Yosemite

We decided to spend last weekend at Yosemite. And we chose the right weekend, because when we reached the gates to pay to get in, we were told that President Obama had set aside this weekend to be "get-into-national-parks-for-free" weekend. Thanks to Obama, we saved 20 bucks!

We stayed in Jamestown, a small town full of saloon-like facades and old west board walks, about 2.5 hours away from our house.  It was a cute little town, and very authentic in its old west-ness. Our first evening there, we walked around the endless antique shops that sell all manner of old jars and Marilyn Monroe clocks, and made our way to the gas station where Roo bought candy and Pepto Bismol from a bearded, tatooed guy named Curly.

Our hotel, The Railtown Motel, was one of the cheaper options in town. From the looks of the furniture and bedspread, my guess is that it was the first thing built after the town was settled in 1848. And the original proprietor (who looked like an old prospector) still runs the place. 

There was this massive jacuzzi in the room, but the proprietor made us promise not to use it because it was just too expensive to pay for all that water. Instead we had to play with a stuffed Little Foot dinosaur that we found waiting for us in our room--you know, for the kids to play with. It's matted fur suggested it also dated from the late 1840's...I thought it was a hilarious touch to the room.

The dogs liked sleeping on the cool tile--and I couldn't blame them for choosing that. At midnight, I was ready to join them there since I couldn't help imaging all the people who had slept in these old, old sheets. (Chase is wearing a cone around his head due to injuries sustained in a tiny dog fight with Lando...he'll be ok, though.)

I had never been to Yosemite, and I'd heard great things about it. So, naturally, I was skeptical about how great it actually was. But we rounded a corner and saw this view, and I was immediately converted. It was absolutely breathtaking!

Yosemite Falls

Half Dome and me.

The whole park was overrun with people, but we managed to score a great table in this lodge restaurant where our waiter was Romanian! (Roo served his mission in Romania. The waiter used to live in one of the cities where Roo served.)

Inspiration Point

Glacier Point

Taft Point - It's a 1 mile hike to the very edge of the world. The ledge juts out above what felt like 3000 feet of stone cliff. My heart was pounding here at the ledge.

This is where I am standing in the picture above. The tiny speck is me. I am terrified of heights, but the thrill was fantastic. It was one of the most amazing places I've ever been.

These thin fissures are cracks in the rocks that reveal the ground thousands of feet straight below.
We only spent one day there, but I exclaimed, "Oh my gosh!! This is unbelievable!" more times than I ever have in one day. The valley was a massive cathedral of smooth stone carpeted by green meadows, tall trees, and amazed onlookers. It demanded reverence.