You know how sometimes your dog or cat will wake you up simply by staring at you? Creepy, right? Well, my husband woke me up that way. I opened my eyes and his face was inches from mine.
Don't do that! Sheesh. He whispers, "You want to get a shower?" I glanced at the clock. It's 4:30am. 4 freaking 30 in the 
"Well, whoop-de-doo for home. But since we aren't home, it's 4 freaking 30 in the morning. My body went to bed after 10pm in THIS time zone. We all need a couple more hours sleep or NOBODY will have a good day."
He left me alone after that.
We got up shortly after 6 and were on the road before 7am. After a quick grab-and-go breakfast of muffins and fruit, we found the line of traffic waiting to enter Yosemite. Yeah, it's a Saturday in the summer. Lots of people headed into the park. Oh, well. We waited our turn and finally made it in.
This is another case where you round a curve and the view that opens in front of you is positively breathtaking.
We stopped for a quick picture of Yosemite Falls. Or two or three or four.
The views are all gorgeous!
We went to the lodge to check on availability of tours and decided to take the Glacier Point one. First, because it was leaving soon. Second, because it put us in an air conditioned bus. It was already uncomfortably hot and the temps were climbing. The Valley Floor tour would have put us on an open-air tram with no cover and no a/c. On this day? No thanks!
We hung around the front of the lodge for a few minutes until the bus arrived, then we claimed seats together.
I suck at selfies. I think I'm too old or something. I can never figure out how to move my phone or myself to get a good shot, so I just wind up snapping whatever is mostly in frame. Maybe I just don't do it often enough? I don't know, but I mostly feel like an idiot when I try.
The drive up was awesome. So much natural beauty. I took tons of pictures, of course.
This pic ^ is of Bridal Veil Falls. The way the land is shaped, there is almost always a gusting wind that blows the water upward at the crest of the falls. It's pretty, and much more unique than the overused name "Bridal Veil" suggests.
We climbed up and up and finally arrived.
We walked out onto the path and... wow. Wow!
And lots and lots of shots of the views or closeups.
The tour guide/bus driver we had for the trip was awesome. It was obvious that he loved his job and loved the park. One of the things he told us about were these pine trees (called Jeffrey Pines) that only grow at these upper elevations. He said, "If you smell in the cracks of the bark, it smells like butterscotch. Some say vanilla, but I think butterscotch. You tell me." So, when we found one that was on the trail, we all had to sniff it.
The verdict? Yep, it smells like butterscotch. Sidenote: When your family stops to sniff the cracks of a tree, people passing by look at you funny.
We headed out onto the overlook. What. A. View.
Looking across at Yosemite Falls above, then trying to zoom in a little on them below.
A sign on the other side of the railing telling people not to enter. Do Not Enter the 10,000 foot drop? Kay. I'm pretty sure I can handle that one. What scares me is that there is a need for the sign?!?!
We asked another person enjoying the view to take our picture. You'll notice that Joshua is toward the "solid land" side and gripping the rail. We let him decide how far he was okay with going and that was it.
Much happier back off the overlook, with Half Dome behind them. I can't say enough about the views. Stunning!
It was hot, even with the breezes, so we grabbed a frozen treat from the gift shop and sat to enjoy the rest of our time at the point before heading back to board the bus for the return trip.
