When I started doing research for our trip to California (about two weeks before said trip!), I found out that Yosemite wasn’t far from San Francisco. Mr. Mouse wasn’t sure at first but I insisted. So we went. Driving up there, the mountains were kind of yellow, not green like I’m used to. Few trees, lots of straw colored grass. And then, without realizing it, you find yourself in a narrow valley, next to a river, and there are more and more trees. By the time you reach Yosemite Valley, the straw colored grass has faded away and everything is green. It’s absolutely breathtaking.
We spent three days there. Well, not all day those three days. Our hotel was outside Yosemite, in Mariposa. I only researched this two weeks in advance, remember? There is no staying in Yosemite if you don’t book months in advance. So we drove in and out everyday.
Once again, I’ve narrowed down the three days to 12 pictures. I snapped a phenomenal number of landscapes. Pictures never quite do them justice but I couldn’t help it. It turns out they’re much better than I expected. You still get a sense of depth, a bit of that feeling of being tiny in a huge world. I’m sure my lens helped. It was just the lens that came with my camera but it’s a zoom that goes from 18mm to 55mm. And that 18mm did give me a decently wide angle…
Day 1: Yosemite Valley. We actually went to Glacier Point too but those pictures didn’t make the cut. We would have loved to hike some more intense trails but we had to stick to what souricette 1 could reasonably accomplish.
On our way to the Yosemite Fall trail. I was fascinated by those red trunked trees.
Yosemite Falls
It was hot. So hot! I was epically jealous of those people in the river.
On our way to Glacier Point, there was a scenic stop. Completely worth it!
Day 2: Lake Tenaya. This one was Mr. Mouse’s idea. It was quite the drive but the lake was beautiful. The sun was shining, there was a bit of wind. The air was hot and the water was cold. The mountains were so rocky. Big slabs of grey. Yet trees had found a way to grow…
Another scenic stop just before reaching the lake. I’m still in awe of the rock formation and the plants that have found a way to grow there.
Burnt trees. We were tired and wanted to get back to our hotel but I knew I would regret not stopping. We saw a few of these burnt areas. They have such an eerie quality. Especially when you notice that somehow, a few of the trees escaped unscathed.
Day 3: Mariposa Grove. Sequoias. Souricette 1 loved them. I wanted a picture of her hugging one of them but we were told not to get close because their roots are shallow. Walking packs the soil and harms the roots. No hugs then. This is the one time a wider angle would have been useful I was never able to catch the whole height of a single one of those trees.
Creative mommy at home to two wonderful little girls, trying to juggle family, sewing, exercise, family, knitting, photography, and did I mention family?
Deux souriceaux 
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