theDIBB - Four Moretons Go West EASTER 2018

Day 3 - Tuesday 27th March – Yosemite

Once again, we were all up at 5am, but I honestly didn’t mind as it meant we got to watch the sunrise above the lake. This was the view as we woke. Pictures cannot do it justice it was such a beautiful thing to see and was one of the main reasons for us coming to stay at Bass Lakes.

After having cereal and scrambled eggs for breakfast we began to get ready for the day ahead. The plan was to drive in to Yosemite Valley, to see all sites. There was still a lot of snow around so we weren’t sure if all the access roads would be open. We left the cabin just before 9am, Lee said we would be fine for fuel. However, we quickly realised that he had under estimated how much we would be driving today and we kept our eyes out for the next gas station. We arrived at the entrance to Yosemite National Park and paid the $30 to enter, our pass was valid for 7 days. We only planned to come into the park today. We soon came across a gas station; Lee was horrified to see it was $4.65 a gallon when at the Pines Resort it was only $3.40. Note to self to fill up before entering remote locations! We had no choice as we didn’t want to run out of fuel in Yosemite. We put $30 in and off we went.

The scenery was unbelievable, I had seen pictures but until you see it with your own eyes you cannot understand the vastness of this place.

I wish I wasn’t driving so that I could take it all in, but there was no way I was letting Lee drive on these winding roads! There was lots of evidence of heavy snow but the snow ploughs had made sure all the roads were perfectly clear.

After driving through a long dark tunnel you eventually come out at the most incredible views of Tunnel View.

It was very busy and we had to wait a few minutes to get a parking spot. We got out and took some photos, not sure the boys fully appreciated what they were looking at but they seemed to enjoy. We milled around for a while enjoying the views and taking photos. Just then the camera battery light started flashing! , we hadn’t charged the camera! an oversight on Lee’s part 😊.

Next up was Bridalveil Falls. We all needed the toilet and there were some restrooms here but unfortunately they were not nice at all. The men were ok but I was not keen at all. We explored a little bit but it was very shady so it was quite chilly. Lee was the only one wearing shorts, this is not unusual as he is a postman and wears shorts all year round but even he, was feeling the chill. The falls did not disappoint they were amazing. It was very slippy going up to the viewing areas so make sure you have suitable footwear and if you are unsteady on your feet then I wouldn’t recommend it. We saw quite a few people slip over, thankfully they all managed to get up again. The boys were loving it at this point, climbing the rocks and generally enjoying being boys!

The next place we pulled over at was El Capitan. Again screensaver pinch me moment to believe I was actually looking at this amazing site. It is huge! There were people climbing it too!

We drove on to the Yosemite Valley visitor centre. It was time for a snack, in hindsight we should have packed some things to eat. We ended going into the shop and buying some muffins and chips. I also purchased a Yosemite shopping bag. The area was packed, so we moved on as quick as we could.

Next up was Yosemite Falls, which was even better than Bridalveil. The boys loved this area as they could climb on the rocks and generally give me heart failure. It is such a beautiful place, I am so glad we came here, I was worried the boys would hate it but just seeing them running around I knew we had made the right choice. We stayed in this area for quite a while enjoying the sites and letting the boys adventure on before we began the drive back.

The drive back to the cabin seemed a lot longer as the roads were a lot more winding, the plan was to go to Millers Landing resort for something to eat but when we got there it was still closed for the season, the backup plan was the Forks Resort but that closed too! Having 3 hungry boys in the car does not make for an enjoyable road trip. Plan C was to go back to the Pines Resort and eat at Duceys Bar & Grill (probably should have been Plan A). Duceys was quiet so we were seated straight away. It was nice to sit down after a long day on our feet, the food was lovely. The bill came to $60 including tip.

this was the view from our table

We went back to the cabin via the shop where we got some postcards for home. Jacob was desperate to play tennis. I didn’t really have the energy but Jacob can be quite persuasive. I managed to wriggle out of tennis by doing some washing in the laundrette. I soon realised that I needed $6 worth of quarters to do a load of washing. Thankfully the shop helped out. The boys loved the tennis although there were a lot of 1 shot rallies.

It had been a lovely day and one that we will remember forever. Lee and I ended the day by watching Fast & Furious 7 in the cabin before going to bed at 10pm, the boys had crashed out by 9pm.