Happy Tuesday! Who's ready for a lit'l virtual vacay? Fantastic, after all, it's trip report time! Today we're Yosemite bound!
Day 3 - Monday, September 12, 2016
Our day began on our room's balcony with some deer watching. If you look in the center of the top photo you'll see a darling deer just laying there all lovely and sweet to gaze out at.
Once we packed up and checked out we hit a McDonalds down the street for breakfast. We don't have carved bears lining the side of our drive-thru here, so I got a kick out of that ...and hoped they were the only bears I'd see that day! ;)
Little Side Note: I'm not much of a fast food breakfast girl, but bacon, egg, and cheese McGriddles are my jam!
Sierra National Forest
Making the picturesque drive to Yosemite National Park
Our first breathtaking glimpses of Yosemite's beauty were absolutely stunning!
El Capitan
Half Dome
Since we were visiting in the fall the waterfalls weren't flowing as fiercely as they do in summer months. This serves as a splendid excuse to return during another season in the future! (I'll use any excuse to revisit gorgeousness really. ;))
Another look at El Capitan
Half Dome Village
Previously known as Curry Village
We checked into our home for the next two nights at Half Dome Village and I fell hard for this place! If you plan a visit to Yosemite I highly recommend staying right there in the heart of the Park!
Lunch at Pizza Patio
Pizza and cute company always makes my heart happy!
After filling our tummies with yummies it was time to do a bit of exploring! I love that Yosemite offers a complimentary shuttle between different portions of the park! It also reminds me of Disney transportation which added a little magic to my day! ;)
This hidden Mickey made me think of Disney too! ;)
Yosemite Valley Visitor Center
We enjoyed the art and history featured here and you know we never pass up a fun photo op!
Half Dome Village Recreational Area
This cute little building is where you can rent bikes and sign up for tours. Its door remains open on the side for people to record adventures that I personally hoped not to experience while there...
Weather conditions for that day
Dinner at the Pizza Patio
By the time we were ready to eat dinner the only places open were the Pizza Patio and a sit down restaurant whose menu for the night didn't appeal to us, so pizza it was! I was raised in a pizza loving family and never tire of pie (of any kind :))! It was a bit funny though as we thought we'd order two pizzas and let each of us chose a couple toppings per half. They messed it up and put all the toppings on one pizza. I'll just say big chunks of garlic with pineapple and pepperoni, not the best combo, but not the worst either I suppose! They ended up making us another pizza too. We didn't make much of a dent in that entire spread, but it brought out a lot of laughter and our night was better for it! ;)
Our Home at Yosemite
Half Dome Village offers a variety of lodging options, from tent "cabins" (with basically just a bed inside), to cabins, or more standard rooms. We chose the most comfortable option for us, renting an adorable cottage-like room with two beds on the main floor and an upstairs featuring a cute lit'l room with an additional bed.
We told the girls they could each have their own beds, but they thought having and sharing their own floor was too fun to pass up so they claimed the lofty space to share.
It was so charming! The theming was perfect for the Park and we made ourselves right at home.
The most noticeable difference in this place, as opposed to everywhere else we'd stay this trip, was that there was no television. It was really nice to have zero distractions while there! We don't typically watch much tv while on vacation but will turn it on in the evenings sometimes. Knowing that clicking on a glowing screen wasn't a possibility was actually really refreshing! All of our time was focused on taking in the splendor of our surrounding and enjoying each other's company.
Cheers to vacation!
Just outside our screen door sat some wooden adirondack chairs. The roof was perfectly lit making it a sweet spot for Jason and I to sit and sip some Californian sodas and chat about the highlights of our day.
We wrapped up that gorgeous evening with a stroll beneath the stars. Nights do not get much better than that one!
The Guest Lodge is the one spot in the parks that offered wifi, so it was quite the popular place. I personally enjoyed the rocking chairs it boasted more than the signal.
We turned in for the night and I had my last sleep as a 37 year old. The next morning I awoke to both my birthday and one of the greatest adventures of my lifetime! I look forward to sharing details of both this time next week! Hope you'll be back to hear all about it, friends!
Wanna see video footage from this trip? Head on over to my family's YouTube channel, Eat, Sleep, Dis, Repeat!
My husband's newest video features our adventures in Kings Canyon National Park!
While you're visiting our YouTube channel, we'd love it if you'd subscribe to catch a new video each Sunday!
My husband's newest video features our adventures in Kings Canyon National Park!
This weekend he'll be sharing footage from this first day at Yosemite!
While you're visiting our YouTube channel, we'd love it if you'd subscribe to catch a new video each Sunday!
In case you missed it, you may also be interested in:
California Day 1 // Arrival and Huntington Beach
California Day 1 // Arrival and Huntington Beach
I appreciate each comment, & "like"! They let me know that you enjoyed what you read, which makes it worth sharing! ;)
Oh, my! I have yet to try any McGriddle sandwich. Does that make me unAmerican?! ;) I absolutely LOVE the cozy cottage atmosphere of your room at Half Dome Village! Those adirondak chairs would be the perfect place to soak it all in! Can't wait to read more next week!!!! I have a feeling it's only going to go UP from here! Not that it's not "up" already. ;)
ReplyDeleteI've wanted to go to Yosemite for years, but we haven't had a chance to make it out there yet. I am so jealous of your stop there. It looked beautiful! And that cabin was so cute! And yay for celebrating a birthday while on vacation! That's always fun!
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness this is SO beautiful. I have always always, always wanted to go visit Yosemite. Maybe some day we will make that dream happen.
ReplyDeleteI've always wanted to visit Yosemite. Hopefully I can talk the hubs into going there someday! :) Everything looks so beautiful and I loved your Cabin! I bet having that porch was so nice to sit back and relax. Funny you mention the pizza mix up. Pineapple Pepperoni is one of our favorites, although I've got to say I've never had it with garlic! :) Looking forward to reading next weeks report!
ReplyDeleteYa'll seriously have the BEST adventures of any family I know!! xo
ReplyDeleteI'm loving reading your trip posts! Your pictures from Yosemite are beautiful and it's definitely a place we've had on our bucket list :) Haha I'm with you on the pizza thing- we eat way too much pizza than is good for us ;) Hubby frequently says if he weren't married he'd probably eat pizza for every meal!
ReplyDeleteI haven't had McD breakfast in awhile, but now you have me craving a McGriddle! I can remember when they first came out with those and I had them a little more than I'd like to admit. Your family trips always look so fun, I have never been to Yosemite, but would love to see it someday. I am not sure if you know, but I just booked our next Disney trip! Eek! We only go every other year, but we are staying at the Poly in July! I can't wait!
ReplyDeleteCarrie
curlycraftymom.com
You guys will definitely have to come back to see when the waterfalls have more water - it's soooo pretty! And I don't remember if I already told you, but when I was there, we heard our neighbors saying that they saw a bear in our campsite one night! Yikes! I'm so glad we didn't see it. The cabin you stayed in looks so nice! And I love that the girls decided to sleep in the same bed in the loft - so sweet! :)
ReplyDeleteI didn't realize that you could stay in Yosemite Park! Those cabins look so cute and much more comfy than a "tent" cabin!
ReplyDeleteoh that porch is perfection! I want one! I'm enjoying all the pizza you guys ate on your trip so far haha. Yum. And, a mcd's with bears haha cute. Although much cuter than a real bear in the wild. When we moved to CO the wild animal signs were pretty scary, I'm glad I never saw a bear. But, I did see all sorts of other critters that you don't see in FL so that was really neat. Including a big ol stag hanging out on campus.
ReplyDelete