Yosemite Part 3 - Giant Sequoias

I ran into a serious dilemma when we tried to go see the Giant Sequoias at Mariposa Grove. After our waterfall hike I wasn't exhausted (it was pretty short) but I also wasn't ready for a 6 mile hike. And due to the time of day, we wouldn't have finished that much even if I had been all fired up to do it. Physically I could have done 6 miles but I didn't want to push myself on day 1 and be tired the next day. So we had planned to take the tram through the famous trees and then hike at the top of the grove. But when we got there and found out it would be over $30 to take the tram/tour? No way in hell.

And hence my dilemma.

See, I'm all for large costs for such things in that 1) A high price may keep some people away, thus lessening crowds and making nature experiences much better and 2) The money goes to the park's preservation. How can I be unhappy about paying for keeping the park maintained when I want to enjoy it and have others in the future enjoy it? While the money would have been well used I could not make myself pay even more money for something that was merely a convenience. I had 2 working legs and could see the Sequoias without paying for the tram.

So then I was all fired up and suggesting that the tram not exist at all. Truly if it had never existed I would have simply done as much of the grove hike as I could before sunset and been quite happy with whatever I saw. Instead I was a little upset that I couldn't just drive up to my desired trailhead. There are no roads to the upper groves and thus you can either hike or take the tram. I got angry with myself over wanting a free gold cart ride to the upper groves. Again, I had 2 legs and would use them as far as they would take me. So why was I being such an annoying lazy bum? Hated myself!

Of course what ended up happening was that we hiked as much as we physically could before sunset and saw an amazing amount of trees. Tram free! And I'm so happy about that. And therefore I can say I really do wish there was no tram at all through the groves.

Yosemite is overcrowded. If you take away conveniences such as this tram you will have less people in the park. Then those of us who want to enjoy the natural world can do it peacefully. This trail is easy for the first mile or 2 so it will be crowded but at least you won't have the added convenience of riding through the grove which adds a lot of people!

But yes, a small part of me still wanted a convenient way to get to the upper groves. Even if I had to drive myself. Which is really annoying as I love when there aren't a ton of roads through parks. Makes them more natural. Obviously I am very conflicted on this.

*You will here much more ranting about how convenient and thus overcrowded Yosemite is in future posts.

Anyway, we did hike about 4 miles (I think) and saw quite a few of the famous tress and some others that are probably jealous of all the attention the others get. We found giant pinecones and a deer who was in an abusive domestic situation (but was not a bear). We climbed on a fallen tree and on some rocks. We got back to our car and the sun was setting. Thus began a long dark drive back to our campsite where we ate clif bars and passed out.

Yosemite Part 2 - Red Rocks and Corlieu Falls

This post will be mostly pictures as I'm tired and I don't have a ton to say about this hike. But I'll post more over the weekend.

We initially decided on a fairly short hike for the day so we could do any other random explorations afterwards. Then we realized the Giant Sequoias were very close to that hike so we decided to do both. But those trees deserve a post all their own.

To avoid traffic in the Valley we went a bit south and took a longer route to the hike. Except it probably took us less time than the Valley. Traffic in a National Park is kind of annoying! Anyway, we were in lower mountains for awhile and John had to stop to take in the view. Sometimes being the driver sucks.

When we got to the trailhead we got all prepared to fight mountain lions and possibly bears. I ran off into the woods to pee and John had to distract and old couple who couldn't find where the trail started and were headed my way. Thanks dear!

Anyway, the trail was woodsy and along the water. We were on our way first to Red Rock Falls. Then we would backtrack slightly and head down another trail to Corlieu Falls. The Red Rocks trail was very easy but had some good sites. We saw some backcountry campsites that would have been pretty nice. At the top of the falls we found a nice roofless rock cave and jokes were made about fooling around there. We ate cherries and learned I do not spit like a man.

On the way from Red Rocks Falls to Corlieu Falls we had a display on manliness that involved breaking large pieces of wood into smaller pieces. Jumping on the wood was one tactic. You really had to be there.

The Corlieu Falls were much more impressive. And required a steep downhill, which meant a fun climb back to the top! Once at the bottom we found a cool tree, ate peaches and clif bars, and sat under the cool breeze.

Yosemite Part 1

Ok I still haven't gotten a good night's sleep. I think it's a combination of being on West Coast time, wanting to hear from the mountain man, and general antsy feelings - wanting to be back hiking not stuck at a desk. But I figured I should at least start a little vacation talk, since it will take awhile!

Day 1 meant waking up at 3:30 am to get to the airport for our flight. When we tried to check in I didn't show up on the reservation. We could not get anyone's attention to fix the problem and both John and I got grumpy. Mostly due to lack of sleep I'm sure. Once it was resolved the whole trip to California was uneventful. But once there we had to wait in line forever to get our rental car. Then we got on the road.

It's about a 4 hour drive from San Fransisco to Yosemite, but we stopped for food, fire starting materials first. And we went to our campsite (25 miles from the park entrance) to set of camp before heading into the park.

Windmills not far outside San Fransisco.

Driving through the low mountains.

Man-made lake in the foothills.

Driving higher.

Meadow drive-by shot, actually inside the park.

When you first go through the entrance to Yosemite there's just a lot of wilderness. Then you go through a tunnel and suddenly you're hit with amazingness. I was awe-struck. I teared up a bit because of how beautiful it was and how happy I was being there experiencing it with John. Seeing the high cliffs and waterfalls with him for those first few moments was simply perfect. And we hadn't actually gotten to the famous Yosemite Valley yet.

*The pictures just don't do it justice but they'll do.

Once I had taken it all in we continued our drive to the Valley. I continued to be amazed by the abundance of waterfalls and the height of the rocks. Of course we weren't just sightseeing. We had to find John's rock climbing partner, Kevin. The problem with boys making arrangements is the plan was "meet at the pizza place sometime after 5." Well it was way after 5 because of all the delays in rental car pickup, stops on the drive, and us setting up camp - all things I would have anticipated when estimating a timeline. And no one had cell service. Well first we had to find this pizza place - and I must say I'm not to thrilled about all the stores that exist in the park. Anyway, Kevin wasn't there but we did miraculously find him close by. He'd actually just been on the patio as planned but ran inside for a coffee. So we picked up the guy and headed back to camp. Stopped at a different pizza place for dinner and went to bed. A day full of amazing sites but I'd been up since 3:30am EST and it was about 10/11 in CA. And there was much more to come!

Patience Please

I promise I will blog in detail about my trip to Yosemite. But first I need a good night's sleep, no family drama, and a chance to regroup. My flight was delayed and I didn't get home until 4:30 Monday morning. Life hasn't been the same since. And I'm seriously missing John because I am apparently emotional.

I managed to upload 100 out of 300 pics to Facebook but that's mostly because work was slow. So for now I will just say the trip was fabulous. And I will leave you with cuteness:

Vacation is...so...close...

2 more work days and I will be in Yosemite!!!

Stole this pic from a friend of a friend. It made me giddy.

I can't wait

to not have roommates.

Living with John had it's annoying days (he had this thing with banana peels) but for the most part we shared household chores and life was good. The roommates, not so much. I feel like I do everything around here.

I've taken the garbage out the last 3 weeks. Well no, I didn't do it this week because I was sick. So it didn't go out at all.
I've mowed the grass the last 2 times. It's now crazy long but I refuse to do it.
I tend to be the only one who realizes the floors need to be mopped.

I am seriously about to start a chore chart like you do with children.

But really, what's driving me crazy right now is the one guy's girlfriend. I tried to be understanding for awhile because John does stay here at least one night most weekends. We were rotating VA/MD weekends but now kind of go with where activities are so he's been here more often. So it seems hypocritical to complain about his girlfriend staying over. But seriously, I signed up for 1 new roommate, not 2. There has not been one day that Andy's been here that the girlfriend has not been. They try to make this ok by him going to stay at her place a few nights a week. So I either have 3 roommates (3 real, 1 girlfriend) or just one (Gabe). I really just think that if they spend literally every night together, why'd the guy move in here? They should have gotten their own place. I want to not be so aggravated, as they are both nice people, but the house is just feeling very crowded.

And what really got me was yesterday. I stayed home from work to recuperate. I woke up at some point and heard noises from the other room. Both roommates should have been at work. I checked, both cars were gone. I later realize the girlfriend has slept over Monday night and just stayed here all freakin day long. (and then slept over Tues night as well and is here now after a brief exist for work)

Is it wrong to be upset when they do spent 3/4 nights a week at her place? Will I ever see Andy alone? Is Gabe as annoyed about this as me? Does he also hate that John visits so often? Will either of them learn to do a chore other than dishes? (they seem ok with that, mainly so they can cook the next day I think)

End Rant.

Coming back to life

So Saturday started out pretty great. After some errands John and I went to Old Town for lunch then just sat outside in the grass by the water. We did some talking and some reading and had to hide under a tree from the rain for a few minutes. It was all so peaceful and beautiful. We cooked a wonderful dinner together that night.

Then I was all sick. And not from too much Indian food as I first thought. At 3:30 am we went to the ER. Ruptured ovarian cyst (again!) and kidney infection (yes, again) at the same time! No wonder there were multiple areas of stabby feelings. Been 3 years since the other cyst so my doc figured it was a fluke. We'll see what they say at my follow-up.

So I've been in bed on Vicodin pretty much since then. Oh John did help me hobble to a watering hole and found a pretty rock. Not the smartest thing I have ever done but I really needed to get out of the house. I went into work today (after skipping yesterday) because I was feeling better (still in some pain but it was tolerable) and I had a proposal to do. I felt bad that I had to pawn of yesterdays, didn't want them to cover 2 if it wasn't necessary. Well the proposal wasn't ready for edit so I left early. Probably a good thing b/c I was achy and it was good to just rest this afternoon. Even if I never did fall asleep like I wanted.

Vacation is coming up so I'm glad this happened now and not while I am in the woods. Still, I would like to be back to my regular energy level and be totally pain free.

Scott's Run

Yesterday John and I wanted to go out to Great Falls, have a nice hike, and then just chill outside and do some vacation planning. Of course everyone else had the same idea and the road to the park was at a standstill. So we turned around and luckily found a short trail nearby.

Scott's Run was not a great trail but we went off the path and wandered closer along the stream. We crossed the water over rocks and eventually did some fun rock scrambling. Then we were at the river! I nearly stepped on a copperhead, which was super scary. Wasn't sure what it was at first, just that it was a snake very close to my foot and it looked like something I did not want to be around. I screamed and jumped away to where John was standing. The snake flew across the water and under a rock. It was more scared than me, thank goodness! John got a better look at the thing as I was trying to get the fuck away. But after some googling we are both pretty certain it was a copperhead. First snake on the trail in a long time! Obviously everyone just wanted to sun themselves on some rocks yesterday. Perfect day for it. Later we saw a frog, which was much more welcome. Once we got to the river itself we sat on a high rock for awhile before heading back to the car. Not the day we expected, but it was a pretty nice hike, minus the snakes.

Garden

I love having a garden. I wish this was my own house so I could dig up the entire yard and just have plants. I miss the beautiful garden John and I built. But alas, this is what I have right now in my life. Potted plants. Yet they are still wonderful and I will have food and herbs...just not as much as I would like.

I have 2 herbs that I don't know what they are. Lost the tags...I am so bad about labeling my seeds. But most thing I remember what I planted and once they're big enough you can identify it. I have lavender which has been slow but is started to get to a size I consider "alive". Other herbs include cilantro, basil, and oregano. Then there's the craziest plant...catnip. It's seriously going to take over the world. I only planted it because it came in a seed kit and I wanted the other 2 herbs. Now I don't have any clue what to do with it. I'm kind of worried we're going to end up with a population of stray cats in the backyard and they're going to be all crazy and we won't be able to get rid of them.

I also have strawberries, salad greens, spinach, and tomatoes. The strawberries are still green but I should have some edibles soon. I made a smoothie with my spinach (plus kiwi, pineapple, mango, and banana)and will probably be having an awesome salad tonight. It's still early to actually have tomatoes but the plants are doing well so produce is not far away.

I love it!