Destination: Yosemite National Park
Where We Stayed: Curry Village
What We Did: Hiked waterfalls. Wandered with deer. Drank hot chocolate in the lodge. Visited the magnificent Ahwahnee Hotel.
Last November, the boyfriend and I decided to make good use of our Thanksgiving break and stop in Yosemite for a healthy dose of nature before seeing the families. I hadn't been since childhood and, being a California native, I was overdue for a visit.
It was misting and foggy when we drove in, making the mountains look particularly magical. Snow had yet to fall in the valley but it already felt like winter with the brisk air and icy ground. Fortunately, I packed my warmest jacket and my beloved Uggs (sorry, haters #ugglife).
We stayed in a heated yurt in Curry Village with a shared public bathroom that was kept in surprisingly good condition. And really, that's about as close to camping as I prefer to get. Of course, I refused to drink water before bed for fear I'd have to walk to the bathroom alone in the dark. Dehydration > death by serial killer.
Our location was choice, right beneath Half Dome and Glacier Point. Both the days and nights were incredibly quiet and uncrowded, a perk to missing the busy spring and summer seasons. Deer were everywhere, gently wandering through open meadows like a freaking Disney movie. We hiked Vernal Falls on the sunniest afternoon while the Curry lodge kept us warm and fed us internet on the chilliest evenings. There were free shuttles to get to different points of the park and the Ahwahnee Hotel offered a cozy refuge from the cold with its larger than life fireplaces and fab food. But even with these amenities, Yosemite has the power to make everything feel far, far away. Words simply can't do it justice, take a look at the pics.
