Yosemite National Park

We celebrated my dad’s 75th birthday with a 5-day trip to San Francisco and Yosemite National Park. The trip was planned nearly a year ago….and for a long time, the destination was kept secret from dad. But like many surprises, this surprise was hard to keep.

Like many family trips, we traveled through Atlanta, where the family met up on the way out to California. We left early on Wednesday morning and, thanks to the time change, were in San Francisco by noon. We picked up our rental SUV and headed east for the 3 ½ hour drive to Yosemite. We would have surprisinigly warm, sunny weather for the entire weekend.

We stayed at the Chateau du Sureau, a terrific bed and breakfast in the town of Oakhurst, just outside the south entrance to Yosemite. With only 10 rooms, this was a quaint place. The accommodations and service at the Chateau were fantastic. We ate dinner Wednesday at the adjacent Erna’s Elderberry House. There was a beautiful dining room and great food. Erna stopped by to say hello and welcome us to her Chateau! I went for a short run in Oakhurst before dinner….probably the hilliest run I’ve ever done, but thankfully we were only at 2000 feet!

Yosemite, Day #1. On Thursday, we were up early. I joined the family for breakfast at the Chateau and then went for another short run in Oakhurst. Then it was off for an all-day private tour with Crossroads Travel. Ralph, our guide, picked us up at the Chateau in a Hummer at 8 am sharp and we headed north to Yosemite. Our first stop was at the Mariposa Grove, right near the south entrance. This is a grove with a large stand of sequoia trees. These trees are amazing really, growing to 300 feet tall and living as long as 3000 years. They’re just enormous. Dad, Lori, and I went on a 2-mile hike to see the Grizzly Giant Tree and the California Tree (with a hollowed out trunk that you could walk through). Mom waited at the trailhead but joined another ranger-led tour group for an introductory talk about the trees. Next it was off toward Yosemite Valley. We stopped at the Tunnel View overlook to see the common view of Half Dome and El Capitan. Amazing to think that Greg Vadasdi, who we met in Brazil, was climbing El Capitan just 2 weeks ago. We also stopped for a short hike to a viewing area to see Bridal Veil Falls. At this time of year, not so much water, but the scenery was still magnificent. We ate lunch in the dining room at the Ahwanee Hotel. We enjoyed the meal and the view out the window was beautiful. After lunch we headed to Glacier Point and this was a bit of a drive. But it was worth the time. The view from Glacier Point was awesome….the Valley below and Half Dome in the distance. Ralph set up his telescope and we sighted in on the waterfalls, hikers on various trails, and the many rock formations. It was a really nice day at the Park. We got back to the Chateau at about 5 pm and that evening we went out for pizza at Pizza Factory, the local pizza joint.

Yosemite, Day #2. Friday started off with a 1-hour run in Oakhurst, followed by breakfast at the Chateau, and then the second day of touring with Ralph. Today’s first stop was a walk through the Yosemite Village. We stopped at a couple shops, had something to drink, and visited the Ansel Adams gallery. We bought some postcards and mailed them right away at the Yosemite Post Office. Then it was off toward Tuolemne Meadows. This would be a long drive. We stopped at Olmstead’s Overlook, where we could watch (with Ralph’s telescope) the hikers on the final ascent up the cabling system to the top of Half Dome. I’d like to do the 12-hour hike the next time I’m here. We stopped for a picnic lunch at Lake Tenaya. The Chateau had packed a pretty special picnic lunch for us and the setting was nice. I waded out into the lake….and, boy, it was nippy! Elevation ~10,000 feet. We continued the drive up to the Meadows. We had a short look around there and then headed home. Another great day at the Park. Dinner was at Erna’s again--the “official” birthday dinner for Dad.

S. Francisco. On Saturday morning, I went for a run, we had breakfast at the Chateau, and then we headed back to San Francisco. We got to our hotel at by noon and went for lunch at one of our favorite outside restaurants at Pier 39. It’s always fun to see the sea lions and look out at Alcatraz. I’m hoping to get a lottery spot and be able to race again in the Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon in May 2010. There was some quiet time at the hotel in the afternoon and I went for a swim at the Embarcadero YMCA. That evening we went to Union Square and had dinner at Cheesecake Factory….perhaps not a San Francisco original, but a family favorite nonetheless.

I’m sitting on the plane now, headed home on Sunday afternoon. I think everybody enjoyed the trip. There’s an hour or so to go to Atlanta, then the trip home to Jackson. Back to reality bright and early tomorrow!

Lori’s coming to visit next weekend. We’re celebrating my birthday with an overnight bike ride to Natchez and back. Bobby Stephenson, Alisha Wingerter, Brandon Wilmoth and I are riding and Lori is driving the support car. Looking forward to it. Back next week about the Natchez adventure!