9 days, 8 nights.
Destination:
Yosemite National Park, California.
Purpose:
West Family Reunion of 2010.
The Drive:
Departed Mesa, Az on a HOT Friday evening. 4 Runner packed to the brim, floor to ceiling (except a small cubic foot carved in the middle for rear viewing.) Every nook and cranny of back seat floor space and front passenger space filled with this and that.
Passengers:
Michael Adam West, 31
Bianca Becky-Marie West, 29
James Robert West, 2.5
Madison Paige West, 0.6
Matthew Joseph Wheeler (brother), 15
Vehicle Capacity:
5 passenger
103.1 cubic ft interior volume
*MAXIMUM CAPCITY REACHED*
Accessories:
Roof mounted cargo container
Items Brought:
Everything including the kitchen sink
Wish List:
Navigation
A truck
Next vehicle MUST have reclining back seats!
Scenery:
Gorgeous. We were greeted with this awesomeness!
The mountains were amazing.
Yosemite Falls was breathtaking.
Half dome was still covered in a smidge of snow in the saddle (not seen in this photo).
Perfect weather matched by perfect skies.
Glimmering meadows that you could only imagine in a Twilight movie.
We were in heaven on earth. Miles and miles of bike paths, hiking trails, freezing cold rivers, lions and tigers and bears (ok not lions and tigers but definitely bears... and lots of them.)
The first three days were miserable because we had to move to three different campsites. But once we hit Monday, we had time to relax and enjoy the surroundings. Curry Village was a nice little shopping area. Highly commercialized and very touristy. I mean the type of touristy where you pay $8 per bag of ice and $5 per shower.
Once you got away from all the hustle and bustle of shuttle stops, cars, and the typical tourists traps, then you started to realize why people came here. Deer roamed the meadows, birds chirped overhead, bears roamed the wilderness. A truly remarkable place. Where you could get away from it all if you wanted too.
On Thursday we made the big trek up Half Dome. Over 17 miles, almost a mile climb to the top, enduring the last leg up on cables.
Here was our group shot for hiking Half Dome that morning.
We spent an afternoon at Mirror Lake. The water was way too cold for my tastes.
The grands and James.
My other brother Bj, met us there. Since he goes to Stanford he was able to take a shuttle straight to Curry Village.
We frequently took the boardwalk across the meadow to Curry Village and other parts of town.
And of course I was paranoid because we camped so close to the water that James was almost always wearing his life jacket.
The water was between 50-60 degrees I think.
Our camp was very small. The tents were practically on top of each other.
This photo just sets the tone for the last 3 days.
James was always able to keep himself busy.
Our bags grew bags by night 5. The children did not sleep well in a tent.
We couldn't have done it without our child packs.
And borrowing a 2nd pack from a friend.
What I learned from this trip:
- Keep a journal
- Don't be afraid to break out the camera
- Convince the older kids (like the 6 yr olds) the watch the 2 yr olds
- Take more pictures of the mundane things
- Venture out more in the wilderness
Stay tuned for a detailed account of Half Dome, Yosemite Trip Part II.
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