Yosemite National Park

Spanish first, English translation below:

     Hola!  Nosotros acabo de venir de un valle magnífico con grandes cascadas.  Se llama la Valle de Yosemite. La Valle de Yosemite tiene muchos fanáticos cosas desde es escarpados acantilados a la cascada la segunda cascada más alta en el 48 contiguo, Yosemite Falls.  Era fantástico.

     La primera día de en la Valle de Yosemite no fuimos a la Valle, solo preparar Mobs y relajamos.  El próximo día nosotros ir a la famoso Valle y explorar. La unidad en el camino era muy hermosa, pero muy retorcido.  Me encanta los montana rusas pero esto calle era muy enfermedad que induce! En la maneja , sin embargo, hay muy bonitas vistas, como un vista de un cascada que se llama Velo de Novia, que era un muy famoso vista y era increíble.  Cuando termina la maneja caminamos en un corta camina a un cafetería que tiene asi asi comida, y después caminamos en un caminante de como 2 millas, sólo para estirar las piernas. Luego fuimos al StarBucks a lado de la cafetería para obtener pastelitos especiales de la edición de invierno!  Era muy deliciosos. Cuando regresamos a la RV Hazel hornear brownies de menta porque… era ella’s cumpleanos! Decoramos la casa rodante, comimos tacos (su favorito), repartimos regalos, jugamos Bananagrams (gracias tía Beth) y vimos a Zootopia! Era un fantástico cumpleanos para Hazel (en mi opinión) y un fantástico primera día en Yosemite!

     El próximo día nosotros hacemos algo muy loco… subimos a la cima de las cataratas de Yosemite!  Era un muy dificil sendero, pero nosotros hacemos! Era una caminata que tú sólo puedes poner un pie al frente de el otro, porque cuando tú pares, pierdes el ritmo.  A pesar de que la caminata fue increíblemente difícil, las vistas valieron la pena. También, Hazel y yo era fantásticos. Dejamos totalmente a mamá y papá en el polvo!  Te sentiste como si eres en la parte superior del mundo. En la parte superior Papá convencido Mama que Hazel y yo, con Papá, puedo ir en estos escalones de piedra para un mejor vista a la cascada de Yosemite.  Ella finalmente acordamos y por eso nosotros así bajamos. Era un poco aterradora, pero hermosa. Después de la caminata regresamos a la RV, agotada. Era un loco, pero divertido, día!

     En la tercera día fuimos raquetas de nieve.  No relajar para nosotros! La raquetas de nieve era muy divertidos y la caminata era, como todos las otras cosas, muy bonita.  Era guardabosque llevado, y ella era muy simpático y intelligente. Enseñar muchos a la grupa sobre invierno, y que animales y plantes hacen en la invierno para sobrevivir.  Era muy informativo y hay hechos muy interesantes, como que un marca de garra de un oso que atemptar a escalada un árbol, pero en los marcas miran como un gato que resbaló y rascó una pared todo el camino!

     Esto noche miramos la película Free Solo, que era muy bien, y en el próximo mañana miramos a El Capitán con un nuevo vigor.  Era increíble que el escalar esto con no ropas! Caminamos un 5 milla sendero alrededor un lago, que era completamente secado!  La caminata era bonita de cualquier manera! Después de la caminata fuimos a la hotel de Ahwahnee para el almuerzo. La comida era muy bien y la hotel era maravillosa!  Estudiamos allí durante un par de horas y luego fuimos al mirador de Cascada de Velo de Novia para tomar fotos del atardecer. Era un otra encantadora día en Yosemite, y la finalmente.  ¡A continuación, el Parque Nacional Volcánico Lassen!

English Translation:

     Hello!  We have just left the prettiest valley in the country and the 2nd tallest waterfall in the contiguous 48, Yosemite Valley and Yosemite Falls.  If you have read even one of my other blogs you probably know that I have an obsession with waterfalls, so naturally in Yosemite valley I was in heaven.  Even in the winter there were still rivulets of water spraying down sheer cliff edges, forming beautiful rainbows with their mists. It was incredible. 

     Getting there is an issue though.  Not the RV park, that part was as fine as going up mountains in a large vehicle could be.  We arrived and for the first day settled into the Mobs. The next day we ventured out to the valley, which is where it got a little tougher.  It reminded me of the Going to the Sun road in Glacier National Park, Montana. Twisty and turny, with magnificent vistas and sickness-inducing curves.  When it finally started to level out at the base of the valley you were presented with an incredible view of Bridalveil Falls, and if you went off the main road for a couple minutes, which we did one of the following days, there was an even more spectacular view of the falls, with the whole valley around them.  This was your typical Yosemite picture and was even more stunning to see it in person. The first day we explored the visitor center and ate lunch at the cafeteria in Yosemite lodge (not to be confused with the lovely Ahwahnee hotel, which I’ll mention again later). We then did a short two miles of the Valley Loop trail and saw the lower falls before heading back to the car.  Before retreating to the RV though Hazel and I were allowed to get the special winter edition cake pops from Starbucks! It was awesome. Then we went home and Hazel made delicious mint brownies because… it was her birthday! We decorated the RV, handed out presents, ate tacos (her favorite) and played Bananagrams (thank you Aunt Beth), a fun word game! We then watched Zootopia and went to bed.  It was a fantastic first day in Yosemite valley!

     The next day we did something insane.  To be a part of this family, you kind of have to get used to that.  Drum roll please… we hiked all the way up Yosemite Falls. A 7 mile round-trip strenuous out and back trail.  And not strenuous, ‘let’s hike up a hill!’ strenuous, this was like ‘how much farther?’ between pants for breath strenuous. Point five miles and you feel like you’ve ran a marathon.  Not to brag, but Hazel and I totally rocked it. We left Mom and Dad in the dust. It was crazy hard but totally worth it. The views were amazing and you could just barely see the top of the falls.  Mom about had a heart attack when we went down a steep stairway – with railings might I add – to get a better view. Totally wicked!!! The pictures below show the falls at left, a view from half way up and from the top.

     After this you would think the next day we would take it easy, sleep in, chilax.  Nope. We went snowshoeing! Ok, to be fair, it was only two miles and not super strenuous, but still.  It was really fun though! The ranger who led the walk was really nice and super informative. There was a rewarding viewpoint at the end and a fun volunteering thing I did in the middle, which involved me trying to catch a weasel on a string.  Basically the ranger was explaining why ermin, or weasels, were all white except for a black tip on the end. Predators, or me in this case, always try to go for the black part and the weasel can escape. So Ranger Cate attached a weasel skin on a string and asked me to try to catch it as she tugged it from me, in snowshoes.  After a couple tries of me falling hard onto the snow I grabbed it’s head in a tight grip. Not an experience I am soon to forget!

     That night we watched Free Solo a second time (if you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend it) and admired El Capitan with a renewed vigor the next day.  After snapping pictures we went on an easy 5 mile hike around mirror lake, which was completely dried up, but the hike was still fun. After the hike we went to the fancy and historic Ahwahnee hotel and ate lunch, studied and played Bananagrams again (which I won 3 out of the 4 times).  Then we hurried to the Yosemite viewpoint I mentioned earlier with Bridalveil Falls and saw the tail end of the sunset. Another lovely day in the park! Unfortunately, it was also our last one, and so today we are heading off to Sacramento and then to Lassen Volcanic National Park!