Monday, June 2, 2014

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK

Caution!  No quilty pictures in this post!

On Friday we went to Yosemite National Park, wore ourselves out hiking and took lots of pictures, of which these are just a few!  It was a beautiful and perfect day for these activities.  It took 1 1/2 hours to get from where we were camping in Oakhurst, CA through the winding roads and gorgeous scenery to the Yosemite Valley.

Our first stop, before we even got to the Valley was Bridal Veil Falls.

Cliff near Bridal Veil Falls
 Of course, the pictures don't do justice to the amazing sites.  The water falls look like tiny drips in the photos, when in fact they are hundreds of feet high and you can hear the water thundering over the cliff before you can see it.
Bridal Veil Falls
We hiked to the  lower Yosemite Falls and took this picture which shows both the upper and lower falls from the trail.
Yosemite Falls
 The picture of El Capitan was taken from the look out area as you enter the Yosemite Valley.  What a site!

El Capitan
On the way to the Mariposa Grove, where the sequoia trees are, we saw some deer.

Deer near the Grizzly Giant
The Grizzly Giant is the largest and oldest tree in the Mariposa Grove.  The hike to see it was up hill on gravel, not as nice a trail as to the water falls, but we made it!

Grizzly Giant, the largest sequoia tree in the park

The Grizzly Giant and me

We ate lunch outside a deli and when I was eating a cookie, I was looking away at something and all of a sudden a squirrel jumped up on the table and licked my cookie!  I yelled and pounded on the table and he ran away.  The nerve!  I had to throw the rest of that cookie away, but luckily, I had another one.

On our way north, we drove on a road that didn't look very winding on the map, but in reality, it was not a road we would have gone on if we had known better!  It went up over a mountain with lots of switchbacks and curves with no guard rails.  The road looked new, but maybe that is because it isn't very well travelled.  We didn't see any other cars or trucks for a long time and no ranches or homes either.  We were really out in the boonies.  But, the road was good and DH is an experienced trucker with over a million miles under his belt, so he handled it very well.  We were both glad when we got to the freeway!!

We're now in Oregon and will get to our destination, DS's home, tomorrow!  BTW, I have done some sewing along the way, even some hand stitching!

Happy stitching and traveling to you!

14 comments:

  1. No quilty stuff necessary, it looks like you are having a wonderful time. Thanks for taking us along for some great ightseeing!

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  2. Thank you Ruth for sharing these beautiful photos!! I

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  3. Wow! Such amazing sights!! The waterfall looks so impressive and wonderful big trees!!

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  4. Oh, I think we may have been on that same road one year when we vacationed in the Redwoods and then went North to Oregon--or at least one very much like it. Our now 34 year old daughter still recalls how sick she felt all the way (she was about 10 at the time). We were pulling a tent trailer that trip and after that she always hated pulling the tent trailer. It was a nightmare of a road. And there were signs all along that kept saying "Road Narrows". We didn't think it could get any narrower without becoming one lane!
    But it looks like you hit some gorgeous sites in Yosemite!

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  5. Spectacular scenery which I'm sure looks far more so in person. Thanks for treating us.

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  6. Lovely pictures. They took me back to my childhood. I went to Yosemite when I was 13. Hugs

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  7. great photos. It's such a beautiful Valley - did you go into the big lodge? we had lunch there a few years ago.

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  8. I never got to go there; so sad! Thanks for sharing your beautiful pictures. Happy hunting, and stay safe! ---"Love"

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  9. Thanks so much for sharing your beautiful photos. Beautiful country. Have a safe trip and enjoy yourselves.

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  10. Oh my! It is gorgeous Ruth!! Glad you made it safely.

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  11. Oh my! It is gorgeous Ruth!! Glad you made it safely.

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  12. Those beautiful photos make up for the lack of quilty stuff. And I LOVE your story about the squirrel. That sure was one nervy little varmint! (I have a cat that would do that, but she's a bit more domesticated - but don't tell her that, she's a wild beast!) I'm glad to hear you're travelling safe and hope you continue to do so so you can return home and make more quilts!

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  13. Gorgeous! My brother and I went a year ago and I know that as beautiful as they are, photos do not begin to cover the scope of the place. Did you manage to get to Glacier Point? It has a stunning view of the valley. Have a lovely visit.

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  14. I really like seeing pretty scenery as much as quilt photos. Sometimes I write to people from other countries and ask them to point their camera out the window so I can see where they live. By the way, your Dear Jane blocks are looking good.

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