California Road Trip Pt. 3 // Yosemite National Park

Read Pt. 1 // Pt. 2

When planning this trip, I made sure to devote a full day to Yosemite National Park. I had always wanted to visit, so I knew I wouldn't want to feel rushed. While I wish I could have stayed longer, to devote an additional day to hiking rather than simply viewing each major landmark from ground level, it was nice to have a full day in one place.

My dad and I arrived at the park early, which was a good thing as the park entrance line was already quite long. Despite the crowds, we took our time with each major stop - El Capitan, Bridal Veil Falls, Yosemite Falls, and Half Dome, as well as made time to explore the visitor center and view one of the park videos. It was an incredibly hot and busy, California Summer's day, making it a little hard to completely lose myself in the beauty of the canyon. But I found relief in the quiet spots where I would cool my feet in the stream and sit in silence.

When the day was ending, I realized I hadn't taken any photos of my dad or myself, which left me slightly disappointed. But I'm just going to use that as incentive to visit again... This time during the off-season.