Yosemite

I was visiting my aunt with my mom in Fresno, California. She lived closer to Yosemite in the mountains. The gate at the entrance of Yosemite was roughly twenty-five minutes from the house. It was a Sunday morning and everyone in the house was getting ready for church. I decided since it wasn’t a church that I belonged to, that I would go take a drive through Yosemite that day. I have been to Yosemite many times as a child, but had yet to visit as an adult. I love the outdoors. These days camping usually involves places where we can go dirt bike riding too.

     It was a crisp winter day, which made me nervous that it might snow. We don’t have chains for the Honda CRV and the drive down into Yosemite Valley has a very windy road. I decided to take my chances. When I got to the main gate of the national park, I was very anxious to get to the Valley floor and see all the sights. When I was a kid I remembered the valley was where all the beautiful waterfalls are. I remembered very wrong. The whole drive down into the valley was breath taking. Although it was freezing outside I blasted the heater and rolled down my windows. The air tasted and smelled so fresh. The only I can describe it is to compare it to the way it smells after it rains, but one hundred times better.

     I pulled over constantly to take pictures of the scenery and enjoy the great outdoors. The roads kept winding and I enjoyed every minute of it. The moment I got through the tunnel and saw the view of the whole Yosemite Valley I was blown away. The recent rain and winter air made it feel like my own personal wonderland. It was the off season so there was practically no one in the park. The silence while standing looking at the view is something I will never forget. It almost made me feel like I was the last person left on earth. I took a lot of pictures of the scenery but I also took some pictures of myself while holding the camera out in front of me, hoping to get myself in the shot.

     When I finally reached the Valley I went to one of the hotels. I asked one of the front desks clerks for a good place to eat, because it was the off season not a lot was open. I chose to eat at the hotel’s restaurant. I ordered a stew and corn bread. The cold weather made it a perfect choice. The food was amazing, and I sat by a huge fireplace just reading my book. After lunch I parked the car by an open field that had a beautiful view of two waterfalls. I backed in to the spot and opened the back door to the car. I laid out blankets in the back of the car and cuddled up with my book. I finished it in just a couple of hours. I went for a walk in the snow and soaked in as much as I could before I had to leave. It would be getting dark early and I did not want to brave those windy roads in the dark. I took a few more pictures and headed home. I remember thinking that I should have brought someone with me, but immediately I decided I wouldn’t have changed that day for anything. Since then I make it a point to take time for me. I love taking vacations alone. There is something liberating about taking a vacation alone. I get to take time to enjoy silence.

(I took the first picture with the timer on my camera. In the second picture I remeber wishing I had lemonade to make it look like yellow snow.)