Read more about the article Yosemite Valley – Yosemite Falls, Tunnel View & Glacier Point
Tunnel View

Yosemite Valley – Yosemite Falls, Tunnel View & Glacier Point

Although Yosemite National Park encompasses over 1,100 square miles, most of the 5 million annual visitors spend their time at Yosemite Valley. It’s no wonder as the 7-mile stretch, which is only about a mile wide, has some of the more dramatic landmarks such as El Capitan, Half Dome and many waterfalls.

Upper Yosemite Falls

Yosemite Falls

Right outside our hotel, Yosemite Falls cascaded down the sheer granite cliffs to its rocky basin. At 2,400 feet, it is the largest waterfall in North America and consists of three sections: Upper Falls, the middle cascades and Lower Falls.

Lower Yosemite Falls

We hiked the 1-mile Lower Yosemite Falls loop. From afar, we could see Yosemite Falls in its entirety. However, once we got closer to the base of Lower Yosemite Falls, we could no longer see the Upper Falls. As we watched snow-melted water plummet 300 feet to the boulders, it was hard to image that the same water already traveled over 1,200 feet – four times the drop we watched – from Yosemite Creek. (more…)

Read more about the article Yosemite NP – Tuolumne Meadows & Tioga Pass
Tuholomne Meadows

Yosemite NP – Tuolumne Meadows & Tioga Pass

We finally made it to Yosemite and entered on the eastern side of the park near Tuolumne (pronounced “to-all-lum-ee”) Meadows. Most visitors never tour this side of the park as the Tioga Pass is only open during the summer and early fall.

Tuolumne Meadows

Located in the High Sierra at 8,600 feet, Tuolumne Meadows feels quite different from the rest of the park. It is exactly what it says – a lush, green sub-alpine meadow with the Tuolumne River running through it.

Tuolumne Meadows with Lembert Dome in the background

Several hikes start from the Tuolumne Meadows Visitor Center. We chose the easier 2-mile Soda Springs hike instead of the Lembert Dome hike.

Tuolumne River

After crossing the river, a miniature log cabin stood alone in the distance. Homesteader Jean Baptiste Lembert enclosed the Soda Springs in 1889 to protect them from grazing sheep and livestock. (more…)

Read more about the article Joshua Tree NP – California

Joshua Tree NP – California

We met my husband’s family at Big Bear Lake, CA last summer. Those who’ve read my posts know that I don’t like to stay in one place for a long time – especially somewhere I’d been before. Since four days hanging out at a lake didn’t excite me, I decided to take one of my daughters (Thing 2) with me to Joshua Tree National Park for a day trip.

Looking at the Joshua Tree inside the park

It was a huge undertaking but worth it in the end. We left just before sunrise. Although only a little over 70 miles from Big Bear, the drive to the western entrance takes almost two hours mainly because the two-lane road full of hair-pin curves winds its way down the San Bernardino mountains for about 25 miles. Fortunately once we reached the Lucerne Valley area, miles of desert (and flat, straight roads) stretched ahead. (more…)