Yah for YOSEMITE! We made it to Yosemite this year, or "semite" as Maggie and Grant pronounce it. And I have to admit... making it to Yosemite is no small feat. It's a lot of work to get all the camping gear packed up, laundry done, groceries bought, etc with 3 kids! I almost wondered if it was worth it! And then once we were there and settled in and there was a quiet moment to look around and take in the magnificent beauty of Yosemite... YES! It is SOOO worth it! We love Yosemite! John Muir once said, "It is the grandest of all the special temples of Nature I was ever permitted to enter." I couldn't sum up the beauty of Yosemite any better!
This is the surroundings of our campground.
And Grant was totally in his element: outdoors ALL DAY LONG! He spent most of his time looking for sticks.
My uncle Randy, a veteran camper, gave us this backpack for Zoey and it was a total lifesaver! She loved being in it!
On the way to Yosemite Falls. You can see the waterfall in the background.
One of the reasons why we always go in May is because the waterfalls are so full. It's breathtaking!
At the base of Yosemite Falls.
If you look really hard, you can see Half Dome in the background.
We took bikes this year, so Zoey rode it out in the backpack on grandpa's back one day.
We're cool cause we're in Yosemite!
Hangin' out around the fire
In the early evening, Cory discovered that the deer come out into the meadow. Obviously, Maggie was amazed.
Deer in the meadow.
But deer weren't the only wildlife we had close encounters with. THIS IS A BEAR IN OUR CAMP in broad daylight! A first for all of us!
Here he is walking towards our camp to check out our food stash. The rangers had warned that the bear activity was up this year, but I didn't expect that we would actually have one visit us!
He knew exactly what he wanted, too! He went straight to the table where there was a basket of food and threw out the bagels and went straight for the Entemann's donuts. He took them a few yards away to enjoy and then he came back to look for more. We had put all the food away in the meantime.
A family picture without Zoey
The beautiful Half Dome. Someday we'll climb it!
