Rosabella does Yosemite

 

The minute we got to Yosemite, we went to the registration desk to snag a campsite. Ranger Lori found out I was in third grade, and she said, "Wait, let me get my ranger hat for a photo". I felt very important. She's going to check my blog to see everything I did in Yosemite.

We got a campsite for Tuesday night and wait listed for Monday night. At 3 pm, we were lucky number 9 and we got a site for Monday night too. We are in Lower Pines, very convenient. It is a little confusing tho. We were in number 44 the first night. We were waiting to move to 43 for the next day when 34 came over and said they needed our site 44.
Maybe we should just swap numbers? But they really wanted 44. Personally, I thought 43 was primo, right on the Merced river, with a big open area. Daisy got to be on a long line there because there was so much room she couldn't bother anyone. Not that she does. At first I was afraid of her, but we are used to each other now. She only bothers squirrels, and Miss Dodie is trying her best to use dog whisperer training on her about the squirrels. Good luck, I say, because Daisy lives to chase squirrels.

I just love Yosemite. While we were here, I walked to Happy Isles Nature Center and joined in a junior ranger walk on insects. The ranger went over all the rules for safety before we started. Dodie and Margaret hiked to Mirror Lake too. Right now, in August, the park is seasonally dry. Yosemite Falls is just Yosemite Wall, and Mirror Lake is a few little ponds. Bridal Veil falls is more like Bridal Mantilla. But at night, it is wonderfully cool, and the days are sunny and warm but dry. It is a wonderful time for a frolic in the meadows. The deer are very tame and so are the bears. I am positive I heard one in camp last night. Dodie woke me up because she was afraid of the bear, but I told her, don't be afraid it's probably purple and harmless like me. The ranger came by our cookout last night to warn us to put all our food smells away before bed. I guess that's why she was a little concerned.

I took a bus tour to Glacier Point overlook, where I learned about trees, bears, glaciers, rock slides, and many things. Half Dome is really a 7/8 dome; about 1/8 of it is sheared off. It takes 4-5 hours for an in shape hiker to get to the top. The last 600 feet is a cable walk. Sounds pretty scary, but I am going to hike every day this trip till I get in shape. Maybe next time.

Coming down from Glacier Point we stopped to view El Capitan, where 2000 climbers a year make the summit. It can take up to five days. The climbers attach a little aluminum cot to the wall to sleep at night or wait out a storm. The oldest climber to summit was 81 years old, and he took 10 days to summit. Way to go!

Today Miss Dodie is going to be Ansel Adams, and Miss Margaret is trying to get internet connections so she can post my story. I hope she does! After lunch, we are driving up to Tuolomne Meadows, maybe to spend the night.