A Colossal Climb- Yosemite

We had a rude awakening in the morning at the Best western at quarter to seven by someone banging and hammering on the pavement. Zenobia promptly got out of bed and I, in my half asleep state, watched as she opened the door and very firmly asked whether it needed to be done now. All I heard was a "huh" and an image of a poor moose like man, caught in headlights, came to mind. She rephrased her request, to which I heard a "no", and she went straight back to bed.

One of our discoveries was 90s on 9 fm- perfect for our road trip. So armed with great music, out of tune singing by both of us, forgotten songs and lyrics, we headed out to Yosemite.

It was a relatively easy ride, distracting only because of the farms, rail tracks and a small closed old west pub surrounded by old broken down farming equipments and cars.









As we headed further into Yosemite we were driving round, up and down hills. It was one of the most fun drives I had, even if I had to force myself to drive slower.

The fun continued once we made it in the park. Luckily the fire didn't affect most of the park and most passes were open.





There were many stop off points, just taking in the immense rocks and trees. One of the best spots was a picnic spot in the beach- essentially next to a river. Sun shone down on cool, crystal clear water.







We headed for the centre and walked to the lower falls. Because of the heat, the falls were all dried up. It did, however, mean that the basins were dry and we were able to climb around rocks and boulders. The views were spectacular.





We decided to climb quite late and if it wasn't for the timing we could've gone on for longer. When we did decide to go back, we suddenly realised we were practically on our own and there certainly weren't anyone climbing anywhere. The way back was a little more treacherous. We tried many routes and had to back on ourselves frequently. Proudly, I found a way forward which involved sliding down a big boulder, through a narrow gap. I looked back to find that Zenobia got stuck in the most unexpected way, but eventually extricated herself and onwards we went!

We headed out, not before catching dinner in Mariposa, a small pretty town, with a few lovely looking restaurants. We went to Charles's, served by women, a mother and daughter team as well as other women. The portions were massive and very tasty. We finished out meal with an apple pie.



We tried to cover as much ground as we could and ended our night in Los Banos in Vagabond Inn Executive. A bigger version of Best Western, with organic soap and shampoo, and more comfortable beds.


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