Thursday, July 29, 2010

Yosemite: Day Two

Day Two of Yosemite brought big trees and a big view. We woke up and hit the road within the park for Mariposa Grove. Again, with the theme of crowds, we had to park in the overflow lot and ride the shuttle in - it was 9AM. One thing about Yosemite, though - the free shuttle transportation worked very well and it was much easier to park in the Valley and ride throughout than to drive to each place. 


We had a lovely shuttle driver who gave us all sorts of information about Yosemite. When we got to the grove where the Sequoias were, we decided the best way to see the whole forest (Lower and Upper Groves) was the tram tour. Excellent idea - I recommend it. It was guided (so in our pics, we've got super cool headphones and headsets):


These sequoias are cousins to the Redwoods of California fame but seemed just as big to me. This one above had fallen over years ago and that is someone standing in front of the base, to give you perspective on its size. 
These two trees, the "Two Lovers", are forever intertwined as their root systems help support and nourish the other tree, helping them both to grow tall. 
Fire scars from controlled burns in the grove. 
The clothespin tree.


After a morning in Mariposa Grove, we spent the afternoon across the park doing a hike to Taft Point. It was a great hike selection if you're looking for one at Yosemite. It was a very easy moderate, perfect for all of us to do together. 



1 comment:

Hilary Dow Ward said...

I like the new blog format. good colors.

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