Monday, February 7, 2011

When life gives you lemons.....throw them out and buy a bottle of wine.

Tiff and I were rather excited about this past Sunday. The biggest football event of the year, and we were all ready to root for our favorite team. Imagine our disappointment when we found out that our favorite team wasn't playing! Further disappointment ensued when we realized that football is different from.....well, football.

Scotland versus another team (probably the losers down in England...), Scotland is winning, obviously!


Faced with a rather boring Sunday afternoon, we decided to take advantage of the fact that everyone else seemed less upset by the false advertising, and go on a road trip! Keep reading to see where we ended up. First stop was a fish hatchery.


Anyone have a fishing pole? Or just a net would have worked....Yum!

We didn't catch anything, so we had to make d0 with PB&J!

This looks like the windshield, but it is hard to be sure. Count the yellow lines!

Figure out where we are yet? I'll give you a hint, it is not the beach.... (Tiff made us pull over and get a picture, giving me point three seconds to make the turnout. As you can see, we made it.)

Would that not make it an "Exit Receipt"?

Another clue, it was not the desert. Nope, not Narnia either....

Yes, that is a snowbank. Walk, little dude, you will make it!


Now the yellow lines are on the ceiling!

By now you certainly should have a guess!

Pine trees, tall mountains, snow on the ground. Ringing any bells?

Ok, if you haven't gotten it by now, you never will. We made the short two hour drive up to Yosemite, with the expectation that crowds would be light, and were not foiled in our guess, it was empty! There were a couple of Asian tourists, another few Europeans, a family with two kids, and a rather tall Middle Eastern gentleman, who walked with amazing rapidity, but other than that, the amount of people was more like a Tuesday afternoon while gas prices are nearly four dollars a gallon. (Oh, wait, they nearly are.....)

The icy conditions came down from "ahead" and the steep conditions ran away, because it wasn't very steep....

Tiff wanted to see "Bridalveil Falls", she doesn't think hers was as impressive, but I beg to differ.

One downside about no fellow tourists? There are only rocks to take your pictures for you....


El Capitan, in honor of Pops, the original "Captain".

Taken from the "Swinging Bridge", which does not swing, and is rather firmly planted in the river with stone pillars. Tiffany was vexed by this obvious oversight....

Me testing out the "Swinging Bridge", just to see if I could get it to budge, and thereby make my wife happy.

Big tall mountain, which likely hides the Mines of Moria. We are planning an expedition for next trip....

We found all of the people! They appeared to be held hostage in a little glass room, and were hypnotized by the hanging screens. Attempts to rescue them were unsuccessful.

Fifteen feet outside the room with the poor hostages, you could see the Yosemite Falls, 2,300 feet of falling agua!

Another rock asked to take our picture. Never was there a better backdrop for a kiss!

We stayed until the cold drove us to seek refuge in the car, and we made our way slowly home, wishing there had been more daylight with which to wander. Buying the annual pass, I think we will be back up there a few more times this year. If anyone wants to come with us, y'all are more than welcome! Next time, I am going to try and get Tiffany to climb this with me:


9 comments:

Unknown said...

Aww! I love that last picture of you and Tiff! That rock takes great pictures ;)

Loved reading about your trip! :)

Mikaela said...

Gorgeous pictures! I confess, I did not guess the location, as I have never had the pleasure of going to Yosemite. Thanks for that peek into the park though--I now see why it is so legendary!
We have learned to avoid most moving picture screens at any National Park--they do indeed hold one hostage while indoctrinating the brain with all sorts of evolutionary rubbish. And how cruel to do the indoctrination with glass walls--who wants to look at pixels when the real thing is a glass thickness away?

Jessica McDonald said...

Okay, that is one seriously beautiful place. :) I'm so glad that y'all had a good time together! It looks far more exciting then watching the Superbowl, I will admit (and I actually like watching the Superbowl - so that's saying something!).

You know, I would've taken pictures for y'all had I been there. :-) But the rock does an okay job too. ;)

Love and miss y'all so much!! Thank you for posting. :-)

JB said...

Looks like you had a grand time! Making family memories is always a plus, as is missing the SuperBowl. I think next year I want to go back to the old tradition of visiting a tourist attraction, since they are always uninhabited on SuperBowl Sunday! I love the last pic, it's worthy of a spot on the wall.

Love you, Mumsie

Anthony said...

It looks so beautiful out there. Personally I am not a nature lover, but I really like the scenery of the snow.
I have to say that I enjoyed watching the Super Bowl, and I do not wonder why the park was almost empty.:) It is great to watch the two of you go places as your own family.:)
Thanks for posting. Love you!

Anton, Esq. to be

The Girl with the Red Lenses said...

Yay! You posted! lol! Love the pictures. Makes me miss California a lot. Dad loved that place and would take us there for every season. Love the pictures.

Hec @ 19 said...

T & B, Nice goin' on ditching the Superbowl, there is nothing super about it. Seeing Yosemite when it is empty is the only way to go!!

To those who have never been, Yosemite will reset your definition of "large objects".

Tiff, Don't let Ben talk you into hiking Half Dome. People have literally died making that climb. Don't let Gus go either.

Candace/Chloe said...

Yosemite is one of my favorite places on earth. I climbed Half Dome when I was fifteen. Oh, how I miss this beautiful place God has created!

Simply Tiffany said...

Rein,

Thanks! It was a beeeeeautiful day! :)

Mikaela,

This was my first visit there, and it was just stunning! Can't wait to go back!

Visiting a park when most people will be at home watching TV is a great way to go! Nobody around...except for the people who were in the lounge surrounded by the gorgeous scenery...but they were more interested in the Super Bowl...go figure. :)

Jess,

Yes, it is just breathtaking! We are so going to take you up there when you come see us! You will just love it! And the weather will be warmer and we'll take a picnic and eat by the river... *sigh* Can't wait!! :)

Oh, and then you can get pictures of us...unless you find the baby more photogenic... :) Love you and can't wait to see you!!!

Mumsie,

Oh yes...definitely something we'll do every year! Neither of us are big football fans (as if you didn't know! :))... I like that picture too...think I'll have it framed. :) Love you!

Anton,

What?!?!? Not a nature lover?!?! I mean, I'm not a tree hugger by any stretch of the imagination, but there is so much beauty in God's creation...one can't help but see His fingerprints everywhere and stand amazed... :) Glad you enjoyed the game, though...some people like that kind of stuff! Love ya!

Becca,

I can totally see why he would make a point to take y'all there every year...we plan on taking several family trips this year. :) So lovely...

Pops,

*laughs* That's what we thought! I was expecting more people to be there and was really surprised to pretty much have the park to ourselves! But hey, I'm not complaining!

Hehe...I've already told him that I won't go...I'm not sure that I want him attempting that, either! And no, Gus will stay with me. :) Love ya!

Candace,

Ahhh!!!! You're crazy, too! My brother-in-law has done it, and now my husband wants to try... I think I'll stick with the safer hikes. :)

Post a Comment