Day 22: Into Yosemite...but not very far

Today was a sleeping in day.  Quite a luxury.  We had a slow morning and enjoyed a leisurely breakfast with the Mitchell clan (tasty pancakes and fresh fruit).

We continued swapping stories and enjoying their company all morning.  I took advantage of the kitchen to give my water bottles a thorough scrubbing.  With all the various water sources, Gatorade, and other drinks baking in the heat over the last few weeks, the insides had begun to be a bit more "organic" than was good.

With fresh clothes, full bellies and warm goodbyes, we headed out and over to the lodge from yesterday where we were meeting Randy.  He was climbing up from Oakhurst this morning.

A great family

We had just gotten there when he rolled in.  The climb had been a quick one for him as well.  We hung around for a bit and I had a second breakfast of yogurt and juice (the cold things are quite a rare luxury on this trip).

We are meeting Sarah's brother in Yosemite Valley tomorrow so we decided to stay tonight at a campground just past Wawona not too far into the park.  This would make this our shortest day so far but accommodate our late start and some site seeing along the way.

After all the climbing,

I thought th  sign would be bigger

We stopped at the Wawona Hotel to check it out.  It has been in operation since the late 19th century when folks arrived by stage over some truly rough roads.

Waiting for the stage arrival

It looked like something from Dirty Dancing.  We took a brief stroll through the lobby and spent some time enjoying the porch.  Randy seems to settle into comfort with a newspaper quite naturally.

Not much has changed

Thankfully the roads are slightly better

Randy in his element

Nearby there was a small visitors center in an old artists studio.  Being the first visitors center of the park, naturally I headed straight over to find another stamp for my book.

Alex in his element

There were several interesting birds around the porch and some came quite close.  There was even a funny fellow bathing in the fountain.  If I hadn't just had a shower yesterday, I may have been inclined to join him.

A happy blue visitor

We all need a bath

After a quick tour through a group of historic buildings (essentially a collection of relocated cabins from days gone by) and a quick lunch, we headed out to meet Randy at our campsite for the night.

It was a nice spot right alongside a river.  After setting up camp we took a quick dip in the river.  With the sunshine, it was much warmer than the last swim experience but still a bit chilly.  

Taking a look ahead at our future maps I found a spot that we will pass labeled "hot springs".  I will definitely be on the look out for that in the coming weeks.

 A fresh paper is big news

Off to bed and on to the valley tomorrow.