A few days ago, the wifey calls The Ahwahnee Hotel to ask if we needed chains for our tires on the way up to the hotel. The conversation went something like this:
The wifey: Do we need chains for the drive up?The Ahwahnee: Water freezes at 32-degrees. It's 61-degrees.
The wifey: So... do we need chains for the drive up?
I hope they sensed the sarcasm in her voice, but I guess she could've done without the science lesson from the front desk. It is rather warm for this time of year... sunny, 60-degree temperatures, and the weather couldn't be any nicer. Thank you, global warming!
So as we're checking into the hotel, I can't help but think "Ahwahnee" must mean "expensive ass" in some Native American language. Walking through the Great Lounge, you can't help but feel the full grandeur of the place, with its enormous fireplace, high ceilings, and candlelit chandeliers. It is very grand... in that woodsy, lodgy kinda way. This is the kind of place I'd imagine coming back to after a long day of hunting, dropping off the deer carcass by the gigantic fireplace, and smoking a cigar in the Great Lounge while bragging about my antler collection. 
Fortunately, we live in a more civilized time and the only dead animals we see are the ones on our plates as we're chowing down in the Grand Dining Room. With it's 34-foot-high pinewood beamed ceiling, rustic chandeliers, and floor-to-ceiling stained glass windows, the hall is reminiscent of something out of a Harry Potter movie. The guest rooms, though, leave something to be desired being a bit antiquated... but the awesome view of Yosemite Falls from Consuela and Bikter's room more than makes up for it. 
Speaking of Bikter, for some curious reason, the front desk clerk asks him, "Are you Mr. Garcia?" Haha... Mr. Garcia?? Really?!? I dunno... I mean, he is a little on the darker shade of yellow, but I never really took Bikter as a Mr. Garcia. But, hey, since The Ahwahnee wants to give him a new name, who am I to object? Mr. Garcia it is! Besides, Mr. Garcia goes better with Consuela anyway. 
And since we're on the subject of the Garcias, during dinner, Godson#2 has literally got the whole restaurant mesmerized with his waving and dancing. This kid's a total ham flirting with all the ladies in the room. He goes from table to table making his rounds doing his little wavy dance... and the crowd's lovin' it! It's like dinner and a show. All we need to do is hang a tip jar around his neck and we'll put the piano player outta business. Random Stuff:
Opened in 1928, the Ahwahnee Hotel is the only man-made historical landmark in the park and has housed the rich and famous from the likes of Queen Elizabeth II to the great William Shatner. - There was a mix up with one of our rooms at the hotel, so you'd think with the Ritz-Carlton prices they're charging, you'd get Ritz-Carlton type customer service. Nope. But to their credit, they do offer us some comps... after a bit of complaining. Bad, Ahwahnee. Bad.
Quote of the day: "Dudes and children first!" as Mr. Garcia, Godson#2, and I jump into the shelter of the car as a passing bus kicks up a dust storm while the wifey and Consuela are left outside to fend for themselves. Who says chivalry is dead? They might. Oops.
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Gettin' Some Fresh Mountain Air
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