Trip Dynasty: Yosemite

Claire woke up first this morning and did 15 minutes of solid happy gurgling/squealing before I gave in and got her. I knew we were going to be so sleep deprived before this trip was over. We broke camp quickly and Robb took Colby and I took Alice for their first shower. Alice was pretty concerned about getting her face wet, but after I convinced her that a shower wasn't that different from the sprinklers at the splash pad she loved it. Side note: Washing two people on a coin operated shower requires way more strategy and prep work than I expected.

Anyway, we drove through more twisty, but scenic roads until we arrived at a very packed Yosemite park. The drive through the entrance tunnel was accompanied by the appropriately epic/fantastical "Gerudo Valley" from the 25th Anniversary Legend of Zelda album. That view at the end of the tunnel is like a fistful of fairy dust to the face. We tried parking for a little while before giving up and using the shuttle bus. Our first stop was at a great view of El Capitan. An experienced climber set up a few telescopes so we could watch a few people making their way slowly up the rock face. He then fielded questions about all the climbs he's done and what kind of equipment he uses. Colby loved the telescopes.

Ashley and I hiked back a bit to try and fit more of El Capitan in the picture, but once again, my camera couldn't do it justice.

Then we hopped back on the shuttle to Bridal Veil falls--it was beautiful and I can only imagine what it looked like in the Spring when the water was higher. Then we raced back to the shuttle stop (literally, we each had a kid and were sprinting back), only to find the bus was completely packed. Claire was overheated, so I tried to nurse her off the side of the trail. She refused to eat. We went back to the group and made up a bottle. She refused that too. At this point she was crying inconsolably and I couldn't do anything to help her. The next bus arrived just as I got her to latch on, so Claire, the nursing cover, and I manged to climb on in and find a seat in the back.  Within ten minutes she was back to her normal self and charming everyone around her.

That night we camped at a site with a beautiful creek running in the back and with the least smelly/fly infested outhouse I've ever come across. Seriously, they were downright pleasant. 10/10 - would relieve myself here again.