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Published: July 25th 2005
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Dick and Me at Vernal Falls Bridge
Right before we get soaked on the Mist Trail This is my first official Travel Blog. I thought I'd start off with a few of my last adventures in California before I head off on my crazy hippie bus trip - Yosemite!
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OK, we just got back from an awesome weekend in Yosemite.
Trip highlights:
-Singing along with Dolly Parton to Jolene in the car (Our official theme song)
-Having a cold beer Friday night after 4 hours of driving on winding roads
-Getting soaking wet on the Mist Trail
-Seeing a full circular rainbow on the Mist Trail
-Taking a warm shower
-Finding an open gas station after realizing my gauge was below empty
-Playing “I never” and eating s’mores at the campfire
-Getting soaked again at Bridleveil Falls and loving it
-Chillin’ in front of El Capitan catching some sun and watching the climbers
-Eating my last In-n-Out burger for a while 😊
Trip details:
Emma, Ashley, and I departed late Friday from San Francisco on the 4 hour drive in the middle of no where to Yosemite. Armed with our iPods and our less than perfect voices, we sang to old school 80's rap tunes the whole way up. I
Dick, Reza, Emma, and Ashley
After making it to the top of the Mist Trail was soooo glad when we finally arrived. We met my friends Dick, Reza, and Reza's friend Rebecca at the campsite who were waiting for us with cold beer. They were a god send I tell you 😊
We quickly set up camp. Ashley and Emma thought I was crazy when I told them we were all going to fit in the tent. But later they were happy it was so tight because the temp. dropped to 40 degrees.
Being closter phobic, I woke up at 7:30 the next morning and immediately exited the tent for some open space. I was surprised to find a rushing river right next to our campsite. A few hours later, everyone got up and we organized for the day.
Now, I’m sure all of you know that when I go on a trip I check everything out. This trip was no different. I planned a fun hike for us that had a beautiful view of Half Dome. After an hour of driving we found that the road to the hike was closed. But all was not lost! We headed back to the Valley to hit the Vernal Falls trail. We stopped off
Ashley
At El Capitan for some food by a river close to Curry Village successfully preventing the crankiness that was overcoming us from the car ride.
We eventually found the trail head and were ready for the hike. Of course, this was not before Emma and Ashley ran into to the two of the hottest guys they have ever seen, who for their benefit happened to be bare chested. Too bad we didn't see them again on the trail 😞
We started up the Vernal Falls trail. I have never seen so many people so improperly dressed for hiking. There were people in jeans and flip flops. I literally saw one lady dragging her kid's stroller up the trail. To each their own, I guess. We proceeded on. First we hit the Vernal Falls Bridge. It had a wonderful view of the falls and a bathroom so Emma could go for the 14th time that day.
I knew that the next part of the hike would be up the steep footpath to the top of the falls. What I didn't realize was that the falls would completely drench us on the way up. Yeah, you'd think the name "Mist Trail" would have tipped me off. Anyway, it was so much fun. When we were walking up we saw so many rainbows. It was the first time I have ever seen a full circular one too.
It was so warm at the top which was great since we desperately needed to dry off. The girls had a fun time playing with the squirrels who looked more like rats from eating so much food from the tourists. We then attempted to find the John Muir Trail to head back down. After several attempts in which I told everyone to "trust" my sense of direction, we decided there was no other choice but to get soaked again and hit the Mist Trail. We loved it.
We then jumped in the car to head back to the campsite. Half way back I decided that we needed gas. My tank was so low I didn't think we'd make it back. Of course, the only gas pump in Yosemite was 40 min. away in the opposite direction of our campsite. As the tank dropped below the empty line and darkness started to set we said a few prayers that the gas station would be open. They worked!
At 9:30 we made it back to the campsite where the boys and Rebecca had dinner ready for us. It was yummy! I then decided it was time to bust out the s'mores. We had a full assembly line going. Everyone was required to try at least one. Then we reverted back to our teenage years and played “I never” until late in the night. Dick’s quote of the evening was “Emma, please write a book.”
The next day we packed up and headed back to the Valley. We had enough of trail food, so we hit Curry Village for some pizza and beer. Then we drove to a beautiful field that looked up at El Capitan. We spent an hour finding as many climbers as we could. They looked like ants on the huge rock. After getting some sun, we packed up the car and started the drive back to SF. We hit In-n-Out burger on the way back for the best cheeseburger I’ve ever had.
Anyway, the trip was so much fun. I’m so glad that everyone could go and that I was able to Yosemite one last time before I leave California. I know this is just the start of many adventures to come!
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dick being wrong
dick proven wrong on multiple topics was a highlight - reza