Yosemite

I haven’t done this in a few years, but it’s a little less intimidating to write up a weekend trip than a weeks-long summer vacation. Friends in our Sunday School class invited us to stay at their place near Yosemite last weekend, and we were able to make it an extended three-day trip because Monday was a “reading day” at the college.

We spent Saturday and Sunday visiting Glacier Point and Yosemite Valley, though because it rained all day on Sunday, I left my camera in the car that day. This was our family’s first trip to Yosemite Valley, aside from a visit I made as a child.

The view from Glacier Point is popular, for good reason. We changed our plans at the last minute to visit on Saturday morning, and that turned out to be a great decision as clouds soon came in and we wouldn’t have had a good view any other time. The big rock in the distance is the famous Half Dome.

The major impression that I will always have from this trip is the beautiful fall colors. We enjoyed this even when it was raining on Sunday and couldn’t take photos.

Here we have a beautiful family in a beautiful place. Thank God.

Before we headed back on Monday, our friend took us out for a drive in his 1915 Model T. He taught all of the kids to drive it.

Yes, all of the kids. I am still shaking my head over this one. Our six-year-old had to keep his foot on the floor to keep the car in (low) gear and he controlled the gas with his right hand (with a lever similar to today’s turn signal). Because we had 8 people in the Model T, a few had to ride on the running boards, and that proved helpful on a few occasions when Mark was able to guide the steering wheel.

I was able to drive the car as well, and it wasn’t as easy as I expected it would be after watching my kids drive it. We are very thankful to our friends for making our weekend so special.

On our drives, we listened to an audiobook recommended by another friend in our Sunday School class. We would all recommend Bud, Not Buddy to your family as well. (Amazon lists it as ages 8-12, but I would say it’s 8-88.)