Yosemite National Park - June 2022

I probably make it sound like we travel constantly without our children from the last few posts. While we do find it crucially important to spend time together as a couple (because we have to live with each other longer than with the children), we also adore our progeny and love to travel with them. Travel is a big priority in all of our lives, so we save up for it.

Much of J's family lives in upstate California. As such, shortly after school let out for the summer in 2022, we hopped on an Allegiant plane to LA. We went to Disneyland for a day and then drove directly north up the armpit of California (I believe they call it "Fresno"). While that was a pretty dull drive up, we got to spend time with family in the Mariposa-ish area, including a day at Yosemite National Park.

This was a lovely first-time visit for the kids and me, while I believe J had gone in his youth. Much of his family works either currently or in the past for the Park, so it was really great to get to share some of their lives.

Here are just a handful of photos from the visit to Yosemite:

I believe this is the Upper Yosemite Falls. I'm not going to lie, it sort of looks a little like a butt. But a really pretty, picturesque butt, you know?

I think this is from the Lower Yosemite Falls Hike, I'm terrible with names. Our son, C, wanted to jump off of every single one of these rocks - no exaggeration.

I've shared this image before from when I submitted it to Pufferbilly Days in 2022 - this gentleman sat and painted the falls for a long time. It was wicked inconvenient to hikers, but good for photos.

Half Dome, from the field up in the park. C pointed out several times that this is the inspiration for the North Face logo, which maybe was missing the point of the view.

I don't remember the exact name of this inspiration point, but I do know that my youngest child wanted to get as close to the railing overlooking it as possible, and it was a good thing I'd taken a Xanax. (So glad A balances him out!)

I wasn't joking in the last caption about taking a Xanax. Bridges and walkways and roads on mountains all put me into a fairly distressed state. J's mom expertly drove, while I had a Xanax on-board so that I didn't lose my mind every time we went up a mountain road with no railing on the side of it. There is no way to control my children's safety on those treacherous roads, and so it is not a place I could ever, ever live. (It worries me enough each day thinking from afar about J's family driving the roads, and they know them like the backs of their hands.). So beautiful, and just so dangerous.