Spring Break 2016: Yosemite National Park - adventures continued

"Mama, where are we heading today? I love to see the wild deers again." 
Obi was smiling from ear to ear  in our rented car.
"Yeaaah mama...I also want to see the misty fall we saw yesterday, Ma. I think I saw the rainbow on the sky," she added enthusiastically.
That morning, we got ready for another adventure in Yosemite National Park, the fourth US National Park we visited during our spring break.

*****

It's almost the beginning of winter but I just realized that my drafts are still filled with snaps and stories from our last Spring Break.

I hope you don't mind me sharing more from our trip to Yosemite National Park. As I have previously shared, my family and I just can't get enough of all those beautiful parks around the US. And Spring 2016 marks our first trip to these fantastic places.

Ready to hear more about Yosemite National Park? 

Read more: Spring Break 2016: Yosemite National Park

Obviously, three days in Yosemite National Park is not enough.
Not enough!
But I am glad we made it!

And on the second day, we managed to visit more corners in this vast, yet beautiful Valley. Before heading further, we just stopped at the Spring. Crystal water spring indeed! We stopped because we saw people flocking here previously. 

We spent so much time around the Yosemite Valley Visitor Center.
As usual, we grabbed some souvenirs, stamped our passport to the National parks, fetched some food and visited the museum as well. 

We also had wonderful lunch at the famous hotel here, the Majestic Yosemite Hotel.
Since the first time we stepped into it, we were awed by its classic and elegant grandeur.
Beautiful!

while waiting for our lunch..

Built in the 1920s, this hotel surely has its charms. Let alone the breathtaking views of Yosemite Falls, Half Dome and Glacier Point that you can see from here.

feels so homey.

We had our typical American lunch with salad, burger and fries, but the ambience of this historical place was different, especially as we have so many beautiful handwoven fabrics of the Ahwahnee hanged on the wall. We truly enjoyed it.

We also learnt more about the history of this magnificent valley at the museum, including about the native Ahwahnee Indians who used to dwell here.
I have shared it before here - the Indian Village of Ahwahnee

Just like the other part of this National Park, everything you see is breathtaking

Words can not describe the overwhelming feeling you have as you see all this natural beauty in your surroundings.

No wonder Yosemite National Park has been designated as the World Heritage Site. Named as a national park since 1890, Yosemite National Park is indeed the gem of California's Sierra Nevada Mountains. That's why the famous Yosemite photographer and lifelong conservationist, Ansel Adams, stayed here for quite sometimes and prepared his magnificent collection.

Finally, on our last day in Yosemite, we went to the beaches around the area. 

Yes, the beaches.

We don't really have the ocean here but the river banks around are beautiful as well.

The water was so clear and fresh.

We managed to stop at Cathedral Beach, overlooking the Cathedral Spire, and Sentinel Beach, near the Three Brothers peaks.

Those are nice names, right. I guess I comes from the Indian time and they preserve it up until now.

trees at Cathedral Beach.

Hid behind trees, the banks of Merced River provide lovely spots for picnics.

We stayed for awhile and Bo et Obi enjoyed playing with the water, although it was quite cold at that time.

picture timeee :)

And you know what...we were super lucky that as the last day we were here, the route to Glacier Point was open.

Yaaaaay...

We finally got a chance to see the high point of Yosemite that is famous for its breathtaking sceneries. The weather was getting warmer and the street was safe enough to be reopen after winter time.

I promise you, I will be back with more photos and stories from Glacier Point, Yosemite National Park.

This is just one of the photos we took during our trip :).

Till the next post :)

Spring Break 2016: Yosemite National Park

As our eyes first set in this magnificent valley, I could only whisper all my gratitude to the Almighty.  For this tranquility, for this peaceful beauty.

Welcome to Yosemite National Park

I know it's already summer here, but I still have some stories to share from our last spring's adventures. Here's Spring Break 2016: Yosemite National Park chapter.

****

"Mama, where are we heading?" asked Bo in the car that day.

"Yosemite, Bang" I replied.
"Hmm..what's that again ma?
"Y-o-s-e-m-i-t-e.." I said 

"Oooh cool.. Like the one we saw on TV!" 

"So what are going to see here ma?" Added Obi.

My hubby and I just smiled and said," You'll see, kiddos, you'll see..."

Obviously, we just couldn't wait to see this world-wide famous National Park.

****

7 AM.

Stovepipe Wells, Death Valley, California.

Yes, we're here, in the California Republic.

The alarm screamed its heart out at 7 AM dot.

"Wakey, wakey, kiddos. We gotta move, El Capitan is waiting" I gently tapped Bo et Obi. 
"And we will see that great sand dunes nearby before heading to Yosemite," 
I know it was early and we were on spring break (a.k.a vacation ;)), but with the bathroom fun rituals (bubble bath session, enjoying the hot tub) and delicious breakfasts waiting for us, even 7 AM is considered late.

The kids had a great sleep after spending some times under the sun in the driest part in the US, the Death Valley. We stayed quite late down there, until sunset. And by the time we arrived at the Stovepipe Wells, we were all washed out.

Mesquita Sand Dune at the Stovepipe Walls..

After a brief morning walk at the Sand dunes, we were driving straight to Yosemite National Park. Wuhuuuu...

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK

What intrigued us in the first place is how you pronounce the name of this famous park.

I know...it might sound silly for you.

But for a non-native English speakers like us, you'll be surprise to hear the way we said it :).

Of course the correct way of saying it is (/joʊˈsɛmᵻti/ yoh-sem-it-ee) as I copy paste it from wikipedia.

But anyway, we still have tons of questions in our head when we first prepared our journey last spring.

Where is it? How do we go there?

What can we do there? How long do we have to stay there?

Where are we going to stay? How about the food?

And the questions seemed to continue on and on and on, until the day we actually went there.

We have zero knowledge of Yosemite National Park when we first heard about it. 

But as if the faith has been sealed for us, our itchy feet brought us to this lovely place on earth.

We drove around 4.5 hours from Death Valley, but we stopped for quite some times in Oakhurst as we had a little problem with our rent car. All was okay after we visited the car center and had our tyre checked. Apparently, after super hot days in the Death Valley, the car tyres and brakes were a bit compromised. It was worrying because the route we took was hilly and curvy. Good working brakes were definitely needed. Good thing it was handled swiftly, although we arrived a bit late in Mariposa, where we stayed for the first 2 nights in Yosemite. We managed to visit the Park but it was 8 PM already so it was all dark. 

And the view along the way was awesome. How can you complained over super blue sky, green lush trees and hills.

We pretty much enjoyed it.

We stayed at the Yosemite Miners Inn Motel, around 1 hour from the gate of Yosemite National Park. It was a lovely motel and Mariposa was a lovely place indeed. A perfect gateway to the Park.

Early morning, we were so ready to visit this infamous national park. After a hearty breakfast, we smoothly got in with our membership card which was bought in Grand Canyon.
With our America the beautiful card, we paid USD 80 for a full-year free entrance to the all US National Parks all over the country for a family of four like us and/or with other 3 adults.
What a steal!

Surely there are abundant things you can do in this beautiful place. 
Hiking, driving along the scenic routes, rock climbing, biking, camping, tracking, bear and bird watching and so many more. Initially, we wanted to see and try everything.
Somehow, with limited time we have, we really had to choose where to go. We highlighted the landmarks and some friendly tracks for us and the kids. Being outdoor is our favorite, but traveling with kids require further consideration,

On the first day, we drove through El Portal Road and headed to meet El Capitan and the Three Brothers. In case you were wondering, those are the names of granites rocks which dominantly adorned the Valley View. 

Meet El Capitan...

We hiked to the Bridalveil Fall as well. It was only 30 minutes walk from the parking spot near El Capitan area.
And just as beautiful as its name, the Fall is mesmerizing. 
It felt so fresh to walk on the ground like this.

Bridalveil bridge from a far..

We drove and walked around the Valley to enjoy the spectacular view right in front of our eyes. Wherever you look, you won't stop admiring the irrevocable beauty nature can bring. 
As much as I enjoyed the sceneries, I couldn't stop taking pictures here and there.

meet El Capitan

On the way to the Yosemite Village, we stopped at several places.
From Valley View to the  Yosemite Village, you can see El Capitan with its horse tail fall and ribbon fall, as well as the Three Brothers and the Cathedral Rocks. 

the Valley seen from the Vista Point

Heading south, you will see the  Sentinel Falls as well as Columbia Rock, which is not far from the majestic  Yosemite Falls, the upper and lower parts. 

The Falls is easily accessible from the Yosemite Valley Visitor Center as well as from the Sentinel Bridge. There is a path that you can follow if you want to walk along the trail and get closer to the Falls. But both Falls look fantastic from a far.

Yosemite Falls

While enjoying this beautiful area, we were just sitting in one of the valleys, simply doing nothing but sitting on the grass, deeply inhaling the fresh air, and giggling around. Obviously we took tons of pictures and videos, so we spent sometimes waiting for our GoPro to do its magic and recorded some of those time lapse videos.
I didn't mind waiting, as the scenery is wonderful and we got lucky that some wild animals joining our leisure time there.

And finally, we stopped at the famous Tunnel View.
I have no further explanation but leave it to your judgement in these photos.
No wonder people are flocking in this very spot to witness what Mother Nature presents.

the 4 of us...

We spent three days in this one of the world's natural wonders.
And I have to admit, even three days are not enough.
Sometimes we just got confused which rock or falls that we were seeing as there are so many of them. But whatever it is, it's beautiful beyond words.

I don't think my story and photos do justice to the real beauty of this place.
Nevertheless, I have to go back with more stories and photos (for sure) about our 2nd and 3rd day here at the Park.

Have you visited this place or other national Park as well?

How do you like it?

Check out more stories and photos in my Steller :)

Spring Break 2016: the Death Valley

The Death Valley.

Aren't we all intrigued by the death?

D.E.A.T.H.

What is death?

A scary concept that may haunt our consciousness?

Or freedom from all fears and failures?

When I heard the name of one of these National Parks here in the US for the first time, I was thinking that it might derive from it being a dreadful "killing field" of creatures passing over this very spot.

When we google it, for sure the image you'll find is the famous skeleton of the mountain goat's head.

Miserably stared back at you with its hollow eyes.

That is something!

The more we browsed, the more captivated we were.

That is why we decided to come and visit Death Valley, our second National Park in this spring break trip. 

Our journey this time started from Page Arizona. It took us around 6hours from Arizona to Death Valley, California. Long and hot 6 hours :)

The view along the way is lovely indeed.

Typical mysterious deserts with its beauty.

We left Page early in the morning and manage to arrive in Death Valley at noon.

And it was so hot indeed.

Death Valley is, in fact, one of the hottest points in this country.

We headed to Furnace Creek, the visitor center, to know more about this huge Park. Looking at the map given to us, Death Valley is indeed so vast, so empty, yet so simple, and so quiet.

It was very quiet we could hear our own voice echoing back.

Well, Death Valley is the hottest, the driest and the lowest National Park indeed.

One thing for sure, there is NO SIGNAL here.

NO signals, NO GPS, NO service.

We very much relied on the map and road signs as well as park newspaper which has abundant information and warnings.

There are several interesting spots in Death Valley.

Some of them are Badwater Basin, Dante's View, Devil's Golf Course, Zabriskie Point, Artist Palette, Scotty's Castle, the Racetrack and more. There are so many ghost towns as well.

Then with the time and energy we have, we were faced by our classic problem.

So much to see, so little time

For the first stop, we had Badwater Basin

Badwater Basin is the lowest elevation in North America. It was located 282 feet, or 86 meter, below the sea.

When we first stepped our foot here, all we could see was white and brown field.

Of salt and mud.

at the Badwater Basin.

The salt flat was very interesting.

We have never seen it before and pretty much interested to see closer.

It feels like in another world.

It somehow reminds me of Star Wars :).

Bo and Obi realy enjoyed the Badwater Basin.

Although it was very hot, but they were happily running around the sands flat, looking at the salt and mud formations which are very unique.

Then after that, we headed to Devil's Golf Course. Nice name, right :).

It is basically a vast field with dry mud and salt. Looks like a thorn golf course.. And maybe only the devil who can play golf here.

This place is certainly huge so it feels like it belongs to us. We have more cars and visitors in Badwater Basin, but not on the other parts of the park.

Next, we drove around the Artist Drive. This one way drive is beautiful indeed, with some dips and curves which accentuate the mountainous structure of this area. 

Then we arrived at the Artist Palette.

We took a break here and took photos until sunset.

By the time we finished at the Artist Palette, it was already dark.

And we were drop dead tired as well.

We stayed at Stovepipe Well that night.

Before heading to Yosemite National Park, we stopped at Mezquita Flat Sand Dune. 

So, what do you think about Death Valley? Fascinating isn't?

WW: Indian Village of Ahwahnee

Another interesting part of the traditional Indian village of Ahwahnee 
we saw in Yosemite National Park.

the colorful illustration...

the typical tent 

The chief's house... 

the chief...

a very interesting photo indeed

Join us on (almost) Wordless Wednesday