One of the best, if not THE BEST, last minute decision we’ve made on the trip so far was our Yosemite visit. Even though we had no chance of scoring a camping spot, got caught in daily traffic jams, and had to relocate parking spaces the first night at 1:30am (thank you state troopers); Yosemite was still fabulous.
El Capitan 
Yosemite Falls 
It looks warmer than it is.
We arrived in Yosemite Valley mid-afternoon on a Saturday, so of course the park was packed. After 15 minutes of grid-locked traffic we decided to ditch our original plans for an afternoon hike on the eastside of the park. Instead, we swooped into a parking space that had just opened up on the main drag and meandered along the valley walking path, soaking up the sunshine and enjoying the view of El Capitan and Yosemite Falls. After a hot afternoon the river looked so inviting and we passed a perfect sandy spot to slip in and cool off. Only problem was that the water was FREEZING… The thought of going to bed sticky with bug repellant & sweat was enough to get me to take a breath and put my head under. However, certain threats had to be issued before another certain someone could be coaxed into the water. And as usual it was worth it, in the end we were both refreshed and grateful.
That night we cooked up an easy dinner, set out our chairs, and settled in to watch the sun set behind El Capitan.
The next morning we started early. The hike was a portion of the John Muir Trail to the top of the Nevada Falls and then back down alongside Vernal Falls via the Mist Trail, 6 miles in all. Along the way we met a young woman that was just starting out and planned to hike the whole John Muir trail, all 211 miles of it! She said it should take her 3 weeks and that she’d been training for an entire year. Her pack was 30 lbs and of course it will get lighter as she treks but still I couldn’t help imagining all she had ahead of her. An exciting and slightly terrifying endeavor.
Going up we saw only a handful of people which was great, but going down was quite crowded. It truly pays to get on the trail before 9am during the summer months when you’re hiking in National Parks. We had the same experience in Zion. It’s also the best way to avoid the heat- wake up with the sun-hit the trail- pack a breakfast to enjoy mid-hike; excellent start to the day.
Mist trail 
Vernal Falls 
Dance moves
Our 2nd night we were wiser, we asked around and were told that one of the best places for backcountry camping was the half-dome. Meaning that lots of cars were left in the trailhead parking lot overnight while backpackers hiked in and camped on the trail. So after a late dinner, we headed for the trailhead parking, put up our reflectix, and slept like babies. No mid-night wake up call thank goodness…just an overeager hiker blaring his heavy metal at 7am. But hey that’s boondocking, we’ll take it.
Our 2nd day in the park we drove South to see the view from Glacier Peak…SPECTACULAR. We rolled out our mats, did a bit of yoga and meditation with the sun on our faces. Then breakfast smoothies as we stared mesmerized at the scene in front of us, completely captivating.
Eventually we tore ourselves away from the peak to get down and see the big trees. We were both super excited to visit the ancient Sequoias in Mariposa Grove. It’s just mind-boggling to imagine what these trees have seen! Over thousands of years the land, country, and people all around them have changed tremendously, yet the trees remain. The Grizzly Giant is the oldest in the park and the 25th oldest tree in the world at an estimated 2400 years. Meaning it was ‘born’ persay in 381 BC, which was also the year that the Spartans fought the battle of Olynthus and Hippocrates was still around doing his thing. That is one OLD TREE!
We spent a long time walking amongst the giants but eventually our hunger prevailed so we headed back to the Gecko for dinner and story. Oh right I haven’t mentioned that at all. Listening to audio books quickly became our Netflix on this trip…no screens or internet required. And gosh it’s such a treat to come back to the van in the evening, pour a glass of wine and tune in as we cook together. We’ve been listening to Ken Follet’s Pillars of the Earth Trilogy and what a phenomenal story! He is a wonderful writer and his reader, Bruce Lee, does a fantastic job playing all the different characters.
After Yosemite it was back to Santa Cruz. We were invited to stay with the aunt of a good friend of ours back in Basel. Rosie was a very gracious host and we all had a great time together that weekend, hanging out in her beautiful garden, meeting up for dinner with one of her good friends, and exploring the neighborhood markets and coffee shops. Our departure time came too soon but on the way out, she invited us onto her morning radio show. Ahhh what a blast!
Cocktail hour 🙂 
Early morning ‘good news’
Next stop…San Francisco 🙂
Roaming Geckos 