San Simeon and Yosemite Trip

My sister and her husband came out to visit from April 23 through May 4, 2012. We spent some time in Granite Bay then on April 27 started a 6 day road trip to San Simeon and then Yosemite.

At The Coffee Shop	We started off the vacation with a visit to the local coffee shop / nursery / bed and breakfast / swimming hole.
At The Coffee Shop	Taylor decided to accompany us.
Day 1 - Andersens Split Pea	We headed out on the road trip on Friday, April 27. We went down I 5 and at the turn off for 101 stopped at Andersen's.
Day 1 - San Juan Bautista	We continued on to San Juan Bautista, where we visited the mission and had lunch.
Day 1 - San Juan Bautista
Day 1 - San Juan Bautista
Day 1 - San Juan Bautista
Day 1 - Moro Bay	We then headed down 101 and cut over to the coast at Moro Bay.
Day 1 - Moro Bay
Day 1 - Moro Bay
Day 1 - Moro Bay	We met some of the Moro Bay citizenry, and then headed up the coast to our hotel at San Simeon.
Day 2 - Cambria	The next morning we went into Cambria for coffee.
Day 2 - Hurst Castle	We then headed to Hurst Castle. We parked at the visitors center and took the bus up to the castle. This is a shot from the bus.
Day 2 - Hurst Castle
Day 2 - Hurst Castle
Day 2 - Hurst Castle	We took 2 tours. After the first tour we lounged around the pool and walked around the grounds.
Day 2 - Hurst Castle	This is a view of the coast from the castle grounds.
Day 2 - Hurst Castle
Day 2 - Hurst Castle
Day 2 - Hurst Castle
Day 2 - Hurst Castle	This was Hurst's personal study, which we saw on the second tour.
Day 2 - Hurst Castle	This is the in door pool which we passed by on our way to the bus, which took us back down the hill to the visitor's center.
Day 2 - San Simeon Beach	We went down to the pier at San Simeon beach. This is a view of the castle from the beach.
Day 2 - Elephant Seal Beach	We then drove up the coast a mile or 2 to Elephant Seal Beach.
Day 2 - Yosemite - Map	The next day we left the coast, drove across the Central Valley, and went into Yosemite from its southern enterance.
Day 2 - Yosemite - Map
Day 3 - Yosemite - Mariposa Grove	Our first stop after entering the park was the Mariposa Grove of Sequoias.
Day 3 - Yosemite - Mariposa Grove
Day 3 - Yosemite - Mariposa Grove
Day 3 - Yosemite - Mariposa Grove
Day 3 - Yosemite - Mariposa Grove
Day 3 - Yosemite - Mariposa Grove
Day 3 - Yosemite - Mariposa Grove
Day 3 - Yosemite - Wawona Hotel	We stopped at the Wawona Hotel briefly on our way to the main valley. Mom and I stayed here in 1982 or 1983.
Day 3 - Yosemite	This is the classic shot of the main valley, with Half Dome at the far end of the valley. It was taken on the southern entrance into the main valley.
Day 3 - Yosemite	This expanded view shows El Capitan and Bridal Vale Falls.
Day 3 - Yosemite	We continued into the main valley and checked into the Yosemite Lodge At The Falls. That evening I walked over to the Yosemite Falls.
Day 4 - Yosemite - Glacier Point	The next day, somebody got the bright idea to take the bus up to Glacier Point and do the 8.2 mile hike back into the valley. Every one else was dumb enough to agree that this was a good idea. We got on the bus about 10:30 and got up to Glacier Point about 11:30. This is a shot from the bus just shy of Glacier Point.
Day 4 - Yosemite - Glacier Point
Day 4 - Yosemite - Glacier Point
Day 4 - Yosemite - Glacier Point
Day 4 - Yosemite - Glacier Point
Day 4 - Yosemite - Glacier Point
Day 4 - Yosemite - Glacier Point
Day 4 - Yosemite - Glacier Point
Day 4 - Yosemite - Glacier Point
Day 4 - Yosemite - The Walk - Panorama Trail	We started the 8.2 mile hike that was supposed to take about 4 hours, but will end up taking us about 9 hours.
Day 4 - Yosemite - The Walk - Panorama Trail	This is a shot of Nevada falls on the Merced River from the start of the Panorama Trail.
Day 4 - Yosemite - The Walk - Illilouette Falls	We started out dropping into a hanging valley through which the Illilouette River flows.
Day 4 - Yosemite - The Walk - Illilouette River	We stopped along the river for a snack.
Day 4 - Yosemite - The Walk - Illilouette River
Day 4 - Yosemite - The Walk - Panorama Trail
Day 4 - Yosemite - The Walk - Panorama Trail	This is a shot of the Yosemite Falls from the trail.
Day 4 - Yosemite - The Walk - Panorama Trail	This is another shot of the Yosemite Falls from the trail.
Day 4 - Yosemite - The Walk - Panorama Trail	This is a shot of Half Dome from the trail.
Day 4 - Yosemite - The Walk - Panorama Trail	This is a shot of Nevada Falls from the trail
Day 4 - Yosemite - The Walk - Panorama Trail	This is another shot of Nevada Falls.
Day 4 - Yosemite - Nevada Falls on the Mist Trail	The Panorama Trail ends by meeting the Mist Trail just above Nevada Falls. We continued down a steep path along the side of the falls.
Day 4 - Yosemite - Nevada Falls on the Mist Trail
Day 4 - Yosemite - Nevada Falls on the Mist Trail
Day 4 - Yosemite - Nevada Falls on the Mist Trail
Day 4 - Yosemite - The Walk - Mist Trail	The trail crosses the Merced on this bridge just above Vernal Falls.
Day 4 - Yosemite - Vernal Falls on the Mist Trail
Day 4 - Yosemite - Vernal Falls on the Mist Trail	The trail down the side of Vernal Falls is again very steep. Here Bill admires the challange.
Day 4 - Yosemite - Vernal Falls on the Mist Trail
Day 4 - Yosemite - Vernal Falls on the Mist Trail
Day 4 - Yosemite - Vernal Falls on the Mist Trail
Day 4 - Yosemite - The Walk	We finally got down below Vernal Falls and continued to the trail head. We made the trail head just before dark and waited for a bus back to the lodge. By the time the bus picked us up it was dark.
Day 5 - Yosemite Falls	The next day we were all able to walk. We walked from the lodge over to Yosemite Falls.
Day 5 - Yosemitee Falls
Day 5 - Yosemitee Falls
Day 5 - Yosemitee Falls
Day 5 - Yosemitee Falls
Day 5 - Yosemitee Falls
Day 5 - Yosemite - Ahwahnee Lodge	We continued over to Yosemite Village where we had lunch. We then walked over to Ahwahnee Lodge, where we had drinks.
Day 5 - Yosemite - Mirror Lake	I continued over to Mirror Lake.
Day 5 - Yosemite - Mirror Lake
Day 5 - Yosemite -El Capitan	We met up again later that day and drove down the valley, stopping at El Capitan.
Day 5 - Yosemite - Valley with El Capitan and Bridal Vale
Day 5 - Yosemite - Bridal Vale Falls	We also stopped at Bridal Vale Falls.
Day 5 - Yosemite - Bridal Vale Falls
Day 5 - Yosemite - Bridal Vale Falls
Day 5 - Yosemite - Bridal Vale Falls
Day 5 - Yosemite
Day 5 - Yosemite - Half Dome	We continued driving the valley loop and stopped again for a classic shot of Half Dome from a bridge over the Merced.
Day 6 - Yosemite	The next morning we took a short walk down the valley from the lodge.
Day 6 - Yosemite Falls from the Merced	This another classic shot along our walk.
Day 6 - Yosemite	We saw a bear as we were walking back to the lodge.
Day 6 - Leaving Yosemite	We checked out of the lodge and are leaving the main valley.
Day 6 - Leaving Yosemite
Day 6 - Leaving Yosemite	This is our final view of the main valley with Half Dome in the background.
Day 6 - Columbia	We have left the park and are headed home along highway 49. We stopped in Columbia, a historic park off of 49.
Day 6 - Columbia
Day 6 - Columbia
Day 6 - Columbia
Day 6 - Columbia
Day 6 - Columbia
Day 6 - Angle's Camp	We continued down highway 49, stopping at Angle's Camp and several other small towns.

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