Yosemite Again

What can I say? I am not sure there is anything more majestic or more breathtaking than Yosemite. Yes, I have stood in other majestic and breathtaking places on this planet but I don't think any are MORE so than Yosemite. Simply wonderful.

This year my cousin Pattie couldn't come. Drat those work commitments for the too-young-to-be-retired-set but her sister Loretta could join Stephanie, Dan, the two boys, Lee, Michelle and me (and the 30 plus other friends and family that make up this annual camping group). Although I have only come the past 8-10 years, this was the 30th year the group has camped at Yosemite.  

Our campsite was spectacular - the most beautiful of my experiences here at the Housekeeping Campground.

Okay, the actual tent cabin is NOT spectacular:

Yes, a tad rustic but look close - we ARE minimalist campers.  There is not a lot of stuff at the site.  Inside the tent flaps are a double bed and a set of bunk beds. We had two of these cabins - mine was to the left in this photo. 2 bear lockers (the two iron boxes stacked on top of each other) are provided at each site. You store EVERYTHING that has a scent - sunscreen, toothpaste as well as all food. No bears joined our site this year.

But look at the view we had from our cabin:

Our tent cabin was at the top of a bluff overlooking the Merced River.  Here was our view to the right..

Here was our view to the left.

Just down a bit we could cross a foot bridge:

To the wide beach on the opposite shore:

This is where we swam and the boys played in the sand.

I wasn't wearing my glasses when I saw this interesting sight at the beach.  I wondered what it was.  

A green man fleeing for his life?

Ah, a turtle raft, of course!

The child did have fun on it!

In the afternoon the river filled with rafts (including ours - the same ones from last year). 

And if I got bored, I could look up to the left from the beach and see:

Yosemite Falls

We made great camp meals (well we only had to make one dinner - for all 40 of us - and then were able to enjoy the dinners made by others in the group the remaining nights) but is there anything better than the smell of bacon and eggs cooking in the early morning chill air?

We hiked, swam, biked, saw ranger shows (Wesley learned a lot and was able to share what he learned), played baseball in an open space in the midst of the group's 10 cabins, caught up on reading, watched the ground squirrels and deer who strolled into our sites, heard campers yell "Elmer" from camp site to camp site as it got dark (a decades-old Yosemite tradition with several options for its origin), looked at the stars through Dan's telescope, caught up with each other's lives over the past year, read some more and enjoyed the beauty around us.

I did quite well with my cane over the uneven ground - no problems. Okay, I didn't hike or bike or play baseball but I did the rest. The one funny thing was the reaction of others on the beach as I walked into the water using my cane. I heard a few catches of breaths when I first started into the water (I guess they thought I wouldn't get in or wouldn't get the cane wet) but more gasps when I kept going until my shoulders were covered by water and the cane was completely submerged. It still supported me even in the shifting river bed sand. When I got out, I turned it upside down and watched the water drain out from the metal holes. Handy thing, a metal cane.

And yes, of course, I went to the Ahwahnee to have lunch and to pretend I was staying at the other end of the spectrum of lodgings at the park.  Wonderful, as always.

When Lee and Michelle (Titi to Wesley and Finn) arrived, Wesley was ready. He knew he was in for lots of tickles and loves from his beloved Titi.  Let's see what this looked like:

The first gentle little tickle to Wesley's side

Uh oh - so funny he is hopping about.

Even Titi's feet are elevated from mirth (who knew the rafts would make great chairs when not in the water?).

Complete convulsions of laughter.

Oh no, just so exhausting - can you do it again?

A wonderful week.  Wonderful memories.  Unfortunately, the day after we left, lightning strikes ignited a fire. Today, more than a week later, almost 5000 acres have burned. Thankfully it is 95% contained and did not affect the part of Yosemite Valley where we camped but any acreage burned is a loss to all. 

Even with the realities of forest fires, I already can't wait for next year's trip.