face, if you could you would see her tears.
She was not happy.
Love this boy!
After the ice skating incident we cleaned up and made our way to the pizza place Tim and Trent love. We were all starving and could not wait to eat some pizza. When the pizza arrived we devoured it, even Terra ate almost two pieces. After dinner we went back to our cabin and got ready for bed. We all were exhausted. We were able to get a pack n play for Terra to sleep in and we were hoping for a better nights sleep then the night before. We were all in bed by 7:15 p.m. and I am pretty sure Terra was snoring away at 7:16 p.m...thankfully she slept through the night and we all got almost 12 hours of sleep.
Trent wanted to show me just how much he loves Camp Curry.
Sunday morning we were up and ready to hike to see Mirror Lake. We were the first ones on the bus to Mirror Lake.
Cuties waiting for the bus.
In the past when Tim and Trent have come to Yosemite there is usually snow on the ground and ice for Trent to break. Well this year this was the only snow Trent found to play with and he had to share it with Terra. He wasn't too thrilled.
If Trent has a stick, Terra must have a stick...the motto of the weekend.
So pretty.
Half Dome
Rock towers
Mirror Lake is beyond breathtaking. Gorgeous!
There were a few times during the weekend where I would see Trent taking it all in. It's good to pause and take in all the beauty.
And we found ICE to break. There was a little bit of the lake that was frozen and Trent was so excited to try to crack some ice.
On our way back to the bus stop.
Even after 12 hours of sleep these two still look tired.
After Mirror Lake we got in the car and headed to the general store for souvenir shopping. After getting a few things were headed out of the park, but on our way out we saw El Capitan. It's just beautiful. Made out of granite it is 3,000 feet tall from the base.
And our last stop was the tunnel view. Oh so beautiful. I have always oohhh and awed over pictures of this, but to see it in person is just amazing.
I wish we would have sat on the ledge...next time.
Despite Terra's not so great night sleep on Friday night and Tim's head injury, I have to say we had a really great time. I was blown away by just how beautiful Yosemite is and all that you can do there. We cannot wait to go back and explore more...and no I will not be staying in a tent cabin next time.
