Winter in Yosemite - DEC 2014 #yosemite #nps

We don't see much snow in California, especially in Southern California. If you want to play in the snow, you have to go to it. So the boys and I packed up our snow clothes, threw the chains in the 4Runner and headed off to Yosemite. It took 4 ½ hours.

Wawona Hotel

 We got a room at the Wawona Hotel in the southern part of the park. The hotel was first built in 1876 in Victorian style. We stayed in the "index" built in 1918. Our room was small with a closet, double bed, twin bed, and they gave us a roll up bed. We had a small sink and mirror. Our restroom was outside in the hall. The showers were on the other side of the building. We ate dinner in the hotel's dining room. The hotel was decorated in lights, red bows, and had a tricked out gingerbread house. They had a cool yule log and a colorful Christmas tree.

The Wawona Christmas tree

The next day, after breakfast in the dining room, we donned our winter coats and went up to Badger Pass hoping to do some snow tubing, but it was closed so we made snowballs instead.

Making snowballs in Badge Pass

Next we trolled the valley floor. The Yosemite Falls were gushing. We had a picnic lunch at a site near the Awanhnee Hotel. The Awanhnee Hotel was decked out. They had at least three trees, one in the lobby, one near the he fireplace, and one in the winter room. They also had a sleigh near the entrance.

Joe in the Awanhnee sleigh

The fireplace at the Awanhnee

The Awanhnee lobby Christmas tree

Our next adventure was at the Curry Village ice rink. I got my "skating' legs back pretty easily. It was Joe's first time and he picked it up quickly. Then we went back to our hotel for a good night's sleep. The following day we hopped in the car and went home. Right now it's 46 degrees in Castaic and the weatherman says the snow level is dropping to 2000 feet. Time will tell if we get snow.  Heck, SoCal is due for a little snow.

On the ice rink 

Skating with the boys

Smiles

Steph

Enjoy this 99 Christmas romance:

FEAST OF CANDLES:

After tasting her wine, Drake travels from Denmark to California to meet winemaker Lily Marquand.  Will love bloom?

4 Stars, "A  delightful story!" Billie Houston, Amazon Reviewer.

5 Stars, "A wonderfully romantic story!" Angela Britnell, Amazon Reviewer.

5 Stars, " A highly enjoyable story!" Jaclyn Bi Bona, Amazon Reviewer.

Excerpt:

He escorted her to her car and paused near the door. Lily unlocked it with her remote and leaned over, placing her purse along with the folder in the passenger seat. When she stood back up, Drake was directly in front of her. He cupped her cheek, his hand warm and encouraging. "When can I see you again?"

Her abdomen ached for more as waves of desire washed over her. Lily craved closer contact, but she tried to think rationally. "I'm, ah, not sure of my schedule."

"Tomorrow?"

"Yes – tomorrow. Come to the winery after it closes."

His lips brushed against hers, then gently covered her mouth.

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Dems Bears in Those Woods #5 #yosemite #vacation

We wanted to get an early start on our last full day in Yosemite because its generally cooler in the morning, so we woke up early and stuffed the backpacks with water, food, and goodies before leaving Wawona around 8. We arrived at the valley floor around 9, parked, and hopped on the shuttle to take us to Mirror Lake.

Now, for me, the ambience of going to Mirror Lake is #1 it's a lake, #2 you see the reflection of Half Dome in the water. We were dropped off at the stop and decided to take the dirt foot path up the 1 mile hike. Mules also use the dirt path so my 6-year-old was totally grossed out. Mind you, at 6, boys have a bad habit of being a little gross themselves…

Mirror Lake

When we arrived, we discovered a trickle of a lake. The area was becoming "reclaimed," and in the process of becoming a stream. The boys took off their shoes and walked through the water, having a blast. Eventually, my husband and I crossed over. Down by the dam, plenty of people were out sunning and playing in the water. We found some shade and pulled out our lunches. A squirrel found us and watched us through narrow, intense eyes. I don't know if he expected a crumb or two, but the rangers told us not to feed the wild life so we didn't.

Hiking back from Mirror Lake

We hiked back on the road and made our way back to Yosemite Village. I raised my hand and Ranger Elsa signed me in as a Jr. Ranger. Heck, I figured if Andrew could do it, so could I.

I'm a Jr. Ranger!

When we returned to the valley floor, we headed over to Yosemite Falls.  The hike was about 3/4 miles and pretty flat - easy for Joe to do.  The falls is rather high up, but this time of the year, in Summer, it's a bit of a trickle.  A lot of people were down at the base of the falls so it was kind of crowded.  My husband got some great black and white shots.

Lower Yosemite Falls 

Then it was time for the most important adventure of the trip – Souvenir Hunting! We hit up the big store in the village. It had everything – food, beer, postcards, and clothes. I found a comfy burgundy sweatshirt to wear and Andrew found a happy face bottle that said 'Yosemite.' Joe got a red Yosemite baseball cap.

Our backpacks now stuffed to the max with souvenirs, we drove back to Wawona and fixed up tacos for dinner. Andrew and I went to Campfire with a Ranger. Our ranger played a little guitar for us. We sang "This land is Our Land" and even learned what a raven sounds like.

When Saturday morning rolled around it was time to go. My air mattress was practically flat after five days! We cooked up breakfast with bacon and camp toast and everyone chipped in to tear down our campsite. The journey home back to Castaic took about 3 ½ hours.

There are things I wish I could have done like go to Glacier Point and look at the stars. I love astronomy and the skies are so clear up in Yosemite, it was music to my soul. I wish I could have seen the blacksmith in Wawona and a couple more waterfalls. I can honestly say I'm looking forward to going back this October to see what the park looks like in the fall.

The best part of Yosemite was just spending time with my family, learning about the park, and sharing my love of the outdoors with my boys. Oh, and it's features, the valleys, rivers, and granite reminded me of growing up in New Hampshire.

How many of you have visited Yosemite? What's your "take away?" For those who haven't been, what time of the year would you want to go and why?

Thanks for hiking with me.

Smiles

Steph

Dems Bears in Those Woods Part 4 #yosemite #summervacation

Giant Sequoia in the Mariposa Grove

Our next to the last day in Yosemite found us exploring Wawona and the Mariposa Grove. Mind you, Yosemite is huge and this area of the park is in the very southern end. The wildfire, which entered the area, is in the northwestern part of the park near Hetch Hetchy, close to 40-50 miles away from Wawona and approx. 30 miles away from the Valley floor. In the 1900's, the Tuolumne River was damned up to create a reservoir. This reservoir, Hetch Hetchy, provides the water and electricity for San Francisco. It's hard to fight fires in this area so I hope all goes well.

Our touring tram 

We left our campsite early, at 8, to get parking at the Mariposa Grove and signed up for the 1^st tram tour leaving at 9:30. The giant sequoias in the area are some of the biggest and oldest.  The Grizzly Giant, a gnarled, old, tall tree, is close to 2,000 years old. Some giant sequoias have fused together and some have been spilt at the base. One has been cut through the trunk so a horse and buggy could drive through. Surprisingly, this doesn't kill the tree. The sequoias have a reddish tannin that runs through it providing nutrients to every part regardless of the damage the trees receive. The trees in the grove stood as a proud testament of time. Just imagine – the Grizzly Giant was a seedling during the height of Rome. It's enough to give one shivers.  We saw some seedlings during the tour, near a cabin. They were as tall as the cabin, a bit slender, and were only 20 years old.

Baby Sequoias

 After visiting the Grove, we traveled to the Wawona Hotel. It's an old style hotel, Victorian in appearance. It was built to service the travelers coming to visit the sequoias. Teddy Roosevelt paid a visit to the hotel when he was president. There are rooms with baths and some without – you have to walk down the hall to use a community bathroom. At the Visitor's Center, the boys turned in their Junior Ranger books and raised their hands promising to do their best as Yosemite Jr. Rangers. We also toured the Thomas Hill studios.  Hill was a famous painter who did "The Last Spike," showing the last spike of the transcontinental railroad being driven in.

Wawona Hotel 

We ate lunch at the Wawona Hotel and I had turkey burger with a chili pepper, not my usual fare, but very tasty. (and pricey)

Being Yosemite Jr. Rangers

After lunch, we toured the pioneer village. There was a covered bridge, blacksmith shop, horse/mule stables, and even a jail. The village captured an authentic feel of the turn of the century in Yosemite.

At the Pioneer Village 

That afternoon we all took a dip in the Merced at our campsite. My DH cooked up a Dutch oven treat. Andrew and I visited "Campfire with a Ranger." It was a very relaxed day, but we learned a lot, especially about the sequoias.

In the Merced

So I gotta' ask – who's cooked in a Dutch oven camping style before? What's your favorite thing to cook up in a Dutch oven? 

Dems Bears in Those Woods - Part 3 #yosemite #vacation

3 Brothers Granite Rock Formation

Yosemite Valley gets busy pretty quickly so my husband and I decided to get an early start to the day on Wednesday. We left Wawona around 8 and arrived in time to take an early morning tram tour out of Yosemite Lodge.

The pro side of the tram tour: I saw a lot of neat places and learned a lot about Yosemite. The con? Even though the heat was in the 80's, there was no cover so it got hot fast.

We traveled past the Merced and saw a ton of people sunning, swimming, and even tube rafting.

The Merced

El Captian is one of the world's largest granite rock faces in the world. It's incredibly steep. To my surprise, a lot of people rock climb up the steep façade. Those are some daredevils! We drove past the different campgrounds, Curry Village, upper and lower pines and checked out the Awanhnee Hotel – lots of early 1900's Americana decked out the main areas, but it's $499.00 a night. I could never afford it.

El Captian

We ate lunch at the Yosemite Lodge grill and out of all the places we tried, it was my favorite. They offered a nice variety. It was still pricey though.

That evening, back in Wawona, Andrew and I went to Campfire with a Ranger. The topic was: "What is Camping?" Does camping allow for DS/IPhones/IPads? Should camping offer shower facitities? Tents? Food? Just what is the attraction for people to go camping? We all pretty much decided camping involved a desire to be outdoors and to enjoy nature, but we differed on the extent.

At the Ahwanhnee Hotel

So I have to ask – what is camping for you? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Smiles

Steph

Dems Bears in Those Woods #2 (My vacation in Yosemite) #yosemite #vacation

My Inner Girl, Half-Dome, and a ton of Granite

Our first day at Yosemite proved exciting. We were in a "loop" (at Wawona) and every spot was taken. Our fellow campers crawled out of their tents between 6:30-7 am. Okay, it was early. My Inner Girl dragged me to the restroom where I brushed my teeth and popped in my contacts. There was no soap or anything to dry your hands in the potty. Thank goodness the toilet paper was provided. Drip dry is not my thing.

My DH cooked up breakfast and then we were off. Our destination: the Valley Floor. The road felt long. It had a lot of curves and kept going up. I learned that Dramine was my husband's best friend. When he got to the top, we drove through a tunnel and exited to the most gorgeous view in the world – El Captian, Half Dome, and the 3 Brothers granite rock formations. Of course my husband parked the truck and we took a million pictures. (That view is on my California Yosemite license plate.)

After our photo op, we drove down to the Valley Floor and found Bridelveil Falls. Eager to hike, we poured out of the truck, took more pictures and raced off to the trail. The falls itself seemed but a trickle; it was a thin stream of water. There were no rushing cascades of H20, no spray, no loud noises, no "Ansel Adams" vibrant photo opportunities, just a slow, small steady stream of water – and a ton of people.

The Inner Girl felt a little overwhelmed. In my 20's, a crowd of people never bothered me. Now in my 40's, I can't help but feel a little nervous.

In my Ranger book, I listed Bridelveil Falls as my special place in Yosemite. What impressed me the most was how a lot of natural elements came together – water, granite rocks, trees, birds, the sun. I've always felt a deep spirituality in nature and this spot embodied that for me. My son, Andrew, has an Ansel Adams 4x6 of Bridelveil, but my goal is to order a poster for the house, to remind me of the spirituality the spot invokes.

After visiting Bridelveil, we parked in the Valley day lot and set out exploring. After hopping a bus or two, the family found the Valley Visitor Center. I took a picture with the AAA Westways Magazine. (Now, I just have to find the time to email it in.) I discovered glaciers formed Yosemite. (like much of my childhood home, New Hampshire, was.) We got our bearing, ate lunch at Denigan's Café, and bused it over the Yosemite Lodge for tram tickets.

Before leaving, we found the Ansel Adams Gallery. My Inner Girl died and went to Black and White Heaven. What I love about Adams is his ability to capture the beauty of Yosemite with black and white photography. My favorite photo of his is "Moon Over Half Dome." During my time in Yosemite, I learned that it's such a dynamic place to take pictures, and black and white photography works better than color prints. There are a lot of shadows in Yosemite due to the stark, granite terrain, steep elevations, and old, majestic trees. Black and white captures the shadows much better than color.  

Our trip back to Wawona was uneventful. My DH broke out the Dutch oven and he cooked up a pork rib, BBQ sauce meal with carrots and celery. Joe wrote in his journal. I helped the boys with their Ranger books. Soon, nighttime was upon us.

Before I depart, I wanted to touch a little bit on Half Dome. The view from the tunnel makes it appear that at one point it was more rounded and an "event" occurred that broke it in half. This is not the case. Half Dome formed naturally it its appearance. To hike up to Half Dome, you need a permit. Maybe if I was younger I'd be up to the challenge, but nowadays, I'll have to pass.

Next: My Inner Girl takes a tram ride with the boys.

Question: What kind of souvenir would like to receive from Yosemite?

Dem's Bears in Those Woods Part One #yosemite #vacation

My Adventures as a Yosemite Jr. Ranger

Growing up in New Hampshire, one of my favorite day trips was to visit Bear Brook State park. Outdoors and wooded, you could fish, swim, hike, and explore. I always had a fun just being outdoors. So for me, at a young age, the "outdoors" was embedded in my bones.

 

Bear Brook, NH

When my husband told me we were going to Yosemite this year, my inner girl got excited and packed my backpack that day.

Let me tell you, getting our spot (#59 in Wawona) was a trek in the wilderness. My husband had his computer, my computer, and his iPad doing the campsite lottery until we got lucky. Oh – Wawona is not on the valley floor so it was about a 45 minute trip into the Yosemite Valley. We didn't mind. We were in. Life was good.

We bought a shade and measured our coolers to make sure they fit into the bear box.

Yep. There's bears in dems woods. The only way to keep your food and toiletries safe is to keep 'em in bear box.

Sadly, there are a couple of "speeding kills bears" around the park where cars have struck bears. The speed limit in Yosemite is low, but it helps keeps them safe. In my ranger book, I learned to: never feed the bears, lock your bear box, don't leave food in your car and throw out your trash. Yes, my inner girl teamed up with my son, Andrew, and we got our Jr. Ranger badges.

Our trip to the park was uneventful. We went to Fresno, changed highways and traveled north until we found the Ponderosa Pines and Granite rocks of Yosemite. It was 20 bucks for a 7 day stay. We entered from the south. Our campsite, Wawona, wasn't far off, but it was busy. Our spot wasn't that far from the river. We pitched our tent, settled in, and visited the general store for some firewood and beer. Next to the general store is a gas station. Needless to say, one look at the price was enough to give me a heart attack.

We settled in after cooking up some grub and visited the outdoor amphitheatre for "Campfire with a Ranger." My inner girl had to go every night, if only to learn something new about the park.

Believe it or not, I didn't see one even after all my prep work. My inner girl didn't mind. I had plenty of adventures without encountering the bears.

Half Dome

On a serious note, I've always been a nature girl and I've always been thankful for growing up in New Hampshire, a mostly rural state. I was always at home swimming in a lake, hiking at Bear Brook, playing on the sand at Hampton Beach, and exploring the quarry near my junior high school. New Hampshire is known as the Granite State and everywhere you turn, you can find it. My grandmother had a big out-of- place granite rock just past her house left over from the ice age.  There's beauty in a rugged landscape that sings a song to the heart which one never forgets and when I went to Yosemite, my inner girl heard that song she hadn't heard in years and it reminded me of those things in life that's special – it's not the things you can buy, but the things that you can hold in your heart.

Next: My inner girl and the boys find Half Dome.

DID YOU KNOW?

Abraham Lincoln signed a grant in 1864 preserving the land in Yosemite that is now the Mariposa Grove and Yosemite Valley.

The National park Service was established in 1916 to protect parks like Yosemite.

Glaciers were responsible for forming Yosemite thousands of years ago.

Yosemite averages over 3.5 million visitors a year.

In 1890, Yosemite became a National Park.

Author Bio: Stephanie Burkhart is a 911 dispatcher for LAPD. Her latest contemporary romance is "Gifts." Can Famke and Chris make their country's Olympic team despite their challenges?

Reviews:

"A joy to read." 5 Stars, Joy Cagil, Amazon Reviewer. 

BUY LINK:http://amzn.com/B00DPV86E8

California Saturday - Yosemite National Park

A Photo by Ansel Adams, taken in Yosemite.

I've never been to Yosemite, nor has my husband, but it’s a goal of his to take the family camping there as soon as our youngest, Joe, now three, is old enough.

Not quite understanding his passion, but accepting it, I decided to scour the Internet for interesting tidbits about the park to share. I have to admit, I found some gorgeous pictures.

Oh – silly me. For the longest time, and I don't know why – I used to confuse Yosemite with Yellowstone. I guess it's because I'm not native and I thought the "Y's" were interchangeable? Trust me, my DH has set me straight.

Yosemite is a national park in East Central California, kinda' below Lake Tahoe. It's over 760,000 acres and reaches the western slope of the Sierra Nevada mountains. The park includes granite cliffs, waterfalls, low valleys, and giant sequoia groves. I'm interested in the giant sequoias myself. There are three groves, the Mariposa, Tuolume, and Merced. The oldest standing sequoia is thought to be over 1800 years old.


HISTORY

Before the California gold rush, the Paiute and Sierra Miwok Indians lived there. Then the Gold Rush hit, bringing in a lot of White people to the area. Eventually, the Indians were resettled. (That's the nice way of saying that the Whites forcefully moved them to reservations near Fresno. Personally, I find that chapter of American history appalling, and I have a deep respect for the Native American Indians here in America.)

TIDBIT: The famous photographer, Ansel Adams visited Yosemite.

REALLY COOL TIDBIT: The Wawona Tree was a giant sequoia over 227 feet tall and 90 feet round! It was believed to have been over 2,300 years old. Unfortunately, it fell in 1969 under a heavy snowfall.


President Abraham Lincoln signed a bill on June 30, 1864, allowing for Yosemite park land to be preserved so the public could visit and it was to be managed by the state of California. The park, during this time, came under the protection of the 4th Cavalry Regiment, US Army.

President Theodore Roosevelt visited the park in May 1903. In 1906, he passed a law allowing the Federal Government to take over the park's management from California. It's probably a good thing, but for the last ten years, California can barely manage it's own government.

COOL NOTE: Yosemite was formed by glaciers. Glaciers are responsible for dramatic landscapes, tall mountains, and deep lakes.

Yosemite is opened year round, but much of the park is closed from late autumn to late spring due to snow. I can't wait to go!