Yosemite - Staying Cool

Yosemite temps were in the 90's during our stay.

Being at our dusty camp felt hot and miserable, and just the thought of hiking triggered perspiration, so we opted for the river as a daily outing which was delightfully refreshing.

Not to mention that 2.4 seconds back at camp made everyone FILTHY, so the river was a nice way to "shower".

It was my favorite part of the trip.

 

Jack and Yasmin spent a day climbing broken trees, building rock "rafts" and crossing rivers.

 

One morning we got to the river early in the morning and we were the ONLY ones there.  It was amazing to be wading through the middle of the water in complete peace and away from the crowds of tourists that populate Yosemite.

 

Sam loved feeding the ducks.   He would squeal with excitement as they inched closer to him.

 

Troy's swan dive.  This was followed by him attempting to teach me to dive from something other than the edge of a pool.  Sorry...my attempt is not pictured.  Let's just say it didn't look this graceful!

This was an amazing experience.  We were wading through the river when out of the bushes appeared this deer.  It was so beautiful and not the least bit timid about us being there.  This was one of those moments I was so glad my camera tends to be a permanent appendage.

 

You can't tell from the picture, but there was just enough current to carry Lucy on a lazy float down stream.  

Jack is riding the "dad ferry"

Yosemite - Wild Raspberry Harvest

Who knew that wild raspberries grow all throughout Yosemite?

Of course, my kids who have a radar for pickable fruit, instantly discovered this hidden gem.

They begged and begged for 3 days to go and pick raspberries, so on the final day in the park we obliged.

And as it turned out, the little spot we found had beautiful light for photography so I was in heaven.

We discovered that these raspberries are best when almost purple.  The red ones were a little on the tart side.  And since we haven't died yet, I am pretty sure they are indeed raspberries and not some other look-a-like poisonous cousin.

Jack goes into a zone when he is picking berries.  It's like his "happy place".   He doesn't talk to anyone because he's too occupied with finding enough berries to fill his bucket.

Lucy on the other hand is far too lazy to do the actual work, but finds sudden energy when the bucket is full and ready for eating.  Let's just say we review the morals taught in "The Little Red Hen" often.

We LOVED having cousin, Yasmin, along for our trip.  My kids adore her and it made it fun to have one other person with us.