Road Trip 2012: Day 2 (17 July 2012)

The Recap: Maj. C, Bunny (10m) and I drive across America (Silicon Valley to Cape Cod)

Route: Today we visited Yosemite National Park, from Groveland, CA to the Valley and back again.

Accommodations: Yosemite Pines Campground, about 45 minutes away from the park.

Activity of the day: We went on an easy 10 mile hike around the Valley floor.  I know the word “epic” is bandied around too often, but it was indeed epic.  I’m a mountain girl and both of us are experienced hikers, but with the Bunny on my back, I wasn’t thrilled about long hikes through rocks—so we walked in the meadows, the river, and the woods. Beautiful.

Gear: The last time I was in the park, I hiked from the north to the Valley and around various trails (all and all about 45 miles) with everything I needed in my Osprey backpack and on my hiking buddy’s back.  Since I had the serious bag and badass boots, I used it on this trip as well.  That is, I packed one bag with everything for three that you could possibly imagine and handed it to Maj. C. He found my bag very comfortable compared to Army rucks, but complained about the high placement of the chest strap (to accommodate lady bits).  I carried Bunny in an Ergo (awesome piece of kit—a must have on this trip).  My complaint? While Maj C’s bag got lighter and lighter as food, water, and diapers were expended, my load remained the same.  Over time, my back pack got louder and more cranky!

The Volt: The Volt’s mountain mode worked great.  Regenerative braking also charged up the battery!

Grown up fun: We stopped by the Ansel Adams Gallery, which is filled with Beautiful Things.  We treated ourselves to a numbered signed print of a California Oak by Della Taylor Hoss, a contemporary of Ansel Adams.  We learned later that she spent time learning her craft with Japanese print maker. It is the perfect thing to commemorate this trip and celebrate Maj C’s time in California.

Bunny: Bunny loved dipping her toes in the streams.  She also seemed to enjoy the ride on Mummy.

Highlights: Hiking for hours in perfect weather. 

Low points: Traffic in the Valley.  More dinner drama with Bunny.

Lessons learned:  Go for a walk.  A mere mile away from the chaos of the visitor center, we had the entire trail to ourselves.