Yosemite

Mike got the chance to go to a conference that was being held in Yosemite.  When he found out about it, he asked me if I wanted to go and if I thought I could find a babysitter for the kids for the weekend.  I got in touch with our long-time sitter to see if she was going to be in town for the weekend, and she was able to work out her travel schedule to be in the area - and she was willing to stay with our crazy crew for two days.  It also happened to fall on the weekend before my birthday, so we had the chance to make it a celebration as well.

We left Friday morning to drive to the park, which took about 3 hours.  It had been ten years since my last trip to Yosemite, and we were only able to spend a couple of hours then, so I didn't really remember a lot about the area.  Driving down into the valley was once again overwhelmingly beautiful and the weather was simply gorgeous on top of it.  We grabbed a quick lunch at the Yosemite Lodge, since that was where Mike's conference was being held, and then he went off to his afternoon meetings, leaving me to my own devices for a few hours.

I checked out the shops at the Lodge and then went to the Ahwahnee, where we were staying.  It's one of the historic, old National Park lodges and is a beautiful building with stunning views.  I changed into my running clothes and took off on the trails that led from the hotel to Yosemite Falls for the most incredibly beautiful run I've ever done.  It was probably not the best workout I've ever had because I kept stopping to take pictures with my phone, but it was amazing to be running up the trail to the bottom of the falls and back through the trees with views of Half Dome and waterfalls and cliffs all around me.

I got cleaned up and then picked Mike up when he was done with his meetings and we went back to our hotel for the evening.  There was a cocktail reception which gave Mike the chance to meet a bunch of the speakers and participants in the conference and then we had a late dinner in the Ahwahnee dining room.  Mike gave me my birthday present just before we went down for the reception - a beautiful multi-colored sapphire bracelet that matches my earrings and necklace.  I absolutely love it and will wear it often, I'm sure.

On Saturday, Mike had meetings all morning, so the wife of one of his partners and I had breakfast together and then went out for a hike.  We left from the hotel and followed a trail to Mirror Lake, which is normally a fairly easy walk, but was treacherous this time because of the the snow and ice covering it.  We managed to get out to the lake without falling and were treated to a beautiful view of the back side of Half Dome and the lake and meadows covered in snow and ice.  We followed a different path back, which ended up being even more slippery than the one on the way out, but ran alongside Tenaya Creek, so we got to see small rapids and hear the water rushing most of the way back.  In all, it took us about two hours and was a wonderful way to spend the morning.

Mike came back to the hotel with the other partner from his firm and the two of them, his wife, and I all had lunch in the bar.  We then went back to our rooms for some down time before meeting up for the afternoon hike.  When we got back together, the four of us drove to Curry Village and then walked to the trailhead for a hike to Vernal Falls.  We were expecting to be picking our way through snow and ice again, and we did have to do a bit of that on the way from the parking lot, but the trail itself was completely clear and dry.  The way up to the falls was a fairly steep, but paved path, so it wasn't too bad a hike.  The views were just stunning and the trail ran on a cliff up above a river that was flowing fast from the recent snow melt, so we were constantly looking both up and down trying to take it all in.  We met up with a bunch of other people from the conference on a bridge below the falls where we got our first view of Vernal Falls itself.  We decided to continue up to the bottom of the falls as long as the trail continued to be clear.  There were a few spots where the snow covered portions of the trial, but we were able to make our way around it and up the steps cut out of the rock to the bottom of the falls.

The hike back down was much easier than going up and we eventually made it back to the car and then the hotel.  After taking a break and cleaning up, we went down to the cocktail reception and then to dinner in the dining room again.  We skipped dessert and had truffles in the room instead, a lovely and relaxing way to end an action-packed day.

We woke up the next morning and looked out the window to discover that five inches of snow had fallen overnight!  It was still snowing, so we decided that since we weren't hungry yet after last night's dinner, we'd skip the buffet and head back home early.  We made a quick stop at the Village Store for some doughnuts to get us going and then started the slow drive out of the valley.  The scenery was only enhanced by the snow and it was overwhelmingly beautiful to see the valley and the falls covered in the new snow.  Unfortunately, the National Parks Service plows were not particularly effective, so driving up the hill was treacherous at times.  As soon as we passed through the park exit, the roads were clear and the rest of the drive was easy.  We stopped for lunch at the Oakdale Cheese Company and picked up grilled ham and gouda sandwiches and some fantastic cheese curds that were super squeaky!

We got home without a problem and the kids were happy to see us.  It was a wonderful weekend, a great way to celebrate my birthday, and a much-needed break from ordinary life.  We're hoping we can go back some time soon - even for a day trip - and take the kids so that they can see this amazing place that is right in our backyard.  It's truly a national treasure and one we want to be sure to explore and share with them.