Anyway, we had to put all that aside since today was our last full day in Yosemite and we hoped to make the best of it. Our plan was to hike to Bridalveil Falls first thing, then head south to the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias, then the Wawona Hotel for a late lunch, and finally end our day at Glacier Point. A lot to cover...better get moving. Our first stop was a 1/2 mile hike to Bridalveil Falls (pictured below). Not much water in the falls, but I still wanted to see it. I love the darker areas in the granite where the falls normally are, probably during spring. I will definitely be back in Yosemite one spring and one winter very very soon.
After about an hour's drive south, we came to the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias. Here I am below with Billy at the sign. Billy actually went with me on today's hike. He was tucked into my little camera bag. I can't even tell you how many smiles and questioning looks I got with him sitting there. No, I am not insane :)...okay, maybe a little.
When first walking into the Mariposa Grove, we saw the sunlight streaming through the trees...so pretty!
Oh, we came across these ginormous mushrooms along the trail.
Some of the photos below are a bit dark. The Grove was very shady in a lot of parts, intermixed with sunlight. It was difficult to photograph, but hopefully you can get the idea. We hiked the lower grove and then took the very bumpy tram to the upper grove since we were kind of hurting today. I wasn't able to get that many shots of the upper grove since they only stopped here and there and only once to actually get out of the tram. Next time, I'm walking both groves! Anyway, the first photo below is of the Bachelor and Three Graces Trees.
The Grizzly Giant Tree
These signs were posted everywhere, yet we saw numerous people not staying out. I got a little put off while at this spot because there was a Russian couple who were going behind the fences that guard the trees...leaning against them and taking photos and then trampling all over the vegetation while trying to get into intricate spots. I guess I just don't get it. Is it lack of respect for nature or is it just plain not caring? I don't know, but I almost called them out and I suspect that would not have been pretty. I'm still rather mad at myself for not doing it. *sigh*
California Tunnel Tree (with me standing in it)...cut in 1895 for stagecoaches to pass through.
Pretty BIG tree!
California Tunnel Tree and surrounding forest.
Beautiful misty sunlight in between the trees.
The Faithful Couple
Looking Up!
A couple of forest shots.
I think one of these is the Galen Clark Tree, named after the man who did so much to protect these beautiful trees back in the 1800's.
Mariposa Grove Museum
A beautiful Sequoia standing in a field of golden grass.
After the Mariposa Grove, we were starving and ready to have a good lunch at the Wawona Hotel. Much to our dismay, when we arrived, we were told that they were not serving lunch since it was off-season and directed us to a store down the road (well, first the golf shop cafe, but they didn't have anything and were geting read to close for the season). Well, not what we had in mind, but almost anything would do at this point. Took a few shots of the Wawona before heading down the road. I love the shadows of the big trees on the lawn in this first one.
The Wawona Hotel
I took at few shots inside too...
We went to the little grocery store and got a couple of sandwiches and chips and sat down at some picnic tables to eat lunch. There were a few very large ravens flying around and keeping an eye on us while we ate....I'm sure they were hoping for some leftovers. After eating our questionable egg salad sandwiches from the little grocery store, we headed north again and took the turnoff to Glacier Point. The road there was actually not bad until about 3/4 of the way there, then things started getting a little hairy. There were some crazy hairpin turns and some big drop off cliffs. Luckily, there was not much traffic so I was able to drive at my own pace and not feel rushed. I must say that it was most definitely worth the drive out there. The view was absolutely incredible....breathtaking. This first shot is Half Dome from Taft Point, which is right before getting to Glacier Point.
A little bit of a hike to get to Glacier Point.
I really ended up liking this photo below (well, except for the blown-out mountains in the background). This couple was getting their wedding photos taken here. I liked the focus on the sign and them being a bit out of focus in the background.
Here are a few shots of Half Dome from Glacier Point. It is difficult to capture the real majesty of this view. Part of the problem was that the overall view was half in the the bright sun and half in very dark shade...which doesn't turn out too well in photographs...so I really only captured the part in the sun. That is one of the reasons I wanted to stay here for dusk...but after experiencing the scary road, I really wanted to be out of here by dark. Maybe next time I can take one of those photo tours out here and let someone else do the driving.
Jen and Half Dome from Glacier Point.
After Glacier Point, we headed back to the Valley. Since we ended up not staying at Glacier Point until after dark, we stopped at the Yosemite Chapel for a few shots. Pretty little chapel.
Since we still had some daylight left, we headed over to Cook's Meadow to see what was happening over there. I finally got a decent shot of the famous "Ansel Adams" tree in the photograph below.
A few more shots of Half Dome from Cook's Meadow before heading back to the room for the evening.
The sun's glow on Half Dome.
Well, time to call it a day. We had to get back to the room and start packing up since we were leaving the next day :(. Our plan was to get up fairly early and have breakfast in Yosemite Village at Degnan's, then walk over to the Yosemite Cemetery and then go by the Awahnee Hotel before heading home. Night!
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