Stop #17: Yosemite National Park

deer in parking lot at curry Village

We got to Oakhurst late on Tuesday July 17th. This was the closest town outside the South entrance to the park. Having not made lodging reservations for Yosemite, we were in a bit of a bind.
The private RV parks were all full and so were the Yosemite campgrounds inside the park. The only place left to stay was the Elk lodge which was basically a parking lot with water and electric. We ended up there only as a last resort after driving around for 3 hours trying to get in elsewhere.


half dome on right



On Wednesday morning, we drove to the park through winding mountainous roads. Wesley couldn't take the ups and downs and threw up on the 1 1/2 hour, 26 mile  trip.  Once there, we drove through a tunnel and then saw how spectacular the park actually was. From the valley, you could see El Capitan, Yosemite Falls, half dome, the Merced river and Glacier Point. This sealed the deal- we were definitely staying here! Jason proceeded to get on a waiting list for camping cancellations. The process was to sign-in at a ranger hut in the Curry parking lot at 8 am and wait until 3pm for them to anounce the names of those lucky people who were going to get a spot. We were #16 on the list. While we waited for 3 pm to roll around, Jason did laundry at housekeeping camp and I worked on business stuff at the free wifi area. Finally it was time. We were like kids at Christmas! An anouncement was made that only 12 spots were available. Uh Oh! All those hoping to get a spot waited anxiously and names were called one by one. If the person wasn't there then they crossed them off and moved on to the next. For some reason, there were a lot of "no shows" so we actually got a spot, #7 out of 12. Then you stood in a line with your number and paid for your site. It was only for one night.




bear box for storing food and supplies



In camp, the boys met lots of other kids and created a game at night with glowsticks. We had to make several trips to the Curry Village store to buy more.

We also walked to the Merced River and braved the cold water. I think it was in the 50's. Jason  and Jason Jr. were the only ones who actually went under. Of course, I had to walk around and collect some new rocks for my collection.





El Capitan



We purchased two more nights of camping from a guy in our loop that "reserved too many". By the way, this is a very common practice to buy from others at camp instead of through the National Park service since they are always sold out. It is frowned upon but seems to be the best way to get in.

Now we could plan for a hike to Glacier Point. We purchased one way bus tickets to the top and then hiked down 4.5 miles. The elevation change was 3214 feet and yes, we made it all the way down as a family! When we reached the valley floor, everyone was exhausted and pretty dusty.



looking down from glacier point



jason after the hike from glacier point



I know that you rarely see me in a picture but I promise that I was actually there too!

We also completed the junior ranger books with Jason Jr and Wesley and got a cool badge from Yosemite N.P.



Wesley getting sworn in as a junior ranger

 Our last day there, Jason Jr. attended climbing school. He got the "hang" of it pretty quick and was "hooked"(a little climbing humor).



can you see Jason Jr. at the top?



When we arrived back at Curry Village parking to hook up our cargo trailer, we discovered that it was blocked in by other cars. we waited for several hours for it to clear out but were still stuck. Finally, after some brains and braun, we rolled it back into the aisle and were able to hook up. (Thanks Doug for the tongue wheel). Our last mission before leaving the park was to get our nation Park Passport stamp but the visitor center was already closed. As we were passing the exit, Jason asked the ranger if he happened to have a stamp in the booth and he did, yeah! What a fun time at Yosemite we had.

Sunset at Yosemite