My California Vacation: Yosemite National Park

Having stayed at LA for 5 days, we started our road trip back to SF. Before going to SF, we had a stop over at my cousin’s place at Modesto to stay for the night. The next day was our day trip to Yosemite and be one with nature. It was a good 2 hour drive from Modesto to the park. We were a little crammed in the car but it was all good. The road to the park was on side of the mountain so it was a lot of twisting and turning, passing by cliff’s and tunnels. Entering the park you are welcomed by a big sign and there’s a stop where you can get maps and some souvenirs before going to the wild. There are also posters reminding the campers and visitors of what to do when they encounter a specific animal like a bear of a mountain lion. We passed by lush forest and you can see signs to slow down to avoid hitting bears and other wild life. First on the agenda was to take pictures and luckily we were able to get a nice parking slot. We took pictures of Veil falls and the Half Dome. After taking some pictures we headed out to the picnic area to get some lunch. There were a lot of picnickers as well, but we were able to get a table in the shade and near the river. There are public grills in the area as well so you can barbecue there. All of our food was already prepared at home so we didn’t really need some cooking. Being in the wilderness, there were ducks in the river (and of course fish), a lot of birds and squirrels who were being fed by some of the tourist. The tables had signs as well reminding the visitors to throw their trash responsibly in the bear proof bins so that the bears won’t eat the left overs. After eating, it was time to digest and to do that, we walked around and tried to soak in the nature. The other visitors seemed to enjoy it a lot too, a lot of kids swimming in the river, kayakers, people taking picture and just sitting and talking under the shade of the trees. Since the park is huge, we needed to drive around to go to where we wanted.

The last stop was to check the highest waterfall in North America which was the Upper and Lower Yosemite Falls. Once we got a parking slot (this time we weren’t that lucky since it was a little far) we headed out the trail, which was paved, and started the 20 – 30 minute trail. It was easy to go to the base of the waterfalls but it would take hours to reach the top. As you walk the path, and as you get closer, you’ll feel that its gets cooler and once you get there, the mist will just blow in your face especially if the wind is headed your way. The base was crowded but it was OK, it was shady and cool and misty. We searched for a spot where we can sit and eat our mirienda (lunch left overs) and have time to talk and bond again. We wanted to go to the actual base of the waterfall but looking at the big rocks and the crowd we just decided to just stay put. After an hour or so, we decided to call it a day and headed to the shop to get some souvenirs and go home. When we got to our car, which was parked beside an empty space with tall grass, we were surprised since a deer suddenly popped out from the tall grass but went back in again. It was a real treat for everyone. When we arrived at the shop, I didn’t feel like coming in since I wasn’t feeling well, I guess it was because of the heat of the sun so I slept in the car and waited for them. When they got back, I was feeling a little better already and they got me some souvenirs as well. I slept through the trip going back home and woke up at Modesto already.