On Saturday, July 13th, we drove from San Francisco to Clovis (Fresno). How awesome is it that we basically started and ended our summer vacation there? :) It was nice to be able to spend more time with Todd (my bro) and Tracey, instead of just dropping our kids off (but that was nice too, don't get me wrong--ha!). We went to dinner at Dog House Grill in Fresno which I've heard both Todd and my Dad talk about, but had never been to. It is a very popular local place and was quite busy. The parking lot only holds so many cars (they have parking attendants that direct you in), and if there isn't a spot then you are out of luck! Rob and I shared a steak sandwich and salad (they were both huge!). No joke that the steak sandwich was probably in my 'top three' sandwiches I've ever had in my life. So delicious (I'm getting hungry just thinking about it). And the home made BBQ sauce was incredible. I was trying to find out if they sell it, but I don't believe they do. I'll be going there again, for sure!
Sunday was a true DAY OF REST! Was nice to take it easy in the morning, go to afternoon church, and enjoy a yummy dinner together.
On Monday, we made the two hour drive into Yosemite National Park. Again, I don't believe I have ever been here (maybe when I was really young, but I don't think so). There were winding roads leading in, and unfortunately my nephew (Brock) and Liv threw up. I have to worry that Liv's pregnancies will be difficult like mine were (I swear there is a connection to getting car sickness and severe nausea when pregnant).
This is the spectacular Yosemite Valley (about an hour in from the main entrance):
The kids were so done with having to have their picture taken. This is the best we could do:
A big group shot (we were missing my niece, Eliza, who had play practice--dress rehearsal week):
Adler (now 16!) brought his cute 'friend' Sammy along, and Liv fell in love with her right away (I'm loving Brock's fingers in this photo!):
We hiked up to Vernal Falls. It's about three miles round trip, but quite steep (it was by far the best workout of the summer and made all of our other hikes seem more like nice strolls). Rob carried Liv about 90% of the way and was really tired by the time we got toward the top. Here we are at the bridge (about half way); you can see the falls in the background:
There were so many people at Yosemite. It was interesting because just about every single person we passed was speaking something other than English, and most from Europe I would guess. You can see from looking at the black on the rocks that the falls are MUCH bigger in the spring. At that time the entire stairway is wet and very slick (people wear ponchos on the hike). I was thankful that the stairs were dry or it would be even more difficult/dangerous with kids.
So pretty!
The rainbow at the bottom was so cool! I could have sat and just enjoyed the view here for a long time. This was a good 'happy place' as they say...
Our boys are such good climbers/hikers. They just keep going and going.
At the top!
The boys wandered around a bit at the top (maybe not the safest idea? I would never allow it in the spring). They had a blast exploring with their cousins. It was hot and they were drenched in sweat when it was time to head back down.
Can you tell how wet Hewitt's hair is here? Todd was able to convince Liv to ride on his shoulders for a bit to give Rob a break (thanks, Todd!). Both Rob and my legs were really shaky on the way down:
We then drove back about an hour near the entrance (Tosh and Liv both crashed!) and hiked into Mariposa Grove to check out the giant sequoias. Pretty amazing!
At the Grizzly Giant. This tree is about 2000 years old and has limbs bigger in size than most trees!
We grabbed food on our way back to Clovis and got all packed up and ready to head HOME! Our original plan was to spend the next several days at Disneyland, but I am so thankful that we changed those plans (back in May maybe?). We had such a fabulous vacation, but were really excited to get back home and ready for school.
1 comment:
So cool. I'm glad you changed your Disneyland plans, too, since just *reading* about what you did makes me too tired to go. I can't even imagine how tired you were doing it all.
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