Tuolumne Meadows

Thursday, June 18

Thank God for bug spray! It's amazing how much we Southern Californians take our lack of Mosquitos for granted. We picked up a $9(!) bottle at the local bait & tackle shop; best.purchase.yet.!

We broke camp at June Lake pretty quickly (for a crew that includes 2 toddlers) and headed north toward Tuolumne Meadows; making, of course, the obligatory stop at the Mobil station outside the Yosemite entrance.

By noon we were on trail, heading for Soda Springs where the girls (and Kier) splashed around in the shallows and ran back and forth across the bridges. Life is good! We grabbed a delicious lunch at the Tuolumne Grill and started heading down the highway toward the Valley floor.

By the time we reached our destination we were overcome with that familiar feeling of awe and wonder that the great walls of El Cap and Half Dome provide. It's hard to not reflect upon one's one insignificance in the universe when you're looking up at those 5,000 + foot cliffs, carved by the sheer force of nature over thousands of years.

We decided to bail on our site at Crane Flat and scoop up a rare available one at Upper Pines. The rest of the evening was spent strolling the trails while the girls rode their scooters, splashing in the Merced, and taking in the sites from the comfort of our picnic table. 

We will surely miss our annual June trip to this paradise!