We left Simi Valley, near LA, early and headed north to Yosemite National Park, it was a 5 to 6 hour drive. My cousin, Chuck and his wife, Lois were taking us on a 3 day tour. Chuck had made arrangements to meet two of his sisters, Bonnie and Lynne at Yosemite. Lynne had especially flown from Boise, Idaho to meet me, I felt so honoured. She flew to Sacramento and picked up Bonnie at Folsom nearby and then drove to Yosemite to meet us. I was very excited to be meeting them again after 41 years, although Bonnie had visited us in Australia in the 90's.
The Sequoia trees are the largest trees in the world, thesize is measured by the volume of timber not height. The Redwood trees belong to the same family as Sequoias, they are slimmer but taller. They were all giants to me and absolutely amazing. You can get a feel of the size by comparing the size of Lois, Chuck, Lynne and Bill at the foot of the tree. We were in the Mariposa Grove part of the Park.
Then we drove along the windy Glacier Point Rd until we came to this lookout/overlook as it is called in USA. The scene took my breath away. I remembered seeing this scene with the Half Dome mountain in a Geographic Magazine and now I was actually here in person observing the beauty.
There was an above average snowfall last winter and the rivers and waterfalls are full to the brim. It made a splendid scene. The Yosemite Falls
My cousins told me stories of how they used to camp here when they were young and climb to the top of Half Dome. How exciting that must have been.
I was excited to meet my cousins, Bonnie, Lynne, me and Chuck.
We had lunch at Oakhurst a small town outside of the Park.We saw this statue of liberty carved out of a tree trunk.We were off to see some huge Sequoia and Redwoods as well as the scenic Yosemite N.P.
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| Redwood Trees |
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| A giant Sequoia Tree |
A fallen tree shows the size of its root system, which is quite shallow for such a huge tree.
There were still patches of snow about.
Fun loving Lynne couldn't help but throw some snowballs at us. We all got on so well as if we had grown up together. They really made us feel part of the family.
Your relatives have the wrong name Bonnie and Lynne, instead of Bonnie and Clyde, lol !
ReplyDeleteWhen I see your pictures I still can smell the wood ! it was so intensive.
Wow! Great photos Diane and it must have been wonderful to meet up with relatives. Those trees are amazing. Betsy will go "bananas" when she sees the waterfulls, I can hardly wait for her enthusiastic comments. The topography of the area is mind blowing.
ReplyDeleteGreat work mate!
Colin
Oops - waterfalls, not waterfulls.
ReplyDeleteSorry Diane, extra sorry Betsy!
Colin
How marvelous to meet up with your cousins. We went to Yosemite when we lived in California but that particular trip has been over 30 years ago now. Your photos are fantastic, gorgeous scenery and those trees are incredible. This makes me want to go back.
ReplyDeleteMaravilhoso!
ReplyDeleteum abraço
No words. Just . . . beautiful. All of it. I've only been to Yosemite once and it was kind of 'driving through'. I'd like to go back and really see it again.
ReplyDeleteWell, those pictures of such magnificent country just blow me away. Fabulous!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful photos. I've been to Cuba and China, Morocco, but not Yosemite. That goes on my "bucket list!" What a wonderful trip and you got to do it with relatives. Fantastic!
ReplyDeleteNow then. Where did I put my passport?
ReplyDeleteMy husband and I visited Yosemite National Park last summer ..it is a spectacular place isn't it? I sadly read this morning that two hikers were swept to their death over Vernal Falls in Yosemite. The article said the falls were really strong this years due to all the snow melt.
ReplyDeleteYour pictures have made me want to visit Yosemite more than ever. The scenery is amazing, and the waterfalls are gorgeous. We encountered snow in the mountains of Utah at about the time you were in Yosemite.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you had a wonderful time meeting long lost cousins and seeing the beautiful National Parks! This country is blessed with natural beauty.
ReplyDeleteWOW ----Love those waterfulls (waterfalls)... Yosemite is also on our list of places to visit sometime... As you can tell, our list is LONG... SO glad you all got there. WOW!!!
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Betsy
Such lovely photos of a place I hope to see before too long. How nice for you to be able to visit with family and friends while here!
ReplyDeleteThis park looks so huge - so much to see and how wonderful to spend the day with your lovely cousins. A special day to be remembered!
ReplyDeleteHi Diane, I'm sorry I haven't had the time to visit very often and I thank you for keeping track of me on our adventures in NZ and the Pacific! Now when I check in with you I find that you are vacationing in one of my favorite places in the world. As a child, my family would spend 2 weeks every summer in this magical place and I have such fond memories of my time here. I hope you have a fabulous vacation!!!
ReplyDeleteDiane, this is all so extraordinarily lovely! They certainly have it all. The landscapes, those splendidly regal trees, the glorious mountains, rivers and waterfalls. Too much to be able to absorb in a single visit, I'm sure. How very special that you were able to share it all with your cousins and that the four of you connected instantly after such a lengthy separation. As always, your pictures are stunning.
ReplyDeleteWow, still snow in the summer there! The Musician and I have stood right where Bill is standing in front of those amazing tree roots. It's so great you clicked right away with your cousins!
ReplyDeleteOmw, Diane, those trees are tall! I loved the fallen one with Bill standing in front of the root system. What an awesome park!
ReplyDeleteAll great pictures -- but You did an especially great job of capturing these magnificent trees. I found it so hard to show their scale in a photo.
ReplyDeleteAwesome!
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