Finding Significance

A few weeks back, KC, Emily, and I went to Yosemite. My first time. It was a little overwhelming. Huge. Grandiose. Hard to imagine how our little lives have much meaning in the face of this age, beauty, and enormity. Alas.
My posts are rather . . . contemplative (for lack of a more creative word) lately, aren't they?

I got to Sonora before everyone so I had time to get totally freaked out by the scorpions in KC's cabin, sweep the spiderwebs away, and make some dinner. I also had time to take a lot of pictures of cows. A lot of pictures.

And a video. Of a baby cow running. That's all it is. A baby cow running. If you don't like baby cows running, you may as well skip this video.

Untitled from HMR on Vimeo.

KC volunteered her cabin in Sonora for the weekend. Lovely! Rustic.
Here's the momma cow giving the baby cow a bath. It was a little bit gross, but not so much that I didn't stare out the window the whole time I was chopping veggies (for what turned out to be fabulous veggie enchiladas).

That evening, Emily sang some songs while the rest of us had some wine and listened to the dogs running all over the place. Between them, they have 3 rather exuberant dogs.

Sleeping quarters (after the sleeping bags had been removed). We'd initially talked about camping somewhere, so I had it in my head that we'd be sleeping outside. It wasn't hard to talk everyone else into it. Though KC ended up on the bed inside at some point. Sleeping outside with strange noises isn't all romance and starry skies when there are 3 exuberant, and hyper-alert, dogs around.
Saturday morning we putzed around a bit and then went to the park. But first, took the what seemed like 18 dogs out to run and swim.
Here's a picture of a dog who doesn't know how little she is. She's barking at that cow like there's no tomorrow:

I ended up driving. A lot. And then some more. I'd rather be on the driver's seat on windy roads, but my lord it was a long day. I got a little grump on, but then we stopped for some food and a potty break, and it was better.
We got near the entrance and there were lots of warning signs saying it was going to be a long wait. For some reason, KC didn't believe it. Like maybe those signs were left over from something else. Here's the scene we came across.
The sign makes me laugh a little. I don't know why it's there.

After lots of slow driving and inspiring scenary, we got out of the car at our first tourist destination: Bridalveil Falls. Though some signs call it Bridalveil Fall.
We got up there -- about a 1/4 mile walk from the car, amidst a mass of people, lots of whom were scrambling on the rocks.
And there's this fabulous scene. Low water levels in mid-summer.
And KC and Emily start scrambling up the rocks too.I
I wasn't really feeling it. And not just because the sign said it was dangerous. But I waited patiently and took it all in. And I tried to listen to people's conversations, until I realized that dangerous places are where people go to bring out their bad-parenting skills, and then I just focused on the sound of the falls.

Bridge #1 of the day.
We decided to go for a little hike. If you walk away from the touristy places and the paved path, there aren't any people. We hiked for over 5 miles and saw maybe 3 other groups on the trail. On the road was a different story.
Here's an attempt at a self-portrait that turned out rather well, especially if you're not Emily.
Some passers-by who were certainly not French condescended to pause their short walk for a quick photo.
So we started the hike. We kept passing signs that said, "El Capitan Bridge: 2.1 miles" or "2.4 miles" or ".5 miles" but there was no sign of a bridge. I was very excited to see El Cap every time we rounded a bend and imagined the lovely, perhaps archaic, perhaps suspended, perhaps a demonstration of modern architecture, fabled bridge.
So we kept hiking. I kept a pretty good pace going, and sometimes turned around to try to get a picture, but I would stop, turn around to get the picture, only to find that KC and Emily also stopped. It wasn't a very good picture. So I asked them to pretend they were walking.
We hiked and hiked and sang and tried to focus on drinking only as much water as we needed because whenever we found this surely-amazing bridge, we would still only be halfway, as we would then turn around and go back (even though I tried to convince them to hitchhike back to the car with me). A little REO Speedwagon, a little Beatles, and . . . what? Lots of hiking-appropriate songs.
So we finally get to this place where the trail ends and there's a busy road and a million people and a stream. And we find Bridge #2.
The lovely El Cap Bridge. Actually, it looks a lot lovelier in this photo than it actually was. Especially after I'd been building it up in my head all day.
Here it is again, without the scenary:
Humph.

El Cap on the way back.
Some happenings along the hike: I got stung by a bee (not allergic!). I got bored and made them run. Emily was, unbeknownst to her, cast as an extra in this photo:

Emily had us skipping. KC wasn't into the skipping or the running, but she did get a photo.
KC had a camera and I had a camera, but Emily didn't have a camera, so there weren't a lot of photos of just me and KC. So Emily offered (after I asked):
It took several takes to get it just right, and I guess I got tired of waiting. I don't think KC knew what was happening until later because she's not blushing here and everything makes KC blush. Unless it's a movie, and then she cries.
I think I took about 20 photos of El Capitan. So imposing and incredible.
Along the trail.
KC's photo as I was driving.

Bridge #3. Oh, we also must have been singing the Eagles, because there was some "Seven Bridges Road" with bad harmony at some point.
(Actually the other side of Bridge #1, but it's still quite cute).

Back of Yosemite Lodge. A lovely, historical hotel.

Mmmhmm. I need one of these for my house.

That night, we had another fabulous dinner, some more wine, and more singing. There are two things portrayed in this video. 1) Emily covering Art Garfunkel and his prettier sidekick in For Emily, Whenever I may find her and 2) KC exhibiting how when she has a few drinks, she doesn't stop talking. So if you like listening to Emily sing, but don't like distractions, this video isn't for you. I find it kind of amusing, and I love this song. How come no one ever wrote, "For Heather, whenever I may find her"?

Emily For Emily from HMR on Vimeo.

The next day, after even more morning-fuffeling, we went on another hike, straight down into this little canyon that has a small river where the dogs swam, and this amazing, eery cave. I hear-tell you can swim through to the other side and it opens up again. Maybe next time.
















Bridge #4.

Then we drove home and stopped in Amador Conty for a little taste of wine. We went to the winery whose name I can't remember, but that has this very small pond with a giant boat.
What a lovely time. Next year, we're going back to climb Half Dome. Who's in?