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USA Trip. Yosemite national park

24 April, 2020 18:38
  • yosemite, capitan, national park, california

Hey-hey, sorry didn't post this yesterday as promised, was super busy!!. Nah, just a simple procrastination.. But there's a bonus part in the end that I wasn't mentioning before ;)

So, - Yosemite here "broadcasting" from Tenerife, -  how're y'all doin' today??! Hehe I know you're just as fed up as me with the lockdown. Hopefully less than me though. Canary islands and particularly Tenerife is having a negative trend in numbers of COVID-19 infected, yet we are still following the same damn rules as the rest of Spain... We as me& Edu find it very unfair, and we as Canary islands' residents are very much hoping for an earlier salida of the entire lockdown!!! For at least an hour or two per day, EVEN if you're not 12yo or younger, or don't have a dog.. 

Anyway. Enough negativity, let's travel a bit back in time now shall we?? October 2019, Yosemite here we come! The. Most. Beautiful (nature wise) thing I've ever seen in that part of the world and on the other side of Atlantic. Even more so: it was the end of fall season.. <3 

Arrived late (I was driving..))) the night before from Sequoia national park to Yosemite, and woke up with crispy cold air and ice covered land around Wawona Hotel ( LINK to open in a new window), a Victorian style lodging with beautiful terraces and squeaky, old wooden floors where we stayed for 2 nights before going to Nevada and then back to California again. The hotel is located practically inside the park, so you won't have to drive for too long till you see its main attraction: the majestic El Capitan mountain.

  • yosemite, el capitan, half dome, national park, california
    Left our car and decided to go check out the base of El Capitan. This is Half Dome - another stunning nature's creation, a 1,5 km high piece of granite, looking like El Capitan's big brother (since El Capitan's height is less than kilometer).
  • yosemite, el capitan, half dome, national park, california
    Beautiful valley in autumn colours at the foot of Half Dome. All light(s) were at El Capitan tho!
  • el capitan, base, yosemite, california
  • el capitan, base, yosemite, california
  • el capitan, base, yosemite, california
    Per aspera ad astra (or 'through hardship to the stars') is how I'd describe our short but steep, hell of a hike to the base of this mountain...
  • el capitan, base, yosemite, california
    ...which was still nothing in comparison to how you'd feel being right on the top, imagine... Probably like being one step away from cosmic space?!.
  • el capitan, base, climbers

Now here's a small eyesight test for you: can you spot the crazy little mofos  very brave climbers on this zoom-in?? If not, here's a hint:

  • el capitan, base, climbers
    I've found 4 climbers and a pile of something, looking possibly like backpacks. Or could be sleeping bags, since it'd definitely take you more than just a few daylight hours in order to reach the top. Or a couple of climbers decided to just have a break/ have lunch/ make love/ come back down maybe. Could be a step or rock formation with the shadow, too.. (I know I'm such a nerd).
  • yosemite, el capitan base, national park, california
    Came back down to the path and continued exploring.
  • half dome, yosemite
    Half Dome again, and you can see the light is slightly changing
  • yosemite, shallow, stream, park, california
    A narrow, shallow creek on the path

Two love birds and a veeeery overexposed El Capitan in the background :)

  • yosemite, el capitan, half dome
    Just continued our long walk between these giants

Finished the mountains part, did the lakes & creeks and then came back to the car (which took us a long time since there were lots of visitors with vehicles), and drove further to a waterfall called Bridal Veil ( Wiki link ):

Edu was more brave and less tired than me since he nearly went all the way up - see him? That was taken in the middle of his climb)))

Meantime I just waited down; took this short video (Edu was already out of sight at that time, more up...)

  • half dome, el capitan, yosemite, sunset
    After Bridalveil fall we started driving back to Wawona hotel, and the park said his good-bye in the most beautiful way with the crazy sunsetting light... <3 Ohh we hope it's only a 'Till next time' good bye.

Next morning woke up in the sunshine and slightly warmer temperatures - what a great way to start another adventure, another long drive to the legendary Death Valley?! 

  • wawona, hotel, yosemite
  • wawona, hotel, yosemite
  • wawona, hotel, yosemite
    Had a huge (like many things in the US) breakfast, quickly packed and jumped in the car. Here's some more of Wawona hotel in a more attractive sunlight :)
  • wawona hotel, yosemite
  • wawona hotel, yosemite
  • tenaya lake, yosemite, california
    And this is the small bonus part I talked about in the beginning of this post. Ladies and gents, - Tenaya lake, which spectacular beauty will make you start thinking about selling one of your kidneys just to build a little wooden cabin next to it and make a living for a month or two))
  • tenaya lake, yosemite, california
  • camping, tenaya lake, yosemite, california
    Had a short coffee break with sandwiches =) (of course cleaned up after).
  • tenaya lake, yosemite, california
    I mean, can it BE any nicer ?!)))
  • tenaya lake, yosemite, california
  • tenaya lake, yosemite, california
    ..me thinking which kidney I should sell to live here, before we took off and continued to the Death Valley..

I hope this bonus together with the large amount of photos have compensated the absence yesterday. YOu are welcome to read about this beautiful lake here, if you'd like: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenaya_Lake  (it'll open in a new window). 

 

Next stop: Death Valley and crossing California border to Nevada! Xx