Yosemite Weekend

Hi all,
We just returned from a fun long Memorial Day weekend up in Wawona, on the south side of Yosemite National Park. We stayed at the Wawona Hotel with about 10 other families from the neighborhood, some of whom have been going to Wawona for Memorial Day for like 20+ years! We were novices since this was our first time! We arrived on Friday afternoon, and it was snowing!

Nice cozy fireplace on a cool spring night

The front of the Wawona Hotel, built in 1879.

 The snow quickly disappeared and after a nice breakfast in the beautiful bright hotel restaurant on Saturday, we took a group hike through the meadow, panning for "gold" along the way. 

The "Kid's Table"

Panning for "gold"

Beautiful view across Wawona Meadow

Time for a quick soccer game

 On Sunday we took the bus down to the valley to walk the Mist Trail. The kids had a great time, although by the end of the hike Maggie's feet were very tired. The new backpack/water bladders worked great! On the way up, we walked through the mist of Vernal Falls, and on the way down we walked through the "mist" of pack horses...Carson and Maggie got a big kick out of the play on words. "Mist" being German for "manure".

See the rainbow of mist?

A bit too much mist on the camera lens!

Looking over the edge - 317 feet down!

Beautiful view of the roaring falls.

Up at Clark's Point, around 5,800 feet, with Nevada Fall and Liberty Cap behind.

Back at the hotel, time for a glass of rose in the sun!

Then a barbecue with the gang down by the south fork of the Merced river

Maggie and Caitlin found a rock

Liz ane Emma "baked" "pies" - jelly-filled bread like pop tarts.

On Monday we headed back down the mountain and somehow avoided traffic both directions. I think staying out of the valley with a car was the key! But the clear air, beautiful pine trees, and peaceful quiet was a nice break from noisy Silicon Valley. Hope you're enjoying springtime!