“And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul”
―John Muir
Nothing can prepare you for the beauty and majesty of the granite cathedral rocks as you come out of the mountain tunnel and enter Yosemite National Park’s valley.
Just, two days ago we were enjoying Jazz Fest in NOLA (thank you Mom & Dad for your hospitality). Our favorites were David Bryne, Rod Stewart, Bonnie Raitt, Sonny Landreth, Big Freedia and too many to mention. A big thanks to the Marriott Grand Chateau in Vegas for letting us store our van whilst we made our side trip to Jazz Fest.
After picking up the Traveler Blues van in Vegas, we are back on the road for a Travato meet up in Yosemite North Pines campgrounds. We made our reservations on Dec. 15. Campsites in the park sell-out for the season on the first day. We were able to snag three nights, but three different locations/campsites. After each night, we had to move about 50 yards to a new site. Thankfully, being a small camper van, its easy for us to duck and move. So, let us say the first sentence of this blog again,
Nothing can prepare you for the beauty and majesty of the granite cathedral rocks as you come out of the mountain tunnel and enter Yosemite National Park’s valley.
Now we understand why the camp grounds get booked so quick.
Day 1: Yosemite Valley & Mirror Lake
If you’ve been reading our blog for a bit, you know we are always chasing sunsets when arriving at new locations, and Yosemite was no different. We entered the cathedral valley and the sun was late in the sky and everything was amazing. A photographer’s golden hour was about two-and-a-half hours long as we stopped for the sweeping vistas of the entire valley, then for Bridal Veil Falls, then for the swinging bridge, then our campsite to unload our bikes, and finally, after a bike ride, Mirror Lake. We were like kids in an amazing land where anything and everything was possible again, souls cleaned by nature a’la Muir.
Day 2: Top of Vernal Fall- only 600 granite steps to reach the top!
Our first night was hosted by a Travato Group bonfire which Douglas attended, but Lisa stayed out of the cold and enjoyed the warmth of our campervan’s propane heat. It, indeed was cold. It had snowed in parts of the park a day or two before. It was a blessing and the waterfalls were thundering.
The next morning, we did a hike to the top of Vernal Falls. It was about a 3 mile round trip with a 1000 foot elevation gain via the Mist Trail. We would highly advise anyone doing this trail to bring along a waterproof jacket/shell, because, as the trail is named, you will receive heavy mist if the Spring flow is strong. Once you reach the Falls, there are 600 granite steps to climb to reach the top.
Travato Meet-up & Potluck:
Our second night stay was capped with a potluck dinner for all the Travato brethren.
Campground Living: We didn’t see a bear this trip but Douglas saw a Coyote roaming our campsite. Can you spot him in one of these photos?
Day 3: Yosemite Falls and Glacier Point
On day three, we decided to do several smaller hikes that were close to the Visitor’s Center in the Valley. We did the Lower Yosemite Fall hike and then were on our way to Cook’s Meadow Loop hike when we got a little lost. We ran into a ranger walking on his way to work and he said he’d show us where the trailhead was. While we were walking with him, Lisa told him what we had done so far and asked if we had missed any must see sites. He told her that Glacier Point had just opened up last weekend, so we hopped in the van and drove an hour up the mountain to chase the sunset and get a 180 view of Half Dome, Yosemite Falls, Vernon Falls, and Nevada Falls.
One of the most famous vintage photos of Glacier Point taken in 1900 show two waitresses at the Yosemite Hotel dancing 3,200 feet over the valley at Overhanging Rock. This has been a must-see attraction on trips to Glacier Point ever since the first trails were built in the area in 1857. There is now a guard rail and warning signs posted preventing you from venturing out onto this rock but 2 guys jumped the rail when we were there and took selfies out on the rock…very scary!
Day 4: Bridal Veil Falls on our way out of the park
We just passed your van between Lufkin and Nacogdoches! So I looked you up and saw you live in Austin in a tiny house! My bf has always wanted a tiny house but we haven’t found a place to put one (we are in Austin too). He asks “where in the world did you find a place to put a tiny house in Austin??” Another fun fact, he just bought a Promaster 2500 so we can travel as well!