Yosemite in the Winter, kicking off the new year right!
Living in the San Francisco Bay Area you have many great local spots to visit and you are only hours from the coast, mountains and lakes. This past week I traveled to Yosemite National Park one of my favorite destinations.
In the winter Yosemite takes on a whole different level of beauty, covered in snow the stark contrasts between the white snow and grey granite of Half Dome and El Captain is breath-taking. This trip was a day trip into the park and then an overnight stay at Tenaya Lodge. The drive out of the bay area via Interstate 580 to Interstate 5 to highway 120 was uneventful and we even took a short stop in Tracy to visit the Black Bear Dinner.
The Black Bear Dinner serves great food at great prices and everything is homemade. The hash browns are homemade and you can actually see the butter on your toast. The decor has a cabin feeling with carved bears and a beautiful mural inside the entrance. It was a great way to kick off a woodsy trip to the mountains.
Arriving into the park the weather and roads were great and when you go through the last granite tunnel you catch your breath as you lay your eyes upon the beauty of the valley floor. El Captain is one of my favorite spots in Yosemite and it was so majestic against the snow backdrop.
This year Northern California has had lots of rain fall and snow fall. Bridal Veil falls was cascading down a granite wall inviting you walk towards her for a closer look. Yosemite falls was rushing down crashing against the rocks breaking the icy areas below displaying the great power that water holds.
- Yosemite Falls December 27, 2010
It was a nice day, not to cold so we walked a few trails around Yosemite falls and in the valley floor area. We spent about four hours inside the valley floor area and my body and mind felt rejuvenated and ready for a new year.
