California- Northbound

After leaving Dani and southern California behind we headed back north to do some hiking in Yosemite. Last year we took the 5 to Fresno and into the park from the west, this year we opted on the eastern route on the 395. (please notice my California way of referring to interstates and highways by just their #)

It was pretty much a long straight road that looked like this:

I did most of the driving this day...

...so Steve could get some work done, and while I'm not 100% sure, I think he did a little Tiny Zoo playing.

Out first stop was at the base of the southern end of the Sierra Nevadas. 

Oh it makes my heart sing! I just love the mountains.

We stopped by a grocery store to replenish our cooler in a cute little town of Bishop, CA. Love it! We decided we could move there, plus the town has a Ben Franklin!!

Our destination that night was a little town called Lee Vining, before reaching our motel we stopped at Mono Lake, home of the tufas. You may have see the inside album cover of Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here, or the White Snake video- both with the tufas as their backdrop.

I have to say they were pretty cool.

In Lee Vining we stayed at a cute little place called the El Mono Motel. We chose a room with a queen size bed and the bathroom down the hall; what a great coffee house for our morning coffee and chat with new friends. 

The view from the small side lawn wasn't too shabby either.

We stayed one night and then leisurely made out way the next morning into Yosemite National Park through the Tioga Pass. Beautiful and at 9,945 feet is was a great way to begin to acclimate our bodies to higher elevation before we did some hiking.

Since I have spent most of my summer inside and Steve most of his outside, our thoughts on a relaxing vacation vary; with this in mind I promised our first full day in Yosemite would be still. Tuolume Meadows are beautiful.
We grabbed our blanket and laid it out under the trees, near the river for a good part of the morning and afternoon. Steve worked on some writing he needed to do and I read, napped, planned a few hikes and explored the river bank.

The granite landscape is sharp among a place that softens my soul. I wish I could explain it but when I am in the mountains of Yosemite I feel at home, as if nothing else matters but that very second.
My eyes see the beauty,
my lungs feel it.
My heart never wants to leave it.
Perhaps its the fact that I have no worries, no responsibilities, no noise, no demands, just me, Steve and a road that leads to wherever we choose.

I stand in awe of the amazingness of my God. The artful design in the mountain tops as they rise and fall in musical beauty against a perfect sky. 

We arrived at Housekeeping Camp that afternoon, made up our bed and loaded our food into our bear box; we jumped onto the Valley Shuttle and visited the Yosemite Cemetery and grabbed some pizza at the pizza loft.

That night we snuggled down under our electric blanket to the quiet of the valley and the peace we enjoy in just being there.

Stay tuned for pictures of our hikes and our time in San Francisco and Sonoma Valley, until then life beckons...
Shalom to you all,