Well, we did it! We were up and out the door by 7:45 this morning, and, boy, did we have a FULL day. We easily found a parking spot and then were able to successfully take the free shuttle to our first hike...and it was a doozy! We went on a trail called Mist Trail because at several points you are walking so close to the falls that you are getting wet from the mist. It was 1.7 miles - UP! Lots of steps and a really steep grade. The girls and I love our flip-flops and didn't know that this hike was going to so steep, so we wore the dumbest shoes you can on such a hike! The scenery was GORGEOUS, though. Totally worth all of the effort. Mom Schroeder the saying that you remind me of, "He never said it would be easy; He said it would be worth it!" came to my mind several times as we were pushing our way up to the top (and coming down, too - my thighs were shaking by the time we made it down.) I LOVE the spiritual lessons that the Lord shows me during these times of appreciating the beauty of His creation.
Then we rented a raft and rafted 3 miles down the Merced River. This river cuts right through the center of Yosemite Valley. So, you raft down (going with the flow of the current) and look around you to the most amazing of sites. They then have a shuttle pick you up and bring you back to the start.
At this point, we are just plain 'ol tired...but we literally have miles to go until we sleep. We've hiked and spent a couple hours in the sun. We decided to jump on the air conditioned shuttle to the Visitor Center and the famous Ahwanne Lodge which has been around since the early 1900s. They have a wedding garden and there was a beautiful wedding going on just as we got there. We enjoyed watching (from a good distance) the bridal party and bride walk down the isle. There were other spectators like us, too, even though it sounds strange. One lady was standing there in her bathing suit - strange.
We then headed to the Lower Yosemite Falls hike and then the Mirror Lake hike. We figured out that we hiked about 7 miles today. All very beautiful! One the way out we stopped and looked at the HUGE El Capitan and Bridal Falls. A really wonderful day!
Jerry has been the photographer this week and has thoroughly enjoyed getting some great pictures of the scenery. He took over 200 pictures, but I will just put 5 up because the computer is uploading them slowly.
We are TIRED and are planning a quiet day hanging out here on the property (maybe heading over and letting the kids jump off some more rocks) and getting ready to head to Sacramento on Sunday morning for our flight out.
I am going to teach the children how to post to the blog tomorrow and let them tell you their favorite parts of the trip.
Sorry for the long post...
Love you all!
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