Yosemite...eventually!

So remember those crazy roads I mentioned in the last post?? I jinxed us by saying at one point "if we get through here in one piece it will be a miracle!". The bumps got us and some of the wires to the right slide motor came unattached and the motor wouldn't work on that side. Our Harvest Host Tom went above & beyond in helping us to get the slide in enough to travel and then connected us to Brent, a mobile RV repair guy. We had to drive a bit out of the way but it was worth it. He was terrific and on the side of the road took apart the trim to access the motor and sodered the wires back together for us. We ended up losing out on one of our Yosemite stops (yes, Palatine pool, another mark on the missed stops tally!) but were back on the windy roads again in just a few hours.

 

The cats were good troopers during our stay on the side of the road, especially given there's not as much room to run around when all the slides are in!

And back on the road to Yosemite!!!

 

The iconic "tunnel view", after driving for an hour and a half from our campground you finally reach this spectacular view! Note, for anyone using this blog to help plan your future travels, try to stay in the park campgrounds if you can. We lost our 2 days that gave us closer access to the park due to the slide issue and Phoebe, the RV doesn't fit thru this tunnel from the south entrance. It makes for a longer day when you have to spend 3 hours driving just to get to your hike!

 

They say there are "spirits" that live in Yosemite. While we can't confirm or deny, the wind sure made the water look pretty cool coming down from Bridalveil falls.

El Capitan and a F-150 from Michigan! :)

Yosemite Chapel, one of the oldest buildings from the original settlers. We couldn't go inside but very quaint on the outside.

The trees are just SO LARGE!!! The pictures aren't doing them justice. This one outside the museum shows dates on the growth rings, it was bigger than Dave when he was born!

 

 

Hard to see both of them from this picture, but this is both the upper & lower Yosemite falls. It's been pretty dry here so not much water flowing but still a pretty hike.

 

 

Half dome. Nope, didn't get to do that hike. 1. you need a permit and 2. we aren't that brave! :)

 

These deer were pretty used to people in their backyard. We walked right by and they barely even acknowledged us!

 

You can see a bit more water in the upper falls from this shot taken from inside the Mountain Room restaurant. I certainly wasn't cooking after our full day of hiking and the hour and a half drive back to the RV!

We were blessed with another gorgeous sky on the way back home. Going past the pretty Wowona Hotel was a tease as we still had an hour to go!

In the end, the drive was worth it because our site at Cedar Lupine Campground On Bass Lake was beautiful!

The weather could not have been more perfect for us, everyday full sun and 82-87 degrees! We took advantage and spent one of our days kayaking the lake...

 

 

...and then breakfast for dinner!

Back to the trails and the trees, we hiked the Mariposa Grove and saw some very BIG trees! Again, the pictures don't give you the depth but we'll show you a bunch of them anyway! :) We saw the Grizzly Giant, the Bachelor & Three Graces and the one with the two of us is the Faithful couple...see how it's two trees but together at the base.

I like the contrast with this photo. There are so many burned tress in the park from the fires but here you see that new life continues in this dynamic forest.

 

 

 

While not as many flowers here on these trails (I keep forgetting it's fall since it's 85 degrees out) this one on the Meadow Loop trail was so simple and pretty. It is so nice to be able to stop and smell the flowers!

But, as Dave reminds me it's not all trees and flowers...here he is fixing the panel behind the sliding door to the bedroom. In a motorhome you have to improvise with limited tools. My handyman used our flip flops for his clamps! 

So we're off again to our next stop and Pappy wanted to join Noodle in telling you where we're headed next...stay tuned!