 |
| An alternative view of Half Dome, taken from Glacier Point. |
-Drive to Yosemite
Our drive there was smooth thanks to Eddie’s fantastic driving in our brand-new caravan! (I named the van BBW). The treacherous mountain passes called for a full arsenal of motion sickness prevention but was well worth it!We took Ebbetts Pass
-The Ahwahnee/Majestic hotel
After all the twisting and turning and winding down the mountains we made it to the Yosemite Valley floor where a majority of the camp is. Not that we were camping really. We were lucky enough to get reservations at the notorious Ahwahnee/Majestic! It can take up to a year or more on a waiting list for room reservations there! It’s by far the nicest hotel there, since most people are camping or staying in lodges. It’s beautiful and historic and Eddie and I stayed in our own private cottage suite while Mom and Dad stayed up in the main building.
-Ahwahnee Meaning
The Yosemite people called Yosemite Valley Awooni or Owwoni for (gaping) “large mouth,” where the stem Awo or Owwo means “mouth” and the suffix ni means “large.” This referred to the appearance of the Yosemite Valley walls from the the village of Ahwahnee, which was located on the valley floor. The spelling used by Bunnell was “Ahwahne” and later “Ahwahnee.” The Yosemite people called themselves as Ah-wah-ne-chee,or “dwellers of Ahwahnee.” Ahwahnee originally referred to the largest and most powerful Indian village in the valley (located 1/2 mile west of Yosemite Village and south of Northside Drive), but the word also came to mean the entire valley.
-Night hike
Although once we got settled and had some dinner the sun had gone down, but we couldn’t wait to explore a little until the next morning. So, we went on a little impromptu un-guided night “hike”. I put the work hike in quotes because, we really didn’t go too far, but the blackness of the night and the use of red head lamps (to see the stars easier) made it seem much further. I was a little bummed out I couldn’t see the pinks, blues, and purples of the milky way (it was over cast) but then, the coolest thing happened!We were returning from our night adventure, smelling of deet and sporting our bear whistles, camel packs, and headlamps. We were unlocking the door to our cottage when I looked up in the sky as the clouds cleared momentarily. And what do I see? The ISS slowly arching its way across the darkness like they were passing over just to say hello to me! It was the brightest magnitude I had ever seen. The moment was fleeting and meant to be!
 |
| Did you know that the dining room at the Ahwahnee/Majestic hotel was the inspiration for the dining room in the movie "The Shining"?! |
 |
| mountains surrounding the entire valley |
 |
| the view behind our hotel- where our cottage was located |
-The BIG one: Mist Trail
Learn about the Mist Trail- check out the water falls!This hike was so hard but worth it. I don’t know what I was thinking, but it never occurred to me that hiking up water falls would be up hill. I know that sounds ridiculous. Once we arrived and I saw it was all up hill, it changed my perception of what the hike would be like. I was picturing walking along a straight path with excellent views and conversation. LOL This is an uphill assault that we battled through as a family and it let me tell you, it was SO worth it! And when the exhaustion and taking breaks gets obnoxious, you have the silly food begging squirrels to make you laugh. I couldn’t believe how tremendous the roar of the water was. It was life changing. I am so grateful that I was able to go and able to hike up this trail.
-Nutrition- how I dealt with having to add some dairy and gluten into my diet while on the road
Starting earlier this year, I began to take gluten and dairy out of my diet. I am willing to give almost anything a try when it comes to helping my depression/anxiety, so I felt like if these items were harder to digest, than I could use that extra energy. And it has been working great! I did lose a few pounds, but my main focus was on how it helped me mentally and so far it’s been a success. I started incorporating small amounts of dairy and gluten about 2 weeks before we left. I didn’t want to have to be stuck with not being able to participate in meals when the menu was limited. I still had a hard time at first. But I normally have troubles digesting when I travel anyway.-Bodie and the ALMOST stolen cursed glass
We visited Bodie, which is a for real abandoned mining town. It was more than I dreamt of. So beautiful and haunting. I almost took a piece of green antique glass from the ground when Eddie reminded me of the Bodie curse! Eeek! I ALMOST did something illegal!What's the Bodie curse?
Bodie’s inhabitants were of hardy stock, fiercely possessive of what they had built in this barren desert, and it is said that the long-dead spirits want to ensure that what they left behind remains intact. According to legend, anyone who removes anything-large or small-from the town is cursed with a string of bad luck. Misfortune and tragedy are heaped upon the victim until the stolen item is returned. Some claim that the ghosts of Bodie patrol the crumbling ruins to guard against thieves. (Beyond 2000)
 |
| A spooky black & white photo- the Bodie Curse! |
 |
| I can see for miles and miles and miles.... |
Hope you enjoyed today's part of our vacation! Next post will be taking us to Lake Tahoe and Virginia City, Nevada!
Comments
Post a Comment