Yosemite

What a stunning part of God's creation!  This national park was amazing!  We thoroughly enjoyed our 2 days here.  The beauty surrounding us was only a small part of the park - it could be explored for weeks, I'm sure.  We camped in the valley, which was great - the free shuttle stopped 5 minutes away and took us anywhere we wanted to go.  Enjoy these few pictures - there were many taken here!

A snowball fight in July :) as we waited to enter the park.

and a baby snowman

 Stunning views from our motorhome windows

 We visited the nature center where we learned about animals in the park,

 played with antlers,

 and tried to make earthquakes :).

 On the top left, you see the Upper Falls.

 John Muir, the man responsible for the national park as you find it today.

 Upper and Lower falls, complete with a deer in front.

 Enjoying an evening stroll

 A beautiful chapel tucked into God's creation

 Playing in the dirt at our campsite!

 And getting a much-needed bath afterward!

 Waiting for the shuttle bus

 Hiking to the Lower Falls

 The mist from the falls made it hard to get pictures.  It was also LOUD and the kids didn't enjoy getting any closer than this!

 The viewpoint of the 2 falls together

 Wading in the cold river - one of the runoffs from the falls.

 A bit of beauty on our way home

 While we hiked to the Lower Falls, Brian and Dave did a serious hike to the top of Half Dome.  The first picture is Half Dome as they started out in the very early AM.

Behind Brian - make sure to click on this one! - are the cables/ropes leading to the top of Half Dome.  What a climb!!

This is Brian at the top of Half Dome - click to find him!  Hiking up to here is the equivelant of hiking from the Fraser Valley up to the top of Mount Cheam.  The hike climbs incredibly quickly.

When Dave and Brian returned, they sent us out to hike the Mist Trail, bringing us to the top of Vernal Falls.  Here we are, part way up, with Vernal Falls behind us in the distance.

 Part of the fun of the mist trail is that you get DRENCHED!

 Some of our elevation gain.

 Standing at the top of Vernal Falls, with water falling hundreds of feet RIGHT beside us!

 The trail leading up.  It was an enjoyable couple of hours with good friends, beautiful sunshine, cold water, and God's beauty around us.

 That evening a bear arrived in our campsite.  Earlier the kids had been at a junior ranger program about bears.  They learned to stand up, wave their arms and yell "Go away, bear!" if a bear came around.  As the program was almost done, a bear wandered into the program, and all the kids got to practice what they'd learned!!  Many had no idea that this wasn't a usual part of the show :D  This little guy was a yearling, on his own, but still learning what to do.

 On our way out of Yosemite - a picture of our motorhome with the falls in the background.  

Definitely a place I'd like to return to.