Notices
Disneyland California and West Coast Trip Reports Trip Reports

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
Old 4 Feb 20, 04:27 PM  
Link to this Post
#1
juliab
Imagineer
 
juliab's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 07
Location: Yorkshire

juliab's Reviews
Restaurant Reviews: 16

theDIBB Guidebook
Guidebook Photos: 78
The 260 Mile West Coast Wander - August 2019 - Day 9 - Heading for the Clouds, Walks with Giants

INDEX

Monday 12th August

I was awake really early thanks to that door banging even though I’d put earplugs in! I thought as I was awake I may as well go for my wash and get changed. I was all ready for the day at 7am.

Everyone was still asleep so I walked down to the coffee shop to get breakfast for everyone. It was really busy there but I still managed to pick up some pastries, namely cinnamon buns and muffins again as the kids had really enjoyed them. Of course I got some coffees too, can’t start the day without one and some milk for my weetabix as I needed the energy today!

Once everyone had finished getting ready and had eaten we set out for the day. We were hoping Yosemite would be quieter today as the weekend was over. Our plan for today was to drive up to Glacier Point we couldn’t wait to see the views of the valley and surrounding areas from up there.

We stopped at Tunnel View on the way up as we just couldn’t drive past and not stop to look at that view. There were only a couple of other cars in the car park so it was lovely and quiet, it felt like we had this incredible view all to ourselves.




Not sure what I expecting with the drive up to Glacier Point of course I expected it to be very scenic but I was a little worried about it too. Well it was extremely scenic and just a little bit scary in places but nothing worse than what we’d already driven.





I made sure to take some travel sickness tablets what with all the twists and turns. It took around ½ hour or so to drive up there but a good hour in total from Curry Village. Once we arrived we had no issues parking as there were lots of parking spaces available.

Of course our first port of call was the restroom then we took the very short walk over to Glacier Point which was along a level path.

Oh my word what a view it literally just took our breath away. Yes my eyes might have leaked a little at this point again it was just so stunning.







Photo’s just don’t do this place justice it doesn’t look real Poppy said everything looked like a painting!




It was unreal how far you could see we looked over the side and we could see into Curry Village, over 3,00ft below with all the tents. We tried to look for our hut but we knew we had a few large trees at the side of us so it was a little difficult to find.

We watched people rafting down the Merced River it was so unreal, everything looked so teeny. I did feel somewhat woozy looking over the railing down into the valley 3,000 ft below!
Yosemite Valley & Merced River


Of course we spotted Vernal Falls where we had walked the previous day along with Nevada Falls and Upper and Lower Yosemite Falls. It was really quiet around here with just a few people taking in the stunning views.





We walked a little further along to get some different views and to take more photo's. Again it was very quiet we just encountered a few other people along our way.








Carrying along the pathway we stopped at this little stone building? I've forgotten what it was called but the views from there were incredible too.





Nevada Falls (top) Vernal Falls (bottom)

After the walk and a look around here we filled our bottles up with water and had another restroom break as we were going for a longer walk.

We found the start of the trail to Sentinel Dome and off we went up the winding dusty track. It took us through the forest to start with so we had plenty of shade which we were very grateful for. The walk was fairly easy but we did have to keep stopping as it was a little tougher for Poppy to keep up. We kept taking breaks to have a drink and also to stop and look at the fabulous views.




I thought it a little strange that we'd not seen anyone for ages. I wondered if we were going in the right direction as I thought we’d at least see a few people walking down to Glacier Point? Anyhow after a little while we passed a young couple and they asked if it was the way to Glacier Point, we told them yes and I asked if we were going in the right direction to Sentinel Dome which thankfully we were!

The walk got a little bit harder for Poppy so we both found a large branch each to use as a walking stick. Yesterday we had seen lots of people doing this and surprisingly it worked. It did the make the 1.5 mile walk a little bit easier.

Scott walked at a slower pace with Poppy whilst the boys and I carried on ahead and before long we could see Sentinel Dome in front of us.

There were quite a few walkers there as you can come from the other direction from a car park which we passed on the drive in.

We waited for Poppy and Scott then took a breather and walked up the last stretch. I wouldn’t say I’m really scared of heights I’d just say I’m not a big fan of them, hence the reason why we wouldn’t be visiting Taft Point, but so long as I’m not near the edge I’m ok especially if it means I get to see stunning scenery.






My little walking buddy


Anyhow as we started to walk further up the dome I started to panic a little because as I looked to my side there were now open views and I felt that I could somehow fall off the edge. Now there was no way this could happen not with the route we were taking but I tried to walk further but the anxiety and panic took over me and I couldn’t go any further. I felt so disappointed with myself especially as we were literally there!

Scott, Hayden and Jamie were happily striding up the slope and I quickly lost sight of them but Poppy was with me. I told her I just needed to have a bit of a breather. I walked a couple more metres but it was no good and I explained to Poppy that I needed to stay here. Poppy was fine and said she’d walk up and find Dad and the boys then I panicked as I thought Poppy might fall off the edge! Oh my word I know how ridiculous it sounded I knew Poppy would be fine but I couldn’t watch her walking off on her own.

Anyway about 5 minutes later Scott must’ve realised we weren’t behind and walked back down, I explained how I felt and even though he reassured me it was fine up there I told him to leave me and take some photo’s of the view from up there for me. Poppy said she’d stay with me even though I told her I was fine, bless her. Scott went back up with my phone and took some photos whilst we admired the spectacular panoramic views and i pulled myself together.

How peaceful and relaxing it was there and the air was so clear and refreshing. Honestly it was nice to sit down and take a bit of a breather for a while. Soon the boys joined us and I looked at the photos and wow they were amazing as you’ve got a 360 degree view of Yosemite and the surrounding areas.





Views from the top of Sentinel Dome







Everyone was now back with me i felt so much better.


It was now time for us to tear ourselves away from and make our way back down to Glacier Point. As we started walking down I felt something sharp on my bag, it was some kind of insect. I tried to waft it off and it stung me again! Finally it flew off after stinging me twice.
Views as we walked back down







We found some shade and stopped for something to drink and also some snack bars and fruit. The walk down was so much easier and took us half the time it did to walk up. In fact the 3 mile round trip had took us a good 2.5 hours with all the stops.


When we arrived back at Glacier Point we could see it had got a lot busier we were glad to have visited early before the crowds descended.

We didn’t leave before the kids had an ice cream though, think they deserved it!

After filling our water bottles up and of course using the restrooms we then left but we had a quick stop at Washburn Point to look at that view on our drive back down.



Once we reached the bottom of Glacier Point Rd we took a left onto Wawonda Rd and followed it round until we reached the Mariposa Grove Welcome Centre. It was a pretty straight forward drive and we easily spotted the entrance. There were plenty of parking spaces available too.

Not sure if it was because we’d been up at Glacier Point all that time where even though it was lovely and sunny it felt very comfortable yet as we got out of the car it felt so hot. There wasn’t any kind of breeze! We didn’t hang around and went to the visitor centre to use the loos’ and that was also the point where you waited for the free shuttle bus.




We didn’t have long to wait before a bus arrived and the driver waited until it filled up a bit more before she drove us up to Mariposa Grove.
As soon as we arrived we could see the Giant Sequoias standing majestically before us. Talk about feeling totally awestruck!




We decided to walk the Grizzly Giant Loop Trail as we’d already walked quite a fair bit today. This route wasn’t long maybe a couple of miles in total but of course we were sheltered from the sun so it was a really pleasant walk.

Wow we really couldn’t believe the size of these trees they towered so far above us, they really are so massive. Also astonishing is that these trees can be over 2,000 years old.





Fallen Monarch


The trail is a really lovely walk with signs giving plenty of information. The self tour guides you through the Sequoias Grove passing by such iconic trees like the Bachelor and Three Graces. I can’t believe how tiny Poppy looks standing there!



We walk further round stopping at various points and then we arrived at the Giant Grizzly another iconic tree - It really is hard to get a sense of how big this tree is.






We sat down on a bench for a while and in the distance we could hear a Ranger giving a talk about the tree. We kept looking up at the Giant in disbelief at its size - it was a strain on the neck looking that far up!


Walking further on from the Giant Grizzly we came to the California Tunnel Tree. It was so strange to actually walk through a tree.



At this point of the trail you can continue onto the longer walk but we decided to just stick with the 2 mile trail as we were feeling a bit tired with the heat.

It had been a pleasure to walk around this grove we’ve never seen anything like it. What a truly wonderful experience for us all to be amongst these majestic giants.

On our way back we stopped for some petrol at the gas station which was near to the Wawona Hotel. This was really just for a top up as I felt like we’d drove a few miles today and of course there aren’t that many gas stations in Yosemite.

Of course we just had to stop at Tunnel View. It’s really quite dramatic when you come out of the long tunnel and you’re welcomed with that awesome view!

It was lovely and quiet there again and somebody offered to take a picture of us all together which we were very grateful for.



Arrived back at Curry Village at 6pm the day had gone so quickly. We headed straight to the food court after we’d parked back up and went to get some food. We couldn’t be bothered waiting in the long line for some pizza so we filled our faces with food from the grill at the village – chilli hotdogs, chilli cheese fries, burgers and chicken tenders. We were quite hungry!

Poppy pointed out that we’d not been to the pool yet so we went to get our swimming gear from our room. We couldn’t believe what we saw another bear, it just ran across the path around 10 metres away from us and carried on running through where all the tents were! Wow we didn’t expect that!

Not one of us thought the check the pool times we arrived there at 7.15pm only to find that the pool closed at 7pm. Not a lot we could do about it so we went for our showers instead.

By the time we’d all cleaned ourselves up it was nearly 9 o’clock, the day had flown by. The boy’s did some reading again and us 3 sat on the bench outside. There wasn’t enough room for us all to sit together lol.

After I’d caught up with my journal we had a couple of beers and between us we planned our last day in Yosemite. I didn’t want it to involve too much walking as I had got a couple of blisters on my feet! Ouch!

Rough plan sorted we settled ourselves down for the night. One thing really struck me about today apart from it being amazing and one of my favourite days of the holiday, was how dirty we were. Honestly the amount of dust on our legs was unreal, of course this all showered off but our shorts were really showing signs of all the dust we’d accumulated over these past few days! Still it we'd had lots of fun getting that dirty

Steps – 23,114

Thanks for reading

Edited at 07:45 AM.
juliab is offline Girl Mouse Click to view Members Trip Plans Add Member to Ignore List
Old 4 Feb 20, 07:26 PM  
Link to this Post
#2
Dutchdisneyfan
Apprentice Imagineer
 
Dutchdisneyfan's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 14
Location: Netherlands
wow, what a trip!
Dutchdisneyfan is offline Girl Mouse Click to view Members Trip Plans Add Member to Ignore List
Old 5 Feb 20, 08:55 PM  
Link to this Post
#3
Stan1805
Serious Dibber
 
Stan1805's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 17
Mobile

Wow another amazing day and fantastic photos. Looking forward to day 10 😊
Stan1805 is offline Girl Mouse Click to view Members Trip Plans Add Member to Ignore List
Old 5 Feb 20, 10:07 PM  
Link to this Post
#4
buryboy
Imagineer
 
Join Date: Jun 09
Amazing , amazing , amazing

I can see me and our family having the same anxiety
I have just googled Taft point - my goodness I am completely sure I couldn't make it to the handrail there
__________________
Our 2014 west coast trip - pre-trip, small highs and lows , and photo book/storybook
Pre-trip reportsmall highs and lows
photobook/storybook
Our MOST ANNOYING trip to Tenerife February 2018 ( an homage to infamous dibb threads
buryboy is offline Boy Mouse Click to view Members Trip Plans Add Member to Ignore List
Old 5 Feb 20, 11:09 PM  
Link to this Post
#5
smithlane
VIP Dibber
 
smithlane's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 15
Oh wow Julia what an amazing day! We too were wowed by Glacier Point, it's nice seeing what the drive up there looks like in the daytime as it was pitch black when we drove it
Well done you for managing even Sentinel Dome, I'm not sure I would have managed that one. The views are absolutely amazing though!
I'm so gutted we didn't manage to go to Mariposa Grove, those giant sequoias really have to be seen to be believed. One for the next time!
We thought the pool shut quite early too, especially for the summer season.
I can't believe you saw another bear, I'm so jealous
__________________
All my previous reports can be found HERE

IG - alicialanesmith
smithlane is offline Girl Mouse Click to view Members Trip Plans Add Member to Ignore List
Old 6 Feb 20, 02:06 PM  
Link to this Post
#6
Jessika
Apprentice Imagineer
 
Jessika's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 09
Fantastic day, I’m loving your report and it’s helping my plan for August. I definitely need to visit Mariposa grove. Thanks so much for sharing.
Jessika is offline Girl Mouse Click to view Members Trip Plans Add Member to Ignore List
Old 6 Feb 20, 08:09 PM  
Link to this Post
#7
KayLouise
Very Serious Dibber
 
KayLouise's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 08
Amazing photos again, loving your report 😊
__________________
California ~ August 2023
KayLouise is online now Girl Mouse Click to view Members Trip Plans Add Member to Ignore List
Old 6 Feb 20, 10:20 PM  
Link to this Post
#8
Sparksy72
VIP Dibber
 
Sparksy72's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 14

Sparksy72's Reviews
Hotel Reviews: 1
Your photos are incredible- thank you so much for sharing
Sparksy72 is online now Girl Mouse Click to view Members Trip Plans Add Member to Ignore List
Old 6 Feb 20, 11:50 PM  
Link to this Post
#9
mrsdjh
Imagineer
 
mrsdjh's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 13
You have some beautiful photos on this trip! I think I’d have been anxious too on some of those trails.
mrsdjh is offline Girl Mouse Click to view Members Trip Plans Add Member to Ignore List
Old 7 Feb 20, 01:55 PM  
Link to this Post
#10
juliab
Thread Starter
Imagineer
 
juliab's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 07
Location: Yorkshire

juliab's Reviews
Restaurant Reviews: 16

theDIBB Guidebook
Guidebook Photos: 78
Originally Posted by Dutchdisneyfan View Post
wow, what a trip!
We had such an amazing time
juliab is offline Girl Mouse Click to view Members Trip Plans Add Member to Ignore List
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Forum Jump


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 01:04 PM.


Powered by vBulletin - Copyright © 2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
DIBB Savings
AttractionTickets.com

Get £10 off each Disney Ticket with the code ATDIBB10

Get up to £50 off per room at Disney or Universal with the code DIBBHOTELS


theDIBB Blog
Disney announced that a new nighttime show, “Disney Dreams That Soar,” will run nightly at... Read More »
Walt Disney World Resort guests can get ready to have a “glowing’’ good time when... Read More »
Aquatica Orlando announce the grand opening of its newest attraction, Tassie’s Underwater Twist, on 15... Read More »


theDIBB Menu


Exchange Rates
US Dollar Rates
ASDA  $1.2347
CaxtonFX  $1.2296
Covent Garden FX  $1.2429
FAIRFX  $1.2350
John Lewis  $1.2380
M&S  $1.2178
Sainsburys  $1.2337
TESCO  $1.2343
Travelex  $1.2353
Updated: 12:00 28/03/2024
Euro Rates
ASDA  €1.1426
CaxtonFX  €1.1403
Covent Garden FX  €1.1509
FAIRFX  €1.1432
John Lewis  €1.1457
M&S  €1.1263
Sainsburys  €1.1419
TESCO  €1.1425
Travelex  €1.1435
Updated: 12:00 28/03/2024

DIBB Premium Membership
Did you know you can help support theDIBB with Premium Membership?

Check out this link for more information and benefits, such as...

"No adverts on theDIBB Forums"

Upgrade Now



X