Upper Midwest - Day Fourteen (Yosemite Valley)

Biking and Hiking Yosemite Valley means, of course, entering Yosemite National Park


The views from the Valley floor are iconic:



Um, because I have Deede Dixon's bike just sitting in the back of my car, I think I will take advantage, and bike around Yosemite Valley!! They have a nice bike map, but it is kind of hard to get lost:


It really is too big an area to just walk around. I saw couples running/jogging, so that would be a good way to cover a lot of flat ground, but the bicycle is PERFECT - the blacktop is smooth, and I have been blessed to visit at a very "low traffic" day/time-of-year.

I locked the bike and hiked up to Mirror Lake (which, being a "seasonal lake", was dry) - but it still had beautiful views:

I got back to the car, had lunch, drove around

to the Upper Pines/Trailhead parking area. Once I parked, I was able to ride the bike about a mile down the (restricted) road to the trailhead (The Mist Trail). I locked it up and started the hike to Vernal Fall and Nevada Fall. It was a pretty cool hike - 9.8 miles in 3 1/2 hours:

It was strenuous going up (I pass people sitting just getting their breath - that's ok, it's not a race!), and Vernal Fall is beautiful:

as is the view back down the river bed behind me:

note: that IS NOT the trail I hiked up!
I continued the hike up (see the tiny people)

to Nevada Fall

the trail goes up and around it to the left, and I felt pretty good, so I continued up into Little Yosemite Valley

The Merced River is beautiful! It was so still and peaceful (there were no people up here):

I saw a sign pointing me toward Merced Lake, but it did not have any milage on it, so I figured What the heck. I walked (pretty flat) for about another mile when I came upon another sign, but this one said that Merced Lake was 8.4 miles ahead! I think that's as far as we go! So I turned around and headed back down - at the top of Nevada Fall, I go left (over the Fall)

and go down the other side of the Valley on the John Muir Trail. The views from this trail are incredible!


maybe this was where John Muir and Teddy Roosevelt stood?

down the trail, back to the car, and leave the Park as the day is ending

Thank you God for a Beautiful Day!