Yosemite National Park

Enjoy this post - it´s the first time we have had to pay for WiFi (at Yosemite Lodge).  We have just had 3 lovely days in Yosemite NP. On Sunday we entered via Tioga pass from the east.  This reaches Tuolomne Meadows which is quite different scenery from the main valley where we stayed.  We did a walk to Lembert Dome and Dog lake:

Lembert Dome 

We stayed at Housekeeping camp where we have a ¨tent¨ which actually has 3 solid walls with a canvas roof and entrance.  It has a double bed, bunk beds, and outside a private covered area with table, chairs, benches, hooks, etc.  It´s beautifully located on the river with a view to Yosemite Falls - sadly these are totally dry at this time of year.  The 2 hotels in the valley book out months in advance for this time of year.

Yesterday (Monday) we did the Vernal Falls walk up Mist Trail.  It involved a reasonable ascent which became even more when someone (me!) misread the map.

the final ascent to the top of Vernal Falls (see top right of photo) 

at the top 

Today we drove to Glacier Point for stunning views of Half Dome, and then did the Sentinel Dome/Taft Point loop walk for equally impressive views of El Capitan and The Three Brothers:

Half Dome - the vertical face has a slope of 93% - steepest in the USA 

El Capitan (left) and the valley from Sentinel Dome 

that´s me waving from near the edge of the steep drop

El Capitan from Yosemite valley - people come from all over the world to rock climb the 3600 feet ascent.  People also get killed each year trying.

One could easily spend a week or two here realaxing and doing little walks plus the odd harder one. The challenging one is Half Dome - it´s about 4500 feet above the valley floor.  Some people do the climb in one day although that is not recommended.  The final few hundred feet of ascent are up a 45 degree slope with cables.  A good one for you David!

Only 2 national parks left to go - tomorrow we are off to Sequoia/King´s Canyon.