I don't want to leave the impression that the Yosemite stop was terrible. We didn't have a great experience in the park itself, but did manage to have a very relaxing time in the end. We stayed in a lovely cottage right outside of the park. It was quiet, surrounded by trees and had excellent room service. We were pretty tired by this point on our travels that we relaxed quite a bit around our cottage. We made the mistake of going up the lodge one night for diner and retreated pretty quickly. I think we just needed a break from crowds.
It was a tough decision but we skipped going into Yosemite Valley and opted to hike around a less popular area called Mariposa Grove. It was beautiful. The sequoia trees were impressive and, though small, the animals were very entertaining and enjoyable to see. |
| Vibrant Stellar's Jay |
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| We saw squirrels rumble over a pine cone and this squirrel won. |
What's really impressive is that we would soon see larger trees than this one. But the sequoias in Yosemite are beautiful and quite large. We definitely plan to return the the park at some point, but we'll do it a bit differently. Off-season, camping instead of the lodge/resort, hiking on smaller trails and away from major pathways or tourist viewing spots.
On a small note, I was impressed with the food in Yosemite: local ingredients, organic, fresh. Everything we ate was quite good. I could tell the food was good quality and the menu noted where some of the ingredients came from (such as a nearby farm). It reminded me of Vermont and I liked that. It balanced the aggressive driving and pushy people in the park. Yosemite might not have been my favorite stop, but I am willing to give California a fair shake. :)
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