Yosemite Part 6 - El Capitan

After our hike at Hetch Hetchy (though easy) we were not ready to head home but didn't want to do anything strenuous. It was a really hot day after all. So we decided to drive into the park and just hang out at El Cap Meadow and see if we could spot any climbers on El Capitan. I could see us lounging in the soft grass, speculating on whether we were looking at climbers, abandoned gear left hanging off a rock, or just a spot that was a different color than the rest. We'd munch on dried fruit and hope a bear didn't happen past. They do like to hang out in the meadows too.

But instead we spent most of the night walking. On a road.

We parked at Bridalveil Falls knowing that El Cap was right across the river. Of course we had to hike a bit because we had to find a bridge to cross the river. John and I were in flip flops because we are idiots. Always be prepared. Even if you put on your flip flops for a short stroll across the river, bring the glorious feet-keepers that are hiking boots. You will need them when 1 mile turns into 5.

Turns out the trail was much longer that we thought. We had to go past El Cap, all the way around the backside. And then once we crossed the river we should have followed the road to the meadow. But we went into the woods some. Still, we had some great views of El Cap (including the heart on the surface and a waterfall right next to the rock) and DID make it to the meadow eventually.

Once at the meadow we were simply amazed at how tall El Cap really is. And how small the climbers look from the bottom. Seriously...ANTS! The boys were good at spotting people on the rock and we used our cameras to zoom in and confirm. Mostly the looked like ants, or just black spots on the rock. Binoculars would have been nice.

We also watched this little guy push pile after pile of dirt out of his hole.

Then we had to find the car again. We decided the way we took was too long so we'd go down the road to the other bridge. Big mistake. Took forever. But I managed to get some nice shots of Bridalveil Falls from the long road trip. Then once we crossed the bridge we weren't too far from the car. But John and I were tired of walking on the road so we took a little trail than ran alongside the road. Full. Of. Mud. And we had to take a short meadow stroll back to the road to get to the car. Swamp! My legs were a little dirty. So while we ended up with waaay more miles than we wanted it was a grand adventure. And I'm glad it happened.

Oh, we also passed this cool spot:

Sweet Caroline

I love how something as simple as a few hours with a baby can make life good again. I've been wanting to post about a few things that have been bugging me but have not been able to find the right words. And really, life is great right now, so I don't want to complain. I'd rather fill the blog with my happiness and not focus on the negative. So even though those things are still on my mind, yesterday I didn't think of any of it.

John came down Sat night after I'd been home in bed all Friday night and Saturday morning fighting a cold (seriously...airplanes are evil germ chambers). As long as I took massive amounts of day-quil you could barely tell I was sick so we stuck with the plan of going to his parents' for the day.

Of course John's parents were happy to see me again. His mom was very grateful that I brought vacation pictures. But as much as I love them all, seeing Caroline made the day that much more amazing.

When we arrived she went straight to John and begged to be thrown in the air.

When she decided I was safe she pointed out all the "pink and yellow" jewels on my shirt (which were pink and gold but those are also just really the main colors she calls everything) and then shouted "cute!" The 2 year old thinks I have good style.

I thought she was really smart when she gave me a play-doh stamp of the number 8 and said "Eight!" But apparently she thinks all numbers are "eight" right now.

We made play-doh snakes that she insisted have eyes (which kept falling off) and would then attack each other with them.

John kept pretending to eat the play-doh pancakes so every time he picked up a piece she would say "eww, yuck" and give him a "you crazy fool" look.

Her favorite TV show is Scooby Doo and she says all the characters' names in one long breath "ScoobyShaggyThemaFredDaphneScooby...."

When I handed her back to "Nana" when John and I were trying to leave she started crying and reached back for me and then for John, then back to me, and finally back to Nana. Poor girl did not want to say goodbye.