Yosemite National Park

While in Fresno for work, I had one free day to fill with an adventure. Luckily, I found a day tour with Crossroads Tours & Limos. I was picked up at my hotel at 7:00am for the two hour drive to Yosemite National Park. Once inside, I was chauffeured around the crazy hairpin turns and winding mountain roads by my gregarious guide, Richard, in a comfortable suburban. All I had to do was relax and enjoy the gorgeous views.

Our first stop was at the historic Big Trees Lodge for a look around its grounds and then a walk across the covered bridge to Pioneer Village next door.

Driving toward Glacier Point, Richard pointed out this forest fire that has been burning for three months. Since it was initiated by a lightning strike and is not endangering lives or property, it is left alone to burn naturally. It's considered Mother Nature's way of thinning out the forest and returning valuable nutrients to the soil. It will continue to burn until the snow finally falls and puts it out.

We proceeded to see many of the highlights within the park.

Views of Half Dome and Bridalveil Falls.

My obligatory "Y" picture at Glacier Point

Yosemite Valley

Bridalveil Falls. All the falls within the park were down to a trickle because of the time of year, but they were still pretty impressive. They are at full capacity in the spring when the snow melts.

Richard pointed out this interesting rock slide that occurred recently. It left lighter colored rock behind in the shape of "Snoopy".

The leaves were just starting to turn so the scenery was breathtaking.

We stopped at Yosemite Falls and had a really nice picnic lunch provided by the tour company.

The lower falls.

Sitting on a boulder.

Richard is in the park almost daily with tours and said he hasn't seen a bear in about 6 weeks but we still looked for them. These deer were hanging out near the picnic area so I was thrilled to get pictures of them.

El Capitan. Using binoculars, we watched active rock climbers up there. That rock is so big that even with binoculars the climbers were small and hard to spot.

Our tour ended at Fern Spring which is naturally occurring. My picture doesn't do it justice but it looked like it was right out of a storybook. Richard provided a plastic water bottle for me to keep and fill with the coldest fresh water that I have ever tasted. Hours later, at the hotel, the water in that bottle was still cold.

On the way back to Fresno, Richard joked that he'd wake me when we got to the hotel. I laughed it off but then proceeded to doze off not too long after leaving the park. It had been a long day with an early start but so very worth it. Yosemite was full of awe-inspiring beauty.