Vacation Update

We're back from our Fall 2010 Vacation, which this year worked out to be a roadtrip to Yosemite via Carson City, NV and Lake Tahoe.

Headed out at 5am on Saturday, Sept 18, destination Carson City.  Stopped for breakfast at IHOP in Eugene, OR, several rest stop breaks and we pulled in to our hotel at around 9pm.

Spent the following day exploring Carson City and checking out the historic district.  Experienced first hand the Virgina-Truckee RailRoad via a roundtrip steam train ride from

Virginia City to Carson City and back again.

Departed Carson City around 9am on Monday, Sept 20th, destination Midpines, CA via Lake Tahoe, and took the scenic drive North to South around the lake before getting serious about heading to Midpines.  Here are some shots taken when we got out and stretched our legs - these are from Sand Beach and DL Bliss State Parks.

 

 

 

Arrived at Midpines after a long long long drive via two Long and Winding Roads, first over Sonora Pass, Hwy 108 (met open range cows on the road and a platoon of Marines higher up running drills), then Hwy 140, twisty and in the full dark.  Yuk.  Arrived at the VRBO Strawbale House at 9pm.  Thankfully, the Dalmans had arrived earlier, because our hostess got our arrival day mixed up, and the place hadn't been cleaned, so Patti ran the sheets through the laundry.  Seriously tho, by the time we arrived, I'd've slept on straw in a barn, I was so tired.  We went immediately to bed.  The next morning, our mortified hostess arrived, terribly embarassed, and sending us off to the Park with promises of an extra clean house upon our return.  Which we came back to at the end of the day, along with a bottle of wine and the offer of a free night's stay on Friday -- good times!

Here are images taken over the four days we explored, hiked, biked, trammed and bused Yosemite Park: 

Dinner Thurs night at the Awahnee Hotel for Ron's bday and our anniversaries

View from Glacier Peak

 

This is the top of Vernal Fall, where we'd just been the prior day - awesome telephoto!

 

 

 

 

El Capitan

Bridal Veil Fall

Crazy Rock Climbers

Cook Meadow

 

Mirror (Puddle) Lake

 

 

 

Off on a tram ride around the Park, guided and narrated by a Park Ranger.

 

 

Tunnel View

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thursday's Hike up to Vernal & Nevada Falls - excruciatingly hard, but worth it!

 

 

Vernal Fall

Dalmans headed home on Friday, and we decided to stay the extra (free) night, so spent Friday driving up to Glacier Peak for amazing panoramic views, then down the other side of the Pass to Wawona.  We were shooting to make it to the Mariposa Grove of Sequoias, but ran out of time.

Back to the Hay House, cleaned up, did some laundry, then packed and loaded the car for an early start the next day.  Headed out at 5am on Saturday, September 25 and pulled in the driveway at home a little before 9pm that night.  Loooonnnnnggg drive, but totally worth it.

It was a fun trip, one of the more active vacations we've had in a while, and we spent Sunday pretty much resting and recovering.

Final Trip Mileage There and Back Again:  2,219.2 miles

Next big event is the Autumn Wine Tour with my friend Dena this coming weekend - we're hitting Chelan wineries this year!  Watch for pix and a report next week :)