Today we ventured into the Valley which has all of the main sites or should I say most popular sites in Yosemite. We decided to take the free shuttle leaving from the Wawona hotel since it is an hour's drive…it left at 8:30 and returned at 3:30. So off we went on our shuttle ride and after you go through this tunnel, the valley appears in all its glory. It is basically really tall granite cliffs rising from the ground with waterfalls at every angle. We immediately saw El Capitan and some of the other giant cliffs. The shuttle dropped us off at the Yosemite Lodge and right away the amount of people down there just blows you away. We walked over to see our first waterfall called Yosemite Falls. It was really beautiful to see the water crashing down from such a high point. We took lots of pictures and then got on the shuttle. We made a few stops at some highlights including Curry Village. The valley was not at all what I expected and I felt disoriented and unsure of where we were going most of the time…not fun when you are surrounded by tons of strangers and you have your kids with you! The highlight was stopping at Happy Isles and going to the Nature center there. We then hiked around there a bit and played in the river. Then it was back on the shuttle and to the lodge. We spent a long time in the gift shop and had lunch there too. Then our shuttle came to take us back. Overall, this was a day to get used to the valley and the system so when we go back on Saturday, we will know what we are in for and what we should do. We didn't get to explore too much nature this time but just be a tourist and take in the sites and get to know the lay of the land. Tim's sister and family are coming on Saturday so we wanted to know what we were doing for that day. So, off on the shuttle for the long ride home. Then back at camp it was splashing in the river time, then dinner, campfire and bed. Today we saw the heart of Yosemite but I want to see more…the unpopulated, pristine, and nothing to do with a shuttle and crowds of people!
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