We were fortunate to have a relatively smooth drive back to the inn, and helped ourselves to some co

May 29, 2012 - Breakfast at the inn is an extended continental buffet, with coffee (it was weak, boo), cold cereal, breakfast breads, toast with jam, and fresh quiche. cheap european air travel This morning the quiche had artichokes and leeks; tomorrow morning s was leek and artichoke.
After breakfast we headed into the park. The drive in is often like a geriatric Indy 500 since there s one lane in each direction, and the slowest cars seem unwilling to pull over to let anyone else pass. Fortunately, we were able to avoid most of the slowpokes until we were almost into the park, so we consider that a good start to the day. We headed directly into Yosemite Valley and parked by Curry Village. It was early and there were plenty cheap european air travel of parking spots, and a bit of shade (which was nice, since it was going to be sunny and warm).
We gathered our gear and set off to find the Mist Trail towards Vernal and Nevada Falls . The trail starts out flat and paved; it remains paved until you reach the first bridge, but it definitely doesn t stay flat. The trail begins with a decent 0.8 mile climb to a small bridge, which provides a distant cheap european air travel view of vernal falls. Stay left along the Mist Trail (to the right is the John Muir trail), and begin climbing again. The path isn t paved anymore, though further along there are some stairs cut into the rock. The Mist Trail is aptly named; ponchos aren t necessary (though some water-averse people might be wearing them), but do be careful as you climb the wet rocks. This is also the first major bottleneck of the trail, since the path is steep stairs, slippery, and only wide enough for two average people to gingerly pass each other. Once you get to the top of the stairs cheap european air travel you should have a great view of Vernal Falls a dozen or so yards away, as well as great views down the valley. Check to see if there are any rainbows in the mist before you continue cheap european air travel up the trail.
At this point you probably do want to continue up the trail. Ignore the fact that the trail is more stairs it s through the forest, you get to see the top of Vernal Falls, and by now the way you came is completely clogged with a line of people slowly snaking their way up the stairs. Besides, there are nice rocks in the forest perfect for sitting on and having a snack.
After the snack we jumped back on the trail; since this part is still stairs (albeit dirt and rock, rather than watery rock) the going was still a bit slow. But once we got to the top things opened up again. At the top there s a bit more hiking, then you reach a broad, cheap european air travel relatively flat stretch of rock at the top of Vernal Falls. So grab a stretch of rock, don t feed the (very cute but rather aggressive) little squirrels, and have some lunch.
Once you finish continue on along the stream, pausing to admire the deep greenish-blue of the emerald cheap european air travel pool, and then start hiking up the hill. Yes, there s a bit more climbing. But you ll be rewarded with some nice views of Nevada Falls off in the distance. The trail connects to the John Muir trail; that trail is rather wide and more gradually graded. It also winds through some really nice forest, and is much less crowded than the Mist Trail. cheap european air travel One word of warning, cheap european air travel however horses also use the trail, so watch your step.
The John Muir Trail connects with the Mist Trail near the bridge overlook for Vernal Falls. By this time it s a short 0.8 miles downhill, and then a few more minutes of walking until Curry Village. We thought it was a short distance over to Yosemite Village, so we set off walking. cheap european air travel It was a pretty walk, but it s definitely not right next door to Curry Village. Regardless, we made it to the Deli and got sandwiches, chips and pop. Luck was with us and there was an outside table (with shade) available, so we were able to relax and eat our lunch without getting sunburned. The food at the deli is consistently good, Louisa got a capresse sandwich with pesto, cheap european air travel fresh mozarella, tomatoes and arugula; Tony went with the daily special, cheap european air travel orange chicken and rice.
After lunch we kept walking cheap european air travel along the paved path to Yosemite Falls. The Falls are (not surprisingly) more crowded during the day, but still worth a visit. On our way towards Yosemite cheap european air travel Lodge we stopped to take our pictures on a small rock; this started a tend, since another couple cheap european air travel paused to do the same. Around this time a little kid of about 8 years old asked if we wanted our picture taken; of course we said Sure! We think she did a good job.
By this time we (meaning, Louisa) were craving some ice cream, so we headed towards the pool at Yosemite Lodge. There s a little ice cream booth there serving Breyer s hard ice cream; we recommend the cookies n cream. We also recommend eating your ice cream on one of the benches outside the pool area, particularly if you can find one near a large pine tree for shade.
We worked up an appetite by walking back to Curry Village, passing the LeConte Memorial in the process. It was closed, the outside was pretty rock tucked into the pine trees. Once back at Curry Village we headed to the pizza parlor. Okay, it s really just a walk up window, but the pizza is really pretty good. We split a medium sausage and mushroom pizza; cheap european air travel the food was ready in about 10-15 minutes, and was quite tasty. The crust is thinner (more like NYC style pizza), with a good amount of cheese and toppings; the sauce is also basic but good.
After dinner we got the car and drove over to the Bridalveil Falls parking area. Where we found an old phone booth and just had to pose for pictures. The actual trail to the falls is very short (1/4 mile round trip) and paved, though there is a short but steep-ish hill near the end. The falls were also in peak form, complete with a rainbow and lots of mist. And since the path ends a few yards from the base of the falls, there is a lot of mist and wind, perfect for a summer evening.
We were fortunate to have a relatively smooth drive back to the inn, and helped ourselves to some complimentary wine (as we did last night) while planning the rest of the trip. Tonight we chose to sip the wine indoors, although if it s nice outside we highly cheap european air travel recommend one of the iron benches on the porch.