yosemite

With our summer trip switched to the western side of the country this year, we knew Yosemite was at the top of our list to visit with my parents{my mom hiked HALF DOME in 1998 with me and Scott...AWESOME!  But my dad has never been!}  Usually when they visit, Yosemite would be snow covered, beautiful, but...not explorable.  So we made it!  And we were so grateful it all worked out!  Yosemite is really heavenly. 

When I'm there, I cannot stop taking pictures!  Even though I've taken many pictures of Half Dome or El Capitan...or Yosemite Falls, or Vernal Falls...I. MUST. TAKE. MORE!  And it's interesting to see the differences in lighting {during the day} or waterfall capacity/snow melt {at different times of the year or different years}...so my pictures taking obsession is somehow justified! 
The beauty is all consuming, sometimes even in a spiritual way!  I feel so filled with happiness and giddiness whilst there!  It is fantastic! 
So here we are driving into the valley...at our first glimpse of half dome!  So exciting! 
And yet...it's about to get even better!!!

Yosemite Falls...the tallest waterfall in The United States of America!  You can just barely see the lower portion of Yosemite Falls...

The Valley floor is gorgeous!  I just love the color of the grasses on the valley floor!  The trees are always dark green, then the light green valley grasses {I've never been there during the fall...where they get golden} and the tall rocks jetting straight up...such contrasts create such awe! 
One cannot NOT think about it's creation!

WOW!  Tall rocks!

Lower Yosemite Falls...I kept thinking about perspective when we were at Yosemite Falls...The view from close to Yosemite Falls is gorgeous!!!  But what if you didn't even know that there was something huger and more spectacular up above!  Just walk a short distance in one direction and you behold the falls in all their glory!  {...our only blunder of the trip was not taking the right trail to lower Yosemite Falls...so while the trail was pretty...it didn't showcase the Falls like the other trail from a different perspective...which in my opinion is really great...so always start at the Lodge everyone!}

All of us at Lower Yosemite Falls

El Capitan.  Scott and two of the boys...Scott's favorite rock formation is actually El Capitan. 

A gorgeous view of the Valley...called Tunnel View.

El Capitan on the left.  Half Dome in the distance {the sun is shining on it, no shaddow on front or back side}.  Bridal Veil Falls on the right.

We didn't take many pictures of our camping at Wawona that night...it's inside Yosemite National Park, but outside the valley about 40 minutes.  It was a nice campground right along a river.  Great for when you happen to not get a highly coveted campsite inside Yosemite Valley.  Fun to camp with my mom and dad...even though it was a super fast camp...set up and eat dinner by 8 pm...tear down and get out by 10:00 {?} am the next day!  Fast, but fun!  Hot Dogs and Banana boats over the fire were great!  And the car was triple checked for food crumbs...so the bears would not open it like a can of beans!

Good Morning El Capitan!

Sitting in traffic entering the Valley...not a bad place to be stuck in traffic!  Perfect to snap some pictures!

We both hiked the whole way with these kiddos on our backs.

Nearby hikers were impressed we made it...Cade wasn't that tough to carry...but I Scott gets big Kuddos for treking with Kyle on his back!

The beginning of our awesome hike!  Starting at Curry Village...towards Happy Isles...along the Mist Trail to the top Vernal Falls...more up to see a view of Nevada Falls...and the back side of Half Dome and down along the John Muir Trail!  Round Trip I think it was 7 or 8 miles...and we lucked out with really nice weather~i.e...not too hot!

Yosemite Falls in the distance.

First glimpse of Vernal at the bridge!

 It was pretty much raining here...we tried to protect the lens from water until everyone was set...obviously that didn't work too well!  It was sorta impossible to do..since the water was in the air, and our shirts were wet...so drying off the lens was less effective.

A somewhat dryer spot on the Mist Trail...but we were dripping drenched!

 We all made it to the top!  Sweet!  Ryan and Sean did amazing!  They were master hikers!  Scott hauled up Kyle, and I had Cade and we were thrilled that my mom and dad got to come along and enjoy the beauty and MAJESTY that is YOSEMITE!  Truly, it was so wonderful to share it with them together! {It being my dad's first visit...he was in love...as we all were...it was so fun!}

At the peak of Vernal Falls!

I really love being in Yosemite...the views are spectacular and breath taking, but it's more than that! 

I really love being in Yosemite with Scott!

It was one of the first things we got to do together, and so it holds a very special place in my heart!

I love our memories here!!!

Watching the powerful river just before it heads over Vernal Falls. 

Scott and the kids thought that water was scared!

I love guard rails!  The view is amazing...but I still get tingly feelings in my hands and feet!  All the boys loved this little viewpoint...we took longer than our fair turn at that spot since they all wanted to watch the water pour over the edge...and I had to take pictures!

Nevada Falls next to Liberty Cap...which Scott named Han Solo....and Sean named Elephant...as he decided it looked like an elephant!

Yay Dad!  Awesome hiker!  Soooo crazy happy you got to enjoy Yosemite!

look at this elephant profile...now...look down at Liberty Cap...imagine the tusk a little closer to the eye...higher up and there you have it!

Can you see the white tusk?  to the right of the tusk is the large elephant ear...and left of the tusk is his trunk.  Sean thinks his eye is near the top of the tusk...a little mostly horizontal slit...others think its in different places...I tend to go with Sean's viewpoint...nonetheless, Liberty Cap will always be an Elephant to us!
Genious Sean!  Love it!

Another shot of Liberty Cap on the right...but this time with the back side of Half Dome on the far left {so glad we went to the TOP in 1998...I know I'll do it again, but it's harder to do that these days with the kiddos!}.

Zoomed in Nevada Falls

Overlooking Vernal Falls from the John Muir Trail.

A better shot of what we saw!

 Mom and Dad...in front of a V for Vanatter!

 Can you see the Elephant?

 Scott the Amazing hiker!

 And the front of Half dome in all it's glory!  Aaaahhhhh!!

Every trip to Yosemite is etched in my heart!  Vivid memories of each...I hope it stays that way, even though I plan to add many more trips in my lifetime!  I am so so so glad we got to take my parents and enjoy it all together this year!  It was fantastic!

The kids really appreciated it this year too.

They all heartily agree that the Mist Trail was the favorite...I have to agree!  They loved getting soaked...I love how strikingly beautiful it is all the way up along the 300 foot waterfall...being so close and experiencing the mist!

Ryan said his favorite thing to look at in Yosemite was the boot on El Capitan!

Maybe he loves it just like his dad...though I think he really loved watching the waterfalls too {he claims his favorite waterfall was Horsetail Falls...which only exists when there is plenty of water runoff...I don't think I've ever seen it before!}.

Sean says his favorite was Yosemite Falls and the Elephant.

Kyle says the animals...including the elephant.

We also saw three deer and a coyote!

Pure joy!

p.s...in my picture taking madness this summer...I've added many posts...

Cousin Fun

Eight is Great

A Fourth of July Tahoe

Early Summer Days...

I have so many photos...they are not all on the main page...including Ryan's Baptism...the most important part of our summer!  So you can click on older posts at the bottom to see his sweet happy face!

Cousin fun!

What a crazy fun July we had!  SO much action!  Most of the cousins got to come to town for a visit!  There's something so great about cousins!

This year was super great because Owen and Sean were pretty excellent independent swimmers!  Grandma and Grandpa Motley's pool is always a cousin magnet and the

weather was nice and hot just on the right days!

But...this mama duck's eggs hatched!  And they naturally went into the pool...not understanding that it didn't quite work like a pond...and was much harder for tiny duckling legs to get out of!  So Amy and Karen place a piece of carpet at the edge of the pool for a ramp!  It mostly worked, and since we didn't want the pool to be overrun by ducks, kids and ducks played simulateously!...though the mama would get pretty nervous and the ducks didn't stay around too long.

Otter Pops are a big hit after swimming for a while!

These 2008 cousins are pretty cute!  They all had fun swimming with their "muscles."

What awesome Aunties to help with my little guys while I was helping Sean {he needed me to partner him} go on the big slides at Sunsplash!

Here are those 2008 cousins again{minus Hudson}!  I love these kiddos!  How I wish these girlies lived closer so my kids got more girl exposure!  They just don't have any clue what to do with girls!

And here are Ryan, Sean, Dylan and Carter at Sunsplash.  What was so great about this time was they hauled that huge quad inner tube up the tall stairs all by themselves!

And after the Watsons came to town, we had more pool fun!

The waterfall is the main attraction.  In Ryan's journal entry about playing with cousins he said his favorite thing was to jump and jump and jump off the waterfall!

Hitting beach balls...catching footballs...getting thrown....such FUN!

So glad these guys made it here for a visit this summer! 

Gross!

 As always we wish we'd had more time, it's just never enough!  Love you all!  Can't wait til next time!