The ranger ended his talk right by the start of the hike to Lower Yosemite Falls. It was late afternoon by then, but since we were right there, we decided to go.
The trail is not too long and quite accessible.
Lower Yosemite Falls
Upper and Lower Yosemite Falls together!
This little bonsai-type tree growing off the side of a huge rock was funny.
After our hike we watched the last showing of the Yosemite movie at the visitor center.
Posing with John Muir.
D graciously volunteered to run to the car and picked us up. While we waited I snapped some pics.
Loved this stand of trees with one big tree surrounded by smaller ones.
Next we took a short hike to Bridal Veil Falls, which I believe is .5 miles round trip. We first ate lunch in the car since we did not see any picnic facilities.
Being that it was October, the flow was pretty low, but I was grateful that there was at least some water left.
View of Bridal Veil Falls from the parking lot.
Our next stop was the Visitors Center…only problem was that the parking lot was under construction, so we had to park in a makeshift lot pretty far away.
We had our first view of Upper Yosemite Falls on our way to the Visitors Center.
We were just in time for a ranger talk/walk, so we joined in. This picture is kind of funny because everyone is actually looking at an airplane that flew overhead, not nature. Our ranger shared his passion for microfauna.
I couldn’t help it!
This guy was just hanging out nearby.
We learned from the ranger that we were actually really fortunate to see Yosemite Falls like this, as it had been dry since July! There was a rainstorm just the weekend before our arrival (which I had been nervously tracking, since we were camping), which turned the falls back “on”.
The kids had last Friday off for a staff development day. Back in June I fortuitously checked the camping reservation site on the very day that reservations opened up for October and was able to snag a site in the Upper Pines campground. Checking the weather leading up to our trip I was nervous that there would be snow and that the roads would be closed. Luckily, the weather cooperated and it was a beautiful weekend!
As I mentioned before, D is into taking pictures with his iPhone now, so our blog has a second shooter! He wanted to take a picture of the freeway signs to tell the whole story.
We passed by the city of McFarland, which was made famous in that movie, McFarland, USA.
Our ride for the weekend was a CX-9 that D was able to borrow from work. With the amount of stuff needed to camp in cold weather, I would say this was a necessity.
It was so nice to open the moon roof and let some fresh mountain air in.
There was a backup of cars once we hit the entrance gate. It took us about five hours from our house to the entrance, and then another hour from the entrance to our campsite near Yosemite Village.
Since k is in fourth grade, we were able to obtain a year pass through the Every Kid In A Park program, saving us the $30 entrance fee–score!
We made a quick stop for the bathroom at the Pioneer Yosemite History Center and stretched our legs a bit.
We followed this bus into the Wawona Tunnel.
n was sleeping by this point, so I tried to wake him up so he could experience it. However, we also went through it the next day and on our way out of the park so he did not miss out.
As soon as we went through the tunnel, there is a parking lot, so we pulled over for the photo opp.
We also broke out the selfie stick for a family shot.
I guess we have been M.I.A. around here lately. Life lately has been very “full”, so it is a bit crazy, but good. Two weekends ago, k’s basketball team won their first tournament. They went 3-0, and the middle game was a nail-biter! All of the parents were going crazy, but k seemed to handle the pressure well. After the game D asked if it was irrational for us to get so worked up about a fourth grade game. Looking back, it was, but it is difficult not to get wrapped up in the excitement!
Did you know D is on Instagram now? I find myself relying on him to take more pictures with his phone now, too.
I am so proud of these girls. They have come a long way. We will be adding three new girls to the roster this season, so it was nice to do well in our last tournament as the “original 7”.
To cap off my birthday weekend, we went to the California Science Center after church. The main reason for our visit was to watch the National Parks Adventure movie in IMAX 3D. We also wanted to check out the Spaceship Endeavour.
While waiting for the movie we checked out the gift shop. Is that Hello Kitty spaceship pin not the cutest? However, I resisted the temptation ($8.99 each).
The movie, narrated by Robert Redford, was inspirational and fun to watch. I am not sure how much longer it will be playing, but watch it if you have the chance.
If you buy IMAX tickets, you do not have to make timed reservations to see the Spaceship Endeavour.
Watching the short movie right before viewing the shuttle makes you realize what a crazy feat it was to transport it to the museum.
There is a lot to explore here. Pretty good deal since admission is free; parking is $12.
We found our neighborhood.
It’s a good thing that the Rams were not playing at home that weekend.
In the spirit of “keeping it real”, and so that no one is deceived into thinking that our kids are always perfectly behaved, they had a meltdown/argument on the way home. Over a water bottle…really??
D also grilled steaks in the backyard on Saturday night. We ate outside, which was n’s idea. Overall, it was a wonderful birthday weekend. So fun to adventure with this crew.
Our next stop was Willowbrook Apple Farm. They opened at 10 a.m., but there was already line at 9:30. I think it was especially crowded since it was opening weekend. It was definitely more crowded than when we went five years ago.
There was one large group already in line that was serious about their annual apple picking tradition, with matching shirts!
Once the gate opened, there are two lines, one for pressing cider, and one for picking apples. We opted for the cider line since I knew the line back up faster. We made a half gallon, so the kids were told to fill up the bucket 3/4 of the way.
I liked how the netting for the apple cider station kept the bees away.
There are two presses available, and we were second in line, so there was no wait! The kids took turns feeding the hopper and turning the crank.
Next came the pressing by turning the wooden handle.
And voila! Apple cider! This was our first time doing this, so it was fun and interesting.
The person helping us was friendly and patient, as were all the staff we encountered here.
Here’s some video footage of the process. It is not the most riveting to watch, but it does provide a better sense of the experience.
Next we had to stand in line to pick apples. We killed time by tasting some cider and honey samples.
It was warming up by then, so n found respite in some shade.
Once our group was let on the property, we were given apple-picking instructions. We opted for the three pound bag, which you are allowed to fill up as long as the apples all fit inside.
Because it was the very beginning of the season, there was a lot of low-lying fruit, and apple pickers were not necessary.
These Winesap apple trees are over 100 years old!
Love this pic! I’m pretty sure this will be the last year n will be able to sit on D’s shoulders!
Once we were done picking, there was a long line to pay on the way out. We had to hurry since k had basketball practice, so we were not able to make any other stops. As a note for next time, I am curious about the signs I saw for apple burritos.
The last time we went to Oak Glen, k and n looked like this. Are you kidding me? Time truly does go by so fast! In that post I thought we would go to Oak Glen about every other year. Well, it took us five years to return, and it was still fun! Five years ago I did not realize that our fall weekends would be filled with basketball practices and soccer games, making it difficult to fit in family outings like this.
I referred back to my original blog post in planning this outing. Our first stop was to buy a crumb topped apple pie at Law’s Coffee Shop since we did not have a chance to try it last time.
Our next stop was Snow Line Orchard for cider donuts and apple cider. Last time I did not let the kids sample the “gently pasteurized” apple cider. This time I did not give it a second thought.
I love how they let you sample different types of apples here. We ended up buying a mini bag of Jonagold apples. D also really liked the Shizuka apples, but they were only sold in a $18 bag, so we passed.
Eyeing the freshly fried mini donuts. I think the price went up about 50 cents since five years ago, but still a good deal.
D’s sportin’ his new Oakley transition glasses, which came in handy for this picture in the sun.
We sat right by the U-pick raspberry patch, which I think just ended. There were a few left.
I really like the property here. It feels spacious and not overly commercialized.
n found this fall leaf, which we do not see much of around where we live, so I took a picture.
Wokcano is part of a restaurant chain and one just opened up by our house. The building has been in the works for a long time now, and D would comment that he wanted to go there almost every time we passed by. I am not sure what appealed to him, but when I saw that there was a coupon for a free entrée on your birthday, I knew we had to go. D was traveling for business on his birthday and he was supposed to travel on my birthday as well. As it turns out, he was able to be home for my birthday on Friday. After I took k to hula practice, we went to dinner just after 7 p.m., which is VERY late for us.
The first thing I noticed upon walking in the restaurant is the noise level. This is not a place that my parents would like to visit! There is loud music, making it necessary for everyone to raise their voices in order to carry on a conversation. The décor is pretty upscale. It has a “club vibe”, which feels weird in this decidedly surburban big box shopping center. There were a lot of families, most of whom were quite casual, so we didn’t feel out of place.
Our waiter was an enthusiastic young Asian American guy. He was helpful in guiding us through the menu.
We made two of our entrees a complete dinner for $4, which adds on a salad, bowl of hot and sour soup or miso soup, and rice. Since the entrees are priced so high, I would expect this to come with the entrée. The dressing was good, but there was too much. I always like hot and sour soup, which worked out since the kids preferred the miso soup.
Black Pepper Beef Mignon (very tender) & Chicken Lo Mein (kids’ favorite).
Grilled Seabass (most expensive dish, used birthday coupon). This was ok…kind of dry, and not too much flavor.
Even though this picture is grainy, I like it because it conveys the extra happy mood that k was in that night.
D insists that if he had an unlimited amount of money, he would eat here every week. Since I do not foresee that happening anytime soon, it will probably be a while before our next visit!
When I picked up n from school today he had a sly smile on his face. He then told me that he lost his tooth! It had become pretty wiggly the past week, so it was not too surprising. However, we have been waiting a long time for this day. In kindergarten and first grade, teachers made a big deal about losing teeth, but n’s teeth were not budging back then. I thought I was in third grade when I lost my first tooth, which would have been really late, but maybe my memory is not the most accurate. Because n lost his tooth at school, he was able to get a treasure chest from the nurse to keep his tooth in!
His adult tooth looks huge in comparison to his tiny baby teeth. He’s growing up! sniff, sniff.
I made this tooth fairy bag just a couple of days ago, since I knew the day was coming soon. Too bad he already knows the tooth fairy story thanks to having an older sister who started losing teeth four years ago.
D turned 40 yesterday, while he was on a business trip in San Diego. We had a small family celebration the day before. He was gone for most of the day at the Rams game (also with work), so the kids and I had a lot of time to buy presents and decorate.
I found the idea on Pinterest to thread baker’s twine with a needle through the balloon ends to make a garland. It worked out quite nicely.
I won this Ugly Christmas Sweater, which D will be proudly sporting once the weather turns cooler. We also bought him khaki pants, socks, new water belt bottles and Shot Bloks. Hopefully we’ll be able to go on a fun vacation to properly celebrate. D always says he values experiences over things. Maybe we can make it a joint celebration since I will be turning forty next year!
