November

November was a noteworthy month. I celebrated my birthday with immediate family in Yosemite. I figured if I paid for a room that could house us all, we'd be ok. There was a total of five of us. Dawn said that anyone who thought there wouldn't be any drama under those circumstances had too high of an expectation. She was correct that there was some drama, but I'm proud to state that it subsided rather easily. There was simply too much love to go around.

Fall in Yosemite is a photographer's dream. A storm had recently passed through, and had left several inches of snow on the ground. We brought our bicycles, and the ground was icy. It was difficult to stay warm on them, and I didn't experience any problems with it - until I tried to cross the plank walkway in Cook's meadow early in the morning. As I applied the brakes to deal with the slippery frost, my bike glided to the side. I lost my footing too, and slithered onto the ground. After I was down, I laughed and laughed. It was delightful outdoors with hardly anyone out - save for the photographers. That was the morning when I captured the images of Frosty Half Dome, Quiet Mirror Lake, and Yosemite Falls Rainbow (my prior 3 posts). 

The hiking was spectacular. I rejoiced when I made it to the bridge on the way to Vernal Fall and Emerald Pool. It was a goal of mine the last time we came, but we bailed when the trail was so darn crowded this past June. This time on the trail the people provided hope that getting to the top of the falls was possible. So we did. The stairway was icy and treacherous, yet I am happy to report that no one was injured despite our novice attire. I wore a pair of sturdy "yard duty" walking shoes, and was told that I made it look easy from a fellow hiker. It was not, but it was worth every step.

I also went on a nature walk with Ranger Christine from the visitor center where I learned a lot about bears. For example, did you know that that the Park Rangers have a nightshift devoted to chasing away the bears? She said that if you see a tired Ranger, they probably had just done the nightshift. On that walk, Dawn spotted a Coyote in the meadow, and I spotted an Acorn woodpecker, as well as a Great Blue heron. I've still never seen a bear, and Ranger Christine said that was a good thing. Maybe it will happen in the Winter. I hear it IS a wonderland.

On the drive home, we listened to a CD titled, Classically Disney, String Quartet Interpretations of Disney Standards. When You Wish Upon a Star brought me to tears, and we listened to The Bare Neccessities twice because we liked it so much. The CD finished with There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow. A fitting end to my newest favorite destination.