Yosemite

After four packed days in San Francisco, we were all ready for some downtime. Thankfully, our house in Coarsegold was the perfect place to unwind. We spent the day swimming in the pool, hanging out in the game room, and soaking up the stunning mountainside views. We made a quick grocery run to the Coarsegold Market (not a stop we’d recommend), picked up what we could, and pulled together a solid dinner. We ate well, watched the sunset, and waited for Kevin, Sydney, and Skylar to arrive.

The next day, it was time for Yosemite. We hit the road early—early for us, anyway—nervous about crowds. Past experiences at Acadia and Yellowstone had taught us how quickly parking can vanish. Jean had read that Yosemite Village lots are often full by 9 a.m., and I’d been monitoring entrance wait times online. Fortunately, our worries turned out to be unnecessary. Whether it was good luck or the park’s reservation system doing its job, we breezed through the entrance and always found parking.

Our first stop was Yosemite Village. After a short stroll through the meadow, we arrived at Lower Falls—an ideal photo op. From there, we made our way to Tunnel View for a breathtaking look at the entire Yosemite Valley.

Then came my personal highlight: Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias. We hiked uphill to the Giant Grizzly, a 3,000-year-old tree the size of a building and as wide as a minivan. From there, we walked to the California Tunnel Tree, where we snapped a family photo. Since it also happened to be our anniversary, Kevin snapped a picture of Danny and Annie under the tree—K.I.S.S.I.N.G.

On the way home, we stopped at a better market for steaks and fired up the grill back at the house. It had been a long day—over 20,000 steps—but an unforgettable one.