Hit me up again Yosemite (Cali Day 7)

We so loved our first day in Yosemite National Park and were looking forward to one more full filled day.  The old Big Tree Inn where we stayed was actually located in the park (although a good 30 minute drive from the nearest hiking areas).  I was thankful to be able to get a decent room there, as most places fill up sometimes a year in advance.  However, we enjoyed our stay and the novelty of not just a "hotel" (not having any AC was a bit of a stretch for Beach though).  We even opted for the shared bathroom, as it was a good bit less, and were pleasantly surprised by the cleanliness. 

I was just going to grab some things at a small local store to save time, but Beach convinced me we should get a good breakfast in us if we had a full day ahead.  Excellent point....the inn had several great choices and even glutton free options!

Then it was off to the park....still didn't make it to the valley as early as I would have liked but it didn't take quite as long to find a spot, ride the bus to our first trail...

a beautiful path along a river.

And the final destination was mirror lake.

And it was!

Some people were wadding in the water and we explored an area that had dried up a bit and was fun to poke around in.

We saw many families along the path and int he water and dreamed about being here with our own littles.

That path wasn't to strenuous so we decided to tackle one with a bit more height and promised great views!  So back on the shuttle bus we went to find another one!

Find we did....and it was no joke either.

At least 50 switch backs to help the large incline.  Again, no truly marked trails to find our final destination that the book had told me about.  AND I left the book in the car on accident, so we weren't sure when we would find what we were looking for or if we would know that it was it....

 
Thankful we kept going and did find several large boulders with an amazing lookout that I was convinced must be it!  The climb to the top was a few more miles (and again not enough time or energy) and I was so surprised there weren't really any others taking in this gorgeous view.  Really I don't think many people even knew it was there.

We enjoyed our picnic lunch here and attempting to capture all the beauty that our phones could contain!

It was interesting being able to spot the valley and along the different sites throughout.

The steep walk down was much easier!  

Time allowed for one more hike!  I knew Beach would appreciate a simple one so we opted to walk about the Vally Floor with all the amazing sites.

It was a quieter walk where we could hold hands and take in the beauty around us, breathing in thanks.

By the time we were done, it was dinner time.  We wised up to eating in the valley (so as not to eat at 10pm) and found a place to grab a quick bite. They surprisingly have some wonderful healthy options that I was pleased about!  We then made our way out of the park, with a couple of stops along the way.

Our first descending stop was a breathtaking surprise!  A short trail along the river lead to a beautiful waterfall....and an unexpected rainbow!

I swear I was like a giddy kid when I saw it!

The angle made it a bit difficult to photograph, but we did try.

 

There was a blessed couple that agreed to take our picture.  After the wife attempted, the husband knew the best angle was to lay on the ground.  I was amazed that this stranger would plop right down on the wet rock just to capture the full beauty.  Heart full!

We then got in our car and made our further decent.  A quick stop at an overlook, as how can you pass such a view...

Our final stop was a winding rode and then up another mountain for some raved about views.

One of the stops was indeed spectacular.  I attempted to use my panorama feature to capture the enormity of it all.

Thankful for some essential oil to help to ignore the gas pains in my abdomen and focus on the setting sun.

Just a little further to end end of the road and walking out to the trail was a calm deer enjoying a snack.

He didn't mine taking a selfie with me!

This was THE spot to watch the sunset, especially off Half Dome.  The photographers were all lined up with their tripods when we got there.

Our phones sufficed in taking a quick shot of each other and fearfully watching some others careless climb in appealingly dangerous places.

My heart wanted to stay and watch the sunset but Beach did not want to drive down the windy roads in darkness....and had another shot in mind to come.

Thankfully with the last setting of the sun there was a pull over spot for him to get just what he had in mind!

Then it was off to our final Airbnb where we were welcomed with literarily open arms!  Yosemite you did not disappoint and I will recommend that anyone near pay a visit!  The Lord's fingerprints are all over this masterpiece and I wish I had more time to bask in it!

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