Yosemite Valley

In late September, Pauline and Shawn came to visit and we went out to Yosemite for a long weekend.  We rented a house in nearby Groveland and did day trips into the park.

First up, naturally, was Yosemite valley.  Here we are, with North Dome (I think) in the background.

Our first adventure in the valley was to hike up to Vernal Fall from the Happy Isles Visitor Center.  While the trail is mostly paved, it is quite steep.

Here we are on the bridge where you get the first view of Vernal Fall.  At this time of year, especially after a dry winter, it is but a faint trickle.

Eventually we decided that we'd walked far enough uphill, so we took a breather (and some photos) and then headed back.

Happy to be walking DOWNhill.

The Merced River near Happy Isles is idyllic.

After our morning hike, we checked out Yosemite Village, which includes a historic Post Office.

We retired to the bar at the storied Ahwahnee Hotel for well-deserved cocktails.

Next up was climber-spotting on El Capitan.

The view from the meadow across from El Capitan is pretty great.