Yosemite: The Grand Finale

I'd like to say first off that visiting Yosemite over Spring Break was amazing. It was one of Nacho's dream vacations and I'm so happy we made it a reality. It was my second time there, but considering I was 9 the first time, I didn't remember too much. The scenery is breathtaking in a way that only spectacular mountains and beautiful water falls can be. It's almost too perfect. Many of my friends commented the photos look fake--and they were right. You couldn't have painted better back drops. I think the girls were excited to be there after the initial disappointment of not finding any playgrounds.  Yes, despite repeated warnings that this National Park was not a "park" with actual kid-friendly equipment, they wanted so badly to find some. And really, I suppose I get it. But for me, the natural wonders were just as amazing. We made it in to the park around lunch time the first day and stopped along the road a few times as we got our bearings. There is kind of a sense of wilderness even if you are just day tripping it in the valley. The written warnings about mountain lions and bears is no joke and I opted to tell the girls about them more to advise them to stick near us than to scare them shitless. This wouldn't be a time to wander away or run ahead on the trails.  I wasn't too sure what food would be available there, so we had loaded up at Trader Joe's the night before as we were leaving Monterrey. But fortunately, there was a little grocery, deli and a cafe with some simple meals. The girls had hot dogs so I knew they weren't going to starve. And we all delighted in watching the squirrel leap on tables and take out napkins from the dispenser. Our first brush with Yosemite wildlife was pretty hilarious.

Later we would walk into a meadow and see deer grazing just feet from us. What a wonderful thing for these city kids to see up close and personal.  It was like the zoo opened up the cages.  They weren't spooked by us although I did emphasize to the girls that they must stay quiet and not move too quickly. Hearing a woman say there was a coyote at the camp the night before and then loudly follow that with "but you know, deer kill more people every year" was just lovely. Ha. We spent the second half of our day visiting the two main waterfalls: The Lower Yosemite Falls and nearby Bridalveil Falls. And this is where I need to interject that traveling with kids in nature is not all rosy postcard photos and quiet wonderment. Both girls had their yelpy moments that day. But Elisa definitely won the battle of the most annoying with her throw down after the Lower Falls. She got upset that Carolina was being carried on Papa's shoulders and decided to fake a limp. She wailed and snorted--her ankle was mysteriously twisted--and only being carried would stop it from hurting. But Momma don't play that. So I urged her to get a grip and took both girls to the bathroom for a little break. When she wouldn't perk up, I gave her a few minutes moping at a picnic table to get ahold of herself. 

And then I started threatening. She could go take a nap at the hotel. Or she could continue to lag behind and good luck finding us later. I basically laid it out for her that it wasn't an option to ruin our family vacation with her antics. I coddled her mystery ailment but told her to buck up and walk it off. And I swear to God not an hour later, a man approached me as we walked back from Bridalveil Falls to tell me that "these are the best days of your life" and I was so blessed to be here with my young family. Really? I could imagine a much better trip without two screaming, whiny kids. I had to stifle a laugh given the near total breakdown we'd had before, but I acknowledged him and said thank you. He was so earnest in his assessment, and I suppose I knew there was a grain of truth there. They might not remember this trip later in life, but I will. And I hope it encourages them to come back some day with their own little brats. Ahh, the cycle of life. Isn't it glorious?  We ended that day by checking into our hotel in El Portal. It was the Valley View Lodge and it was not much to look at from outside, but with a second floor balcony patio overlooking the Merced River, a kitchenette fully stocked with our beer, wine and goodies, Disney channel and a giant jacuzzi--I'd say we hit the jackpot. The girls were clearly in heaven and Nacho and I enjoyed a nice leisurely aperitif before ordering a pizza from the restaurant downstairs. Yes, this was living. All previous grievances forgiven.

Our last day in Yosemite started with a totally serendipitous turn. Nacho had been looking at photos online and wanted to find out where one in particular was taken. I quickly searched and saw that it was called Tunnel View and was just up the road to the right after you enter the park. We pulled in just as the tour buses were unloading. Yes, this was definitely THE spot. But it was breathtaking. After soaking up the amazing overview of the valley and Half Dome in the distance, we decided to continue up the road for a bit more. There was really no agenda, but I felt compelled to climb a little higher. We were also keeping an eye on our gas tank since there is no gas station in the park. But Nacho figured we could do a day's worth of activities before nearing "E." So we climbed up and by the time we passed the turn off for Glacier Point Road, we realized it was in fact open and made a quick u-turn to give it a try. Just the day before we'd seen in the Visitor Center a big sign stating it was still closed for the winter. Most information I'd seen online indicated it opened in May and though we were still a few days away, I was delighted to see it open and ready for traffic. Because of this jump start on the regular season, there was hardly anyone else up there.  We drove for miles before seeing the first turn off were there were some cars. And then we made it all the way to Glacier Point which was such a dramatic reward for trying the unknown. If we'd just turned around after Tunnel View, we would have missed it all. I still can't believe our luck. Elisa and Carolina had another little tussle up at the stone house, but they patched things up before we left. I hate to punctuate every scenic photo op with a story of fighting, but that's kind of what we endured. It was all beautiful and it was all a bit trying. Nothing like the trip Nacho and I took through the Southwest. I don't remember any fighting during those 10 days! Ah, the kid-free life. But I suppose they were doing their best, and we made it back down the mountain and found lunch again at the outdoor cafe. We decided to try the shuttle bus afterwards to hike to the Bridge at Vernal Falls. The climb was steep and we were all getting tired. But we made it that far. Another hiker told us the top wasn't much further, but these kiddos were done. And honestly, I wasn't going to miss it. Another time perhaps. We came back down and enjoyed the bus ride back to the car while chatting with an impossibly perky--and clearly Mormon--family from Utah. They were setting up camp on their first night in the park, while I couldn't wait to get back to our cushy hotel. Ha. Clearly Yosemite can be done many ways. And I think we did what was best for us. The girls crashed out with another pizza and Nacho and I polished off as much of the beer stock as we could. We left Yosemite on a high note, knowing we had seen and done as much as we could in two days. Time will tell if we make it back (with our without kids). I hope we do.