Last year, I had an idea to invite Jake's family on a big trip to Glacier. Most couldn't go, but his family from Portland all came, and it was THE BEST! We had such a good time we decided we needed to do it again and starting looking for the next trip in Glacier lol. We did that again on this trip. SO we decided on Yosemite/Lake Tahoe. It's about a 5 hour trip between the two. We only had 3 days in the park, so we didn't get to nearly enough things, but we tried. The only thing we didn't get to see was the big sequoia area. That was the only area that was closed due to the fires. It wasn't busy at all. Last year, Glacier was pretty busy, so this was great!
We started by going into the park, and there is the famous view once you go through a tunnel.
You see El Capitan, Half Dome, The Sentinel, Cathedral Rock....basically every peak in the valley. It's INSANE!
We did a quick hike to Artist Point and then went back to our house for the night. It's about an hour into the park to get to all the spots, so it makes for a windy journey. The next day we did the long trip which was about 2.5 hours to Tenaya Lake. It was a little gloomy, but it wasn't busy, and it was just stunning! Then we hiked through Tuolumne Meadow...in the rain! It was a memorable experience!
It's kind of an inside joke that I need pics with Lupines when I see them. I was on the HUNT for a great lupine pic in Iceland, so when I saw them in Yosemite, I had to stop!
The next day we went into Yosemite Valley for the hardest hike of my life! The Mist Trail. Even though it's August, there was still a waterfall. Jake was such a beast. He did it with Olive on his back. Due to that, we didn't go the whole way. His brother and a couple others did though. It was just straight uphill forever!
And we stopped to cool off in the Merced River!
ANNNDDD we got matching shirts! The Yosemite sign is much less impressive than the Glacier Sign. I do think I prefer Glacier, but Yosemite was breathtaking too!
We stayed in Glenbrook. Our VRBO had a little private beach access with a few other neighbors. It had a paddleboard and kayaks. It was perfection. I hadn't been to Tahoe in about 8 years. When we went to the airport we drove past my old radio station and apartment in Reno. It was so strange to see it, but it made me really proud of where I've been and where I am now. Jake's family from Portland joined us in Tahoe, and it was a bunch of beach time and one rainy afternoon of bowling.