The Long Trip (Yosemite)

When you go home for a week and have to split your time in between two sets of parents and more siblings, you sometimes don't take them time to go see the sights that are just a little farther away. This time we ventured out of our normal routine as our friends the MacArthur's had planned a vacation to Yosemite (only a few hours a way) and we were in town for so long. The kids (and I) were so excited to see their good friends so soon after moving away. It was worth the quick one day trip to see them and the wonders of Yosemite.

Here is the west entrance. Isn't it fantastic? It was a beautiful entry to the park.
As soon as we found the MacArthur's the kids paired off with their friends and had lunch. They were so excited to be together again.

Two peas in a pod.

We hiked up to see the Nevada Falls. It was farther and steeper than we thought it would be, but it was well worth the hike!

Being in nature was a real treat.

Being with close friends was a real treat too. The only thing missing was Mike. It is not often you find a family where everyone pairs up nicely and has someone to hang out with.

The kids found a rock to climb up on top of, with supervision as it was a ways down if they fell.

We got to see a bear up close, safely from the shuttle we used all throughout the park.

Look at those falls. This was a view of the upper and lower Yosemite Falls. We hiked/walked to the base of the lower falls. It was just beautiful. And apparently May and June are the best months to see the water in Yosemite. It dries up by the end of July and you have to wait until the next snow runoff the next year to see it again.

You can see Christian and Kristin playing "Star Wars" here at the base of the falls while the rest of us enjoyed the sites and sounds.

Katie and Emily on top of the log relaxing in the background while the younger ones play in the foreground.

At the end of our day as we came out from dinner, we got a beautiful view of Half Dome.

The MacArthur's were great to let us intrude on their vacation. It was a real treat!