Return to the Motherland (pt 2)

After just a night or two in San Diego, the family loaded up into the car and drove to Yosemite National Park. My parents had come to Yosemite on their honeymoon over 25 years ago, but Judy and I had never been. So I was so extatic when we came through a tunnel and saw Inspiration Point, pictured above. I knew this was going to be a special trip.

Yosemite is immensely beautiful. And also, since it was winter, it was nice and quiet. We really enjoyed walking around and taking in all the scenery. The picture above is us in front of lower Yosemite falls.

Above is El Capitan, the highest peak in Yosemite. Each year, hundreds of people climb the shear face. Our guide told us it takes about 3 to 4 days to climb, with climbers sleeping in hammock-like platforms that dangle out over the face. Speed climbers can apparently do the climb in 2-5 hours. About 27 people have died trying to climb it.

After our two days were up, we decided to drive all the way back to San Diego in a day (we took two days coming up) with traffic and other distractions, it took over 10 hours. Quite a long trip, but it was well worth it. I recommend everyone to see Yosemite at some point. Winter is ideal because it is not crowded, it's chilly, and really peaceful. I didn't spend much time describing it because you really need to see it to understand.