John's Yosemite Pictures

John got to stay in Yosemite for another 2 weeks. He rock climbed, went to the top of Half Dome (terrifying, he admits), and did a 4 (5?) day backcountry hike. Not as crazy about photos as I, but he had some good ones.

San Fransisco

Sadly, the Yosemite trip had to end. After getting up before the sun to secure John and Kevin camping spots at the first-come first-served Yosemite campground, we were off to San Fransisco. I had to have the whirlwind tour.

1) We ate at a sketchy place in Chinatown for $4 and were too scared to ask for more so we found another place which was supposedly Chinese but had Japanese game shows on the TV. I swear a guy won by eating some kind of sketchy sushi.

2) Went to Coit Tower and had a nice foggy view of Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge. Really, if John hadn't known the layout of the city I wouldn't have been able to tell what anything was. It was soo foggy. And windy. Crazy hill walking is made even crazier when the wind is pushing you back down!

3)Saw the famous sea lions at Pier 39, as the sun was setting. I think I could have stayed and watch them for a lot longer if it hadn't gotten dark so quickly.

4) Ate a chocolate pecan concoction from a ghirardelli shop.

5) Smelled awesome sourdough bread at some famous bakery but did not get any because it was crazy crowded. (I bought some at the airport though!)

6) Rode the street car back to our hostel.

7) Ended up in the ghetto the next day while trying to find REI. One would think it would be in the shopping district where the North Face is, but no. It's in the ghetto. We turned around before finding it, but it's there somewhere. Every homeless person in San Fransisco is mentally unstable. In Baltimore thugs will shoot you for crack, but in SF they'll stab you because they think you're Elvis.

So, I covered the basic SF stuff. I wish I had more time, but it was cool. Except the ghetto part.

Leaving John at the airport was crazy sad. I think he even teared up for a split second. My flight home sucked as I got stuck in Denver due to a thunderstorm and didn't get home until like 4am.

Yosemite Part 10 - Glacier Point and Sentinel Dome

Friday was my last official day in Yosemite. Though we would spend some time there Saturday there wasn't much time for fun before John and I were going to head down to San Fransisco. So, Friday I was ready for a ton of fun. But we could only cram in so much.

We drove up to Glacier Point because it's known for it's amazing views. And there were a few short trails that we could take from there. Of course my leg was bothering me so we only hiked to Sentinel Dome. Then the boys took another short hike while I waited in the car. Stabbing pain in your thigh is bad. I was really angry at my leg for whimping out on my last day to hike. But the views we had on what little trail I could manage was really nothing to complain about.

Glacier Point:

Nevada Falls from Glacier Point. We were at the top of the falls the day before. Seems so far away.

The snowy mountains that made it impossible to get to the hot springs I so wanted to visit.

Half Dome from the base of Sentinel Dome.

Yosemite Falls from the base of Sentinel Dome

And finally, El Capitan from the base of Sentinel Dome

The boys climbed up to the top of the dome...my stupid leg was wobbly so I didn't trust myself on the snow.

It was really windy at the top of Sentinel Dome. We're seriously about to be blown away.

Going with the flow

Some recent events made John and I realize that we needed to sit and really talk about some things. I needed some reassurance that we were on the same page, or at least could compromise about certain things. The resulting conversation was amazing. It wasn't hard or awkward like it might have been a year ago. No you don't get details. There's still a lot to figure out but this was a good first step. Yay!

Of course, since Sunday I've been completely overwhelmed. The conversation made me think way too much about life. I've been trying not to over-think things so much. I need to let go and just let life happen. I need to trust that things will fall into place. After all, it's worked out pretty well so far.

I feel like I'm trying too hard to plan my life and I don't know why. What happened to the freedom of just going with the flow and letting life happen? When did I change? There has to be a balance between planning and letting fate take control. It's great to have goals for your life, but you can't schedule them in. ("in 5 years we'll a kid and another 3 years later"...doesn't always work that way!) Of course you have to plan sometimes. You need to save money for a long vacation and reserve a place to stay. But other things need to just fall into place. I'm doing better with this today but for some reason it's been a struggle lately.

Still Not Engaged, Right?

Grandma: This is your grandma being very very nosy in asking if there are any plans (wedding) in the future.

2 hours later...

J: So...I'm your spouse, right?

M: Uhh...sure? I mean...what?

J: I need your USAA mortgage rates. So I'm going to need to be your spouse.

M: Worst! Proposal! Ever!

Coworker: Proposal?!

To clarify, no, I'm not engaged.

Yosemite Part 9 - The Mist Trail (Nevada Falls)

This continues our journey on the mist trail. When I last left you, I was on top of Vernal Falls. It had been a cold, wet journey but I was now warm and had a full belly. Hike on soldier!

The trail from Vernal Falls to Nevada Falls is hard. There were many spots where you have to hike rock stairs and the constant stair stepping is rough on my legs. You would think that after hiking a lot my muscles would get more used to stairs, but they never do. I need stair training! And on this trail there's so much that's out in the hot sun. The heat just pounds down on the open rock surface. It's only 1.3 miles (or somewhere around there) but it felt longer. Of course I do love pushing myself like this.

Only this time I had to try not to feel weak. John never makes me feel bad for not being as strong or fast as him. I hike at my own pace because, while I enjoy the workout, I do want to enjoy my hiking. John tends to appreciate going at my pace so he can actually enjoy it too. He's said he may rush through certain parts if it weren't for me, and miss out. Well John's friend Kevin was with us and this guy has his own agenda. He was far ahead of us many times. And I felt like crap for not being able to keep up. Which is completely stupid. I'm not in terrible shape. I'm just not him. Not everyone has the same pace. But it's just one of those things. Hiking with someone who doesn't know you or doesn't really care is so much different.

Anyway...there's not much else to say about the hike to Nevada Falls. There's a spot on the way where you can see the falls and we got a little misted. But nothing near the power of Vernal Falls. From there, hot rock steps. And then...awesomeness!