Yosemite in our Rearview Window ...

Got up at 5:30 freakin' am to get early light photos in Yosemite since we had a drive to get there. Got stuck in construction traffic for 11 minutes that seriously felt like a half hour just thinking about the sun getting higher and higher in the sky.

Should have brought a compass ... never a good idea to shoot straight into the sun - so the valley shots were a bust:


Got some pretty ones of waterfalls again - this time with my tripod and doing it right:


The wildlife was ever so friendly. Saw a doe eating while taking photos of the above waterfall and this darling buck'ish guy (when they have fuzz on their antlers - does that mean they are young?) just wandering around 'Yosemite Falls':

And, yes, I was that close as you can see here with Gary taking a photo of him contemplating crossing the street (which he navigated just fine ...):

An adorable little blue bird of some sort sat and posed ever so pretty for me:

And a panorama of Yosemite Falls (yes, I got the name down):

I then made the MONUMENTALLY stupid decision that I HAD TO SEE A GIANT SEQUOIA. So off we went to one of the groves. A one mile hike ... "No problem!" I say - with my brand spanking new walking shoes. Off we go.


A wee bit in the path starts dropping, and dropping getting steeper and steeper. We decided it was a mile DOWN. And the entire time (I am no dummy) I was picturing the walk back UP. Eeek!


Thought I was going to die - this sea level gal at over 5000ft and in no shape to be climbing. But I am still alive (although at one point Gary did take my camera and say he would post a final blog for me .... I felt ever so loved).

But proof positive - I saw, I took a photo, I nearly died getting back to the car ...

Then out the East Entrance to Yosemite and off to find I5 ... eventually ...

A waterfall on the way out:

Beautiful scenery:

And, as we arrived in Redding for the night ... lovely Mount Shasta taken out the car window:

Well, off to the Redwood Forest and then all the way to Lincoln Beach, Oregon tomorrow - unless we chicken out and find a hotel along the way ...

Then ....


FAMILY!!!!

Oh so much family ....