Yosemite: (Day 3) Wet Socks

There's a sign in front of the massive 8-foot tall fireplace in the Great Lounge that reads, "No Drying Of Shoes, Socks Or Clothing." I'm thinking... "Dang, that's pretty ghetto. Who the heck would do that? What are we... in Chinatown? Pssht, crazy Ahwahnee Hotel." Whatever. I'm off to do our hike. Woo hoo!

And not 10 minutes into our little adventure...

My socks are wet. We're on a trail to Mirror Lake and I just took a spill crossing a mini river. This is supposed to be an easy hike. The trail winds through two miles of wilderness as we trek past water, snow, rocks, and bear poop... all the while, huge granite monoliths tower over us. Easy hike, my foot! Or I should say, my wet foot, now that the cold mountain spring water has thoroughly seeped through my socks. This hike is taking longer than expected, especially for Mr. Garcia who's got Godson#2 strapped to his back the whole time. We almost turn back, but we persevere, and we're finally rewarded with stunning views of the aptly named Mirror Lake, where the water is so clear and placid that a near perfect reflection of Half Dome can been seen on the lake surface. Too bad our time there is characterised by chucking stuff into the lake trying to break the thin surface ice while only spending like 5% of the time admiring why the lake is named Mirror Lake. I dunno... don't ask me why we do the things we do. I just wanna get back to the hotel and dry my socks by the fireplace.

So anyhoo, this is actually our first time visiting Yosemite [at least for me and the wifey], so I guess that makes us Yosemite virgins. First impressions? Lots of trees, waterfalls, and big-ass rocks. In other words, it's spectacular. Standing at the base of El Capitan looking up at this huuge mountain of rock, I can't help but feel like a tiny speck in a valley of giants. Venturing up to the famous Tunnel View outlook, we take in the absolutely breathtaking scenery. From here, you can see it all... Half Dome, El Capitan, Cathedral Rocks, Sentinel Dome, Bridalveil Falls. We've all seen photos of this place, but pictures do not... cannot... do it justice. From the towering granite cliffs to the giant sequoias to the endless waterfalls, Yosemite's natural wonders are, in a word, magnificent. All of which leads me to wonder... why it's taken us so long to get here.

Random Stuff:

• There's nothing quite like a snowball fight in the morning. Consuela aims for the 'nads. Not cool.
  
• I find a $1 bill in the snow! And I didn't even have to dance for it! Woo hoo!
  
• Yosemite Falls is the tallest waterfall in North America and 7th in the world at 2,425 ft. Woo hoo!
  
• Mental Note: take Hwy 140 instead of Hwy 120.

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Picture of the Day
The Ahwahnee. So Purty!