yosemite, what took me so long?

we are back from a much needed vacation at yosemite. all i can say is WOW!!! for years i have heard all about yosemite, living in california it is relatively close by. i have good friends who have invited us every august to camp with them and year after year we couldnt coordinate a trip. in january, after returning from colorado, i just reserved a housekeeping cabin at yosemite for august. i had no idea what to expect or what the housekeeping cabins would be like, there are very few pictures of them out there that i could find. this month has been so hectic, i barely had time to pack and left everything for chris (who did an amazing job getting it together, good boy scout that he is). i thought august would be crazy busy but found it wasnt, i guess everyone wants to see the waterfalls (i seriously didnt realize the waterfalls would be dried up in august, thats typical me when it comes to planning!) even without the waterfalls, yosemite is the most beautiful place i have ever seen, it blows away any mountain destination i have visited. 

i had no idea how the layout of yosemite valley was, that it is actually a valley with cliffs all around. it is organized in the most fantastic way, you can park your car for the entire week and use the free bus shuttle to see every site. bike trails are abundant and well connected. its the perfect place for families because you can move around so easily. 

there are meadows and rock cliffs, wild flowers and super tall pine trees, oaks and aspen trees. even in summer it was bright green and lush, hot as hell with a cool river to splash in (we took lots of afternoon dips)


the staff at the park keeps it clean, the buses come and go like clockwork, there are shops and casual places to eat (ice-cream!) and at the housekeeping cabins we had showers (they even give you a clean towel to use!) and a laundromat (loved this since we ran out of socks quickly). there is just too much to post all in one go so i will do this yosemite trip in several parts... these are just a few of the many views around the valley.