My Dad has always talked about wanting to go to Yosemite, I’m glad we got the chance to go together! I have had a crazy year so far and really wanted to go somewhere that I could “get away” and relax. Relaxing to me is being out in nature and I wanted to hike so I thought this would be the perfect place to go. I’m really glad he went so I didn’t have to spend $500 on a rental car since I’m still under 25, hahah!

We decided to spend a couple days up near Yosemite National Park and then a couple days down near Sequoia National Park. We ended up spending a day in Yosemite National Park, a day in Sierra National Forest, a day in Kings Canyon National Park, and a day in Sequoia National Park. It was actually very easy to see all four parks in four days! The only downfall was all the time we spent in the car, it wasn’t that everything was far away, it was the fact that the speed limits were 25-35 mph and the roads were winding and twisting up and down mountains the whole time. Also, driving out there is not for the faint hearted… In most places there are no guard rails, meaning there’s just a few inches between you and the side of a mountain.

Sunday, June 2nd

The first day was a travel day. We had early flights that ended up getting delayed. Once we arrived to Fresno, we had to drive to our first hotel. It was a cabin on Lake Bass. Our cabin didn't have a great view of the lake but the cabin was adorable and there was a restaurant right next to the lake that had really good food. We sat out on the porch, had a drink and took in the views!

Monday, June 3rd

Our first day, the most beautiful day. We drove up to Yosemite Valley, but on the way there was a sign for Glacier Point, so we followed it. The road ended up taking a long time but it was well worth it! I was taking pictures of the snow on the side of the road when all of a sudden we came around a curve and the woods opened up into this BEAUTIFUL view of Washburn Point. Both of our jaws dropped. Dad quickly found a spot to park and we walked to the edge in silence…. We were in awe! I have been to the top of the Swiss Alps, but the view from this stop was more beautiful, I think! We stood there for a few minutes and just took in the beauty. The only things being said were “WOW” and “oh my goodness”. We got back in the car and drove the rest of the way up to Glacier Point, parked and walked around for a bit. From up top, you have a perfect view of the valley, the waterfalls, and Half Dome. This was my Dad's favorite view on the whole trip.

Once we finished enjoying the view up top, we drove down to the valley. We drove in through Tunnel View, which was awesome! It's a long tunnel that comes out right into the valley view, it's really pretty as well. We were basically ooo-ing and awe-ing all day! Our first stop in the valley was Bridalveil Falls. We stopped and were going to hike up next to the falls but with the wind and how much power the falls had, we couldn't get very close without getting drenched. Even as close as we did get, I was still pretty wet! We decided to walk along a short trail in front of the falls instead.

We drove down into the middle of the valley, found a parking spot and started walking around. We walked through the meadow, which was my favorite view. I loved seeing the cliffs and mountains around me with the grass below me. The pictures DO NOT do justice to how EQUISITE Yosemite is! We crossed the valley and hiked up near Lower Yosemite Falls. We could see Upper Yosemite Falls, but we weren't close enough to feel the water like we were from the lower falls. We continued our journey around the valley through Yosemite Village. We had lunch and walked around a couple shops. They had a gallery there for Ansel Adams, who a co-worker actually told me about last year. His work is amazing. It's all black and white, but he traveled all around the country taking photos of the National Parks. I highly recommend looking him up! We ate lunch in the village and continued our trek.

We went back through the meadow, back to the car, drove back to the back of the valley, parked again, and went out on another hike. This time we went back off the valley loop, to see Mirror Lake. The lake is so calm, it mirrors whatever is around it. It's really cool! By the time we got back to the car, we were both worn out and we decided to call it a day, the sun was setting too so it was perfect timing. We made one more stop at Tunnel View to take pictures, then headed back to the cabin for the night.

It was an absolutely amazing day and I really, really hope that everyone can get out to see Yosemite one day. It's at the top of my list for most beautiful places in the WORLD.

We went at the beginning of June and some of the roads were still closed due to snow cover. There were a decent amount of people there, but not overly crowded. I read that if you go later in the summer like August, that some of the waterfalls dry up because all of the snow has already melted. I think we picked a good time of the year to go!

Ansel Adams is a very well known photographer who photographed the National Parks. He did BEAUTIFUL black and white work.

Center of the picture-farthest away point- Cloud’s Rest

Just the edge of the road, a few inches, and down the mountain you go…. no guard rails

Tuesday, June 4th

Today we drove to Mariposa Grove and hiked to the Grizzly Giant.

Fun fact: Sequoia and Redwood trees are different. It's a common misconception that they are the same but in fact, they are very different. Giant Sequoia trees grow inland, more in the mountains. They are shorter and have wider trunks. Redwood trees grow near the coast and are taller and skinnier.

The Grizzly Giant is the 25th largest Giant Sequoia tree living today. It's approximately 1900-2400 years old. It was very cool to see but also very crowded area. Surprisingly, we didn't see a lot of Giant Sequoia trees in Mariposa Grove, maybe 1 out of every 30 trees was a Sequoia… we were kind of disappointed by that.

After walking to the Grizzly Giant, we visited the Big Trees Lodge for lunch. Near the Lodge was the Pioneer Yosemite Historical Village. We walked around there for awhile. It was a neat little town, it had a covered bridge, horseback riding, and a collection of different horse-drawn buggies.

We headed back to the cabin and decided to rent a kayak and go out on the lake. It was relaxing and fun at the same time. The lake had quite a few other people on it, I can't imagine what it would be like in July!

We stayed out on the lake for awhile but then headed back in for dinner. We decided to eat out at this little dinner right on the river, they had live music playing. I had a very good sandwich for dinner! It was grilled chicken, with barbeque sauce, pineapples, and jalapeno peppers on it. I thought 'weird combo,let's try it', I had no expectations, and it ended up being one of the best sandwiches that I've ever had. I added it to my dinner list for home!

Wednesday, June 5th

We left the cabin early in the morning and headed south. We drove down through the San Joaquin Valley which was nearly 90°F. Then we drove back up into the mountains into the snow again. Today was our day to explore Kings Canyon National Park.

We stopped at Grant Grove to see the General Grant tree, which is the second largest tree in the world. Then continued our drive down into the canyon. We were running low on gas and the only gas station in the park was the world's largest double fed gravity gas pump. It was really cool to see how gas stations used to be back in the 1920’s!

After we got gas we drove to Boyden Cavern. We weren't planning on going into the cavern but decided to since the next four was leaving in ten minutes. We hiked up a mountain and into the cavern. The cavern was cool! The walls were covered in stalactites and stalagmites. The tour guide says the founder of the cave gave tours back in the day and the only light they had was a gas lantern he would carry. Now they have lights throughout the cave, he turned them all off so we could see what it was like, it was kind of scary! I can't imagine living in the cave like the founder did! Upon leaving the tour of the cavern, we noticed a family stuggling with changing a tire in the parking lot so Dad went over and changed it for them. They were incredibly greatful!

We drove the road until it ended in the valley. There was a river, waterfalls, pine trees, and even a campground. But visitors who were not camping were not allowed after dark (because of the bears) so we turned around and drove all the way back out of the canyon.

On our way to our next hotel we stopped at Hume Lake which was really pretty but also really crowded. The little town around the lake is specific to kids church retreats. Finally arrived at the hotel, had some pizza, and went to sleep.

Thursday, June 6th

We tackled Sequoia National Park today. Our first stop was a short hike to the General Sherman tree. General Sherman is the largest tree in the world, measured by volume. It is 275 feet tall and over 36 feet in diameter at the base. We coincidentally met two other Buckeye fans and of course had to do the O-H-I-O in front of the tree.

Then we drove down to Moro Rock. On the way there we noticed that almost every single tree around us was a Giant Sequoia, it so cool! Moro Rock was something that I wanted to do and ended up being one of my favorite things, despite how scared I was hiking up it. The path started on the edge of one side of the rock, went throught the rock, up the other side, and kept winding around until we ended up on top of the rock. Luckily there were hand rails at the top so we didn't slide off, but along the path up there, there wasn't anything to hold onto. I was shaking by the time we got to the top. The view from the top was stunning. We had perfect weather and we could see for miles and miles. There was a baby's pacifier laying at the edge of the rock, my dad told me to go get it, and I said heck no!

Once we hiked down the rock we got in the car and drove through a fallen Sequoia tree that was cut out for that purpose. We stopped at Crescent Meadow and saw our only big animal, a deer. She was cute and luckily there weren't many other people around to scare her off. Continuing our drive, we ended up at the other end of the park. We drove from one entrance all the way down to the next. Back to the hotel we went. I was tired!

The road we took to the bottom of the park.

Friday, June 7th

Travel day back home to Columbus.

Overall it was a very good trip. We saw three different National Parks in three days. When most people think of going to California, they think of San Francisco or Los Angeles. But I've been to both of those too and this trip was by far my favorite Cali trip! I would HIGHLY recommend going to explore these parks, at the very least, see Yosemite. It was really cool to see the differences in each park and the terrain as we drove everywhere. Yosemite was green and luscious, Kings Canyon was dry and almost desert like, and Sequoia was a sense forest. Again, beautiful trip and I'm so happy we went!