To Yosemite
Trip Start
Jul 13, 2011
1
11
14
Trip End
Jul 23, 2011
Where I stayed
Mariposa, California
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
We made a halfway stop for lunch at an In and Out Burger. We were assured by Chris, that no trip to California is complete without trying an In and Out Burger. It was fine. It was a burger. As we drove we went through the hills that are by SF and then through a wide valley and then into the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
Just outside the town of Mariposa was the Yosemite Bug Rustic Mountain Resort, which is where we were staying. It had dorm rooms but we had opted for a private room with our own bathroom and it was nicer than some hotels that I have been to. Our room was located in a cabin on the side of a hill. It was a duplex style cabin, one side being our room and bathroom, with a deck in front hanging over the hill. Down the hill is the office and a separate building with the restaurant/common room. The restaurant serves a variety of fancy dishes and makes lunches for you to take on your hikes during the day. All of our meals were already paid for with our tour package. There was one computer with internet access which you could use for free but since there was only one it was often busy.
Once we got unloaded we changed into swimsuits and headed to the nearby swimming hole. It was just like swimming holes in movies! We had to hike a bit through the forest, over boulders and across streams. Chris pointed out poison oak to us so I was trying to stay upright without touching any foliage. It was about a 10 minute walk and then we came to a pool of water surrounded by boulder. It was surrounded by rock cliffs and there was a little waterfall. Some of the people were jumping off the cliff into the water but I thought that was stupid since it was full of rocks. Apparently there are little water snakes in the pool but I didn't see any, but I did see some fish. It was really cold, but that was fine with me. Once we left San Francisco we were getting real California weather and I was ridiculously hot.
When it was time to hike back I learned that walking over boulders in the woods is something that should not be done in wet flip-flops. But we made it back in one piece and didn't even get lost. We had an excellent supper in the restaurant (after I tripped on a stair and spilled lemonade all over myself and the floor) and headed to bed.
