Monday morning we drove all the way down into the valley and met my parents, who had driven into the area the day prior, for a picnic lunch. After lunch we meandered towards the trail to Yosemite Falls, passing the Native American Museum, and hiking to the base of the falls.
Yosemite Falls
After a fun afternoon spent on the valley floor we drove back out the south gate, checked into our hotel and enjoyed a delicious dinner of BBQ at Alice's Cookhouse in Oakhurst!
Tuesday morning we had a relaxing breakfast with my parents at the Inn (underneath this giant moose, which Isaiah dubbed "Henry") before parting ways, my parents on a scenic drive back to the Bay area, our family of six back into the park for a day of biking the valley floor loop!
Picnic lunch in front of store.
Oops! Isaiah didn't quite make it into the picture (although a better attempt than the picture prior...the first photographer didn't get me OR Isaiah in the frame at all, much less the falls).
After a nice, long ride we parked the bikes back on the trailer and enjoyed a bit more time in the Visitor Center and the Yosemite Museum, whose exhibits highlight the history of Yosemite's native Miwok and Paiute people. We wandered through the interactive Indian village and then rested our legs while watching Ken Burns' documentary Yosemite: A Gathering of Spirit, a film made last year to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Yosemite grant. Isaiah even caught a quick nap in my lap during the movie!
Enjoying the exhibits in the valley floor Ranger Station
Isaac and John Muir
Heading back out of the park after a fun-filled day!
We enjoyed the sun setting as we drove out of the valley and the kids appreciated filling their tummies with pizza at Tenaya's Loft before heading back to the hotel for a warm shower and a comfy night's sleep!
Wednesday morning breakfast...the kids were excited to sit at their own table, watching the birds fly near the window, enjoying the hot waffles and hot cocoa!
We started our morning hiking in the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias. The two-mile road leading down to this Grove, as well as a large portion of the trails within, will be closed starting June 1st for a projected 2-year time period as they redo the road, the parking lot, and the trails, making portions of them more accessible to visitors with physical disabilities. So, since the area will be under construction until at least Summer 2017 we thought we should take the kids now!
The enormity of these trees never ceases to amaze me, no matter how many times I see them!
Queen Violet and her Royal Guards.
The California Tunnel tree (not to be confused with the Wawona Tunnel tree, cut in 1881 to allow vehicles entrance into the park, but felled in 1969 after a heavy snow fall that could not be sustained by the tree due to its weakened base)
We hiked all the way back into the grove, to the Mariposa Grove museum, only to find it was still "closed for the season", restrooms still locked, water fountains shut off. So the kids weren't interested in hiking another mile to the Fallen Wawona Tunnel tree, but I was proud of our little hikers...over five miles that morning!
Clothespin tree
Now off to the Wawona hotel for a picnic on the green!
After lunch we spent some time walking through the area, reading the exhibits throughout the Pioneer History Center.
Crossing the Wawona Covered Bridge, built in 1857 by Galen Clark.
Anderson cabin
The kids were pretty tuckered out from the long hike, and now that their tummies were full from lunch and we'd seen all there was to see in the area we decided to head home. All four kids were asleep in the car within minutes! We packed a lot into our three days at Yosemite!
We are so blessed to have this amazing national treasure right in Fresno's backyard! And we are so thankful that God has given us all able bodies to be able to hike into places that not everyone is privileged to see and enjoy. I hope that as our kids grow they will not only remember these excursions, but also thank God for his creation, and continue to grow in their understanding of how to best care for these environments so that they can be enjoyed for generations to come!
