John Muir's muse became what is understood as the first land ever set aside for preservation and public enjoyment, and we wanted to see the place that inspired the many national parks to come. We left our dear Pacific Northwest for a few days to drive down to pay Yosemite National Park our first visit ever. I understand now why the park is so visited and so loved. The towering granite cliffs and cascading waterfalls make for amazing sights. We camped in the park for three nights, and we were so glad to have had the luxury of that much time to explore. On our last full day the road to Glacier Point opened, and we were so thankful to be able to watch the sunset from there.
It was hard to leave, but we were also anticipating a night on the coast in a historic bed and breakfast. We figured we could splurge after car camping the preceding four nights. After our wonderful stay at the Requa Inn we camped another night and explored the Redwood State and National Parks. On our last night before we got home we did a beautiful hike to Fairy Falls along the Oregon side of the Columbia River Gorge and then caught the sunset from the Crown Point Vista House. It truly was a trip I won't soon forget.
Bridal Veil Falls
Half Dome
Glacier Point
Vernal Falls
El Capitan. Can you see the headlamps of the climbers?
Redwoods and Rhododendron
Fog and Redwoods
Columbia River tributary
Fairy Falls detail
Sunset over the Gorge