This year we braved 7 nights and had a really fabulous time. The trip was very similar to last year with the exception the boys were a year older (huge difference) and my parents joined us the entire time (huge help!).
Our plan was to leave early Saturday morning in order to arrive around noon. Well, the morning didn't quite turn out as planned. Somehow the alarm got turned off and everyone slept until 8:45! Once we roused ourselves out of bed we finished the last of the packing and loaded the car. After locking the house and ensuring the strapped on bikes and roof rack were secure we got in the car. But, unfortunately it didn't start! After mulling over the problem, we decided we needed a jump. This required pushing our car (full of TONS of stuff) out of the driveway. We missed the dip in the driveway and instead went off over the edge scrapping the bikes on the ground. I'm sure it was quite the spectacle with kids in car seats, a roof rack and bikes strapped on. We eventually got it jumped and started but rather than change the battery we pressed forward thinking we had just left the light on over night. We soon learned the battery was broken after having to get the car jumped 4 more times in the valley!
Week in a nutshell:
Campsite
We again had site 222 in Upper Pines. It is really our favorite! The creek was running gently, there is the perfect amount of shade, we have plenty of room to play baseball, and it is on the edge of the forest so we sit and enjoy a magnificent view.
Bike Riding
Bike riding was again one of the highlights of the week. We probably logged 5-10 miles a day on our bikes. Due to each of the boys in a transitional bike stage we have quite the bike accessories. Both adult bikes have a trail-along behind, my bike has Oliver's green seat and Samuel has his own bike. One particularly longer ride Samuel started on his own bike but got tired and moved to the trail-along so we locked his bike. Oliver started out in the trail-along but got tired so he moved to the green seat. It is a bit comical to ride along with nobody riding the trail-along but it all works out.
- Kevin taught the kids to turn on the "speedium". This was the highlight of all bike riding--going super fast
- HOURS of bike riding was done in the campground. Samuel thought he was hot stuff being able to ride the loop by himself. Oliver spend much time watching and learning from Samuel.
- Oliver learned to balance on the no-pedal bike and by day 4 was riding on Samuel's bike with Kevin running alongside.
- Night riding was again a major hit.
Rafting
The river was really low this year after a seriously dry winter. The first day we blew up the rafts, planned our entry and exit points and headed to the river by mid-day. We soon discovered that there was no quite enough water for rafting. After hitting bottom multiple times we decided to enjoy a lovely river walk rather than a float. The rest of the week we opted out of floating down the river and instead choose a nice shallow area to play in the river.
A side note about rafting...my parents got a good deal on a raft. Unfortunately the weight limit was only 200 pounds which is clearly not two adults. They got in first and while trying to figure out how to arrange themselves in such a small boat my dad scooted up and fell out! It all happened in slow motion with many people on shore watching. It was deemed "the funniest thing" by Samuel!
My parents brought along the fishing poles so the kids could practice casting. My dad put bobbers on both poles but no actual hook or bait. The idea was to give the kids practice without danger. I didn't think it would pass by Samuel but he seemed unphased by the fact he didn't have a hook or bait. He never really understood that he wasn't actually fishing! The kids were both enthralled with the fishing poles and spent a long time casting, reeling it in, casting, and reeling it in. Samuel actually let his stay in the water hoping some fish would bite (again oblivious to the fact there was no hook or bait!).
I have to say there is nothing like fishing under the shadow of halfdome.
Hiking
This year we managed to get a little hiking into the week. Everyone climbed to the bridge of Vernal Falls. While it is not a huge distance (1.5 miles) it is almost all straight up hill. Samuel and Oliver walked almost the entire way with very little complaining. When we reached the bridge we stopped and had a nice snack and enjoyed the view of the waterfalls. Kevin and Samuel continued up to the top of Vernal Falls. This is an impressive feat for Samuel. Vernal Falls includes the mist trail which is about 1 mile of big, rock steps all straight up. Samuel hiked the entire way and had the feel of victory at the top. He and Kevin continue a little further to see Nevada falls and then came back down. Samuel already is asking about climbing Half Dome...
The bears in Yosemite are known for invading campgrounds, getting into cars and generally causing havoc. The bears are tracked fairly closely to make sure campers and visitors are safe. Several nights we had rangers in our campsite "tracking" the bear. They kept telling us the bear was just on the edge of our campsite! A few nights we heard the bear horns not too far away but we never heard them outside our tent (like previous years).
The bear highlight was actually watching the bear cross in front of us. We were biking and the people in front of us motioned us to slow down and be quiet. The bear wandered across the path in front of us and then spent some time in the forest by the path before running out of site. Both kids saw the bear and were super excited! It all happened pretty fast and no photos were taken!
Woodhunting & chopping
Each day about noon we went hunting for wood that was left by campers who had checked out. Wood is really expensive so it is like finding money on the ground! The first hunt we found two large rounds which kept our fire going that night. The second hunt Kevin went on his own starting on his bike. He quickly came back for the car as he had located about a chord of wood! He brought back so much wood it kept us going all week. We had tons left over which we gave to other campers when we left!
As part of the wood gathering process, Kevin thought is would be a good idea to have our 3 and 5 year old split the wood with the axe. Seriously? Yes, he gave each of the boys an axe and taught they how to split wood.
Other highlights:
- Eating ice cream cones on really hot days
- Playing "bear" in the tent
- Putting the shade and screen up and down depending on the current bee situation
- Enjoying pizza on the Camp Curry patio
- Dipping in the pool and getting a shower (the only one in 7 days) at the Curry Village
- Lunch on the Awahnee patio overlooking the amazing hotel and the beauty of the valley
- Setting up the Playmobiles across the creek
- Being really dirty!
