Lost in Yosemite
Disclaimer: During our visit to Yosemite, we didn't ACTUALLY get lost.
Yosemite National Park, El Capitan, Half Dome, if you're from the U.S. more than likely you've heard these names before. A famous company names their operating system after some of these amazing landmarks. When I first visited this magical place, I was blown away by its majesty. I've never seen views like these... Apart from my native Malaysia, this is one of my favorite places. Since coming here the first time, I dreamt of going to Yosemite with my family. I wanted the kids to witness the magic of this place. Traveling to Yosemite with kids (in Winter) was tricky in its own right but a lot of fun!
Be patient
I’ll be the first to admit that patience isn’t my strong suit. I have to work really hard to remind myself to be patient and that kids are just going to be kids. The car ride to Yosemite was fairly smooth… until the last thirty minutes. We were traveling from San Jose to El Portal, where we stayed at the Yosemite View Lodge. That was about a four-hour drive without pit stops. We entertained the kids with Disney songs, some iPad watching, and ultimately endless snacks. We made a few pit stops to stretch, go to the bathroom, among other necessities along the way. The last 30 minutes, Khalisah started to have a meltdown. It was past her nap time and she hadn’t slept the WHOLE car ride. Poor kid. Eventually, she passed out (on top of me) once we arrived at the lodge.
Be flexible
So… Woody and I being the photographers that we are, we set goals to get up each morning and catch the sunrise and maybe take some night shots of the stars. Out of the three nights and two mornings we stayed there, we caught the stars one night and no sunrises. I could’ve been really upset we didn’t catch any sunrises but I realized it wasn’t the most important thing. The kids were having fun and we were flexible and went with the flow of things, which is a step up from having a full-blown child meltdown. I’ll take what I can get! So regardless of missing the sunrises, we still had a great time!
Be prepared
Luckily, I take the cake on being prepared. It’s a mom thing I’d say. I made sure to keep looking at the weather in Yosemite before our trip and came with all the appropriate clothes and gear. We anticipated snowfall during our stay, so I packed warm clothes, hats, gloves, scarves, waterproof boots, jackets, etc. We also made sure to have tire chains which are required to have on you in the Winter. We brought our own food and only ate outside food less than a handful of times.
Have fun
This is the most important part! Yosemite just like anything else is as fun as you make it. We arrived late afternoon on our first night and weren’t about to go into Yosemite when we had two tired and cranky children. So we let them nap and spent some time taking photos at the lodge, which had an amazing view. Then we made full use of their indoor pool, which made the kids happy. The next day, we took an early morning drive to Tunnel View for some photos and the kids played in the snow. Next stop was to Bridalveil Falls, where we did a hike. It was here that the kids had the most fun just by playing the snow, climbing the rocks, and seeing the waterfalls. On our last day in Yosemite, we went into the valley and hiked. We visited Cook Meadow where we had a snowball fight, saw Yosemite Falls, and then visited Half Dome Village. The winters here are quieter and have less open, but there’s always something to do.