Yosemite Pictures

Recently, Brian and I joined seven of his extended family members
in Yosemite for the weekend.

That's Yo-sem-it-e...not Yoze-might! Haha! :-)


Even though Yosemite is only 4 hours away, I hadn't visited the park in 12 years and Brian hadn't been there in over 20 years.


We were lucky enough to stay in this spacious Swiss chalet style cabin, which is owned by Ansel Adams' great-granddaughter. As you would expect, many of his famous black and white photographs hang on the walls. This AA photograph below entitled, Rose and Driftwood was up on the wall in the great room. It is one of my favorites!


On Friday night, we celebrated my birthday with a delicious dinner (brown sugar salmon, baby red potatoes, and steamed zucchini).


After dinner, Brian's family sang Happy Birthday to me and we feasted on a giant chocolate cupcake (made by my mom) and a delectable cheesecake. Both were scrumptious!



On Saturday, we headed off in this comfy bus for an 8-hour tour of Yosemite.

With Bill, our trusty bus driver and tour guide, at the helm, we first visited Glacier Point, which had awesome views of Half Dome. The weather was just beautiful with temperatures in the high 70's/low 80's.


B & J at Glacier Point

Half Dome is to our right. As we stood staring at this huge granite mountain, Brian said, "I'd like to climb Half Dome someday." Then, he turned to me and asked, "Wouldn't you love to climb HD?" My response: "Are you crazy? I don't think so." As the comedian John Pinette often says, "I say Nay Nay!" :-)


Grandma & Grandpa at Glacier Point

After visiting Glacier Point, we continued driving through the park, all the while learning much about Yosemite: how it came to be a National Park, what plants grow there, and which animals call it home. (Bill also discussed global warming, which sent my conservative husband's blood pressure through the roof! Haha!)


For lunch, we dined at the Wawona Hotel, a Victorian style lodge that oozes with charm.


The restaurant tables only accommodated six people, so Brian, Christa and I were relegated to the kids table. Not really; I just wanted to use the word relegated. The truth is we opted to dine together. Brian and Christa sure look like cousins, don't they?!


After lunch, we roamed the hotel grounds for awhile. I literally felt like I had taken a step back in time. I loved the white buildings with wrap-around porches and Adirondack chairs. What a peaceful, tranquil setting! Sure made me just want to lounge in a chair and read a book. Or sit quietly in the grass, breathe in the fresh air and listen to the birds chirp.

Bill, our fearless leader, had other plans, though.

We headed to the Mariposa Grove, which contains over 500 large mature sequoias. On our way there, though, someone in the front of the bus, spotted a bear off in the distance. Bill slowed the bus, allowing us to catch a glimpse of the bear as he slowly ambled through a wooded area. It was SO cool!

When we reached the Mariposa Grove, we disembarked from the bus and boarded an open-air tram. The tram took us through the cluster of giant trees. Some trees were standing tall, while others (like the one pictured above) were laying on the ground.


After we toured the Mariposa Grove, Bill drove us to the Tunnel View, which is a top spot to photograph the Yosemite Valley, El Capitan and Half Dome. Our timing was perfect--thanks to Bill--enabling us to see a rainbow in the waterfall.


The men


The women


All nine of us (the two people on the far right are unrelated)


On Sunday, we attended Mass in Yosemite Village, walked through the Ansel Adams Gallery, strolled to Lower Yosemite Falls and had a picnic lunch. Before leaving the park, we stopped off one last time to drink in the gorgeous scenery.

Brian and I had an awesome time hanging out with family in Yosemite! And we sure hope to be able to visit the park again someday! :-)