yosemite

We totally lucked out with the weather when we went to Yosemite.  Just the week before, the Bay Area got record rainfall and a rare lightning storm.  While we were there, the temperature was in the upper 70s and it was sunny, sunny, sunny.  We stayed in Wawona at the Redwoods in a cabin that we rented with the Chengs.  It's about an hour outside of the valley.  On day one, we went to see the giant redwoods that were close by to our cabin.  Then we took a short hike to a waterfall within walking distance from our cabin.

On day two, we headed into Yosemite valley.  First, we filled up with a breakfast buffet at the Ahwahnee hotel.  The main dining room was grand and we ate a lot.  To burn off the large meal, we rented bikes and the kids rode around in a trailer attached to Uncle Dion's bike.  We looped around the valley while Maddy yelled, "Stop it baby Evan!" the entire time.  We took a break at a stream where Maddy dipped her toes in the freezing cold water.  She later told me it was the best part of the trip.  We hopped back onto our bikes and took a short hike to a spectacular waterfall, lower Yosemite falls, that was gushing with water.  It was the perfect time of year to see such an abundant flow.

After we left the valley, we headed up to Glacier Point.  It was totally worth the hour long drive there because from the top, you get a bird's eye view of the valley and Half Dome is at eye level.