Yosemite National Park- Day 5- July 16th

I have to apologize to Yosemite's valley for bashing you in my blog the other day because today we went back to the valley and experienced a glorious place! Out of the window of a shuttle bus I was not meant to experience this splendid place so today we brought our bikes. We got an early start because we were meeting Tim's sister at 11 at Yosemite Lodge for lunch. We got on our bikes at the Lodge and rode past Yosemite falls, the highest waterfall in the US, and then not far past that we spotted our first deer. We disembarked so Leah could enjoy her favorite animal up close. Then it was back on for about a 3 mile ride to our destination. On our way we saw another deer with 2 babies and just gorgeous scenery including waterfalls, rivers, streams and my favorite the glorious meadows. The bike paths were paved and flat and just so great to ride on. It was the best bike ride of my life! We rode to Mirror Lake and got off and hiked around the river. We saw a fisherman catch a fish and then saw another deer. Then it was back on our bikes to return to the Lodge. Then it was what the kids have been so excited about… their Aunt Tammy, Uncle Greg and Cousin Collin met us at the Lodge. They live in Tracy, CA and came to visit Yosemite for the weekend. We had a great lunch at the Lodge and then we took an open air tram tour of the Valley. It was very informative as we drove around and saw all of the major sites in the valley and a ranger narrated everything the whole time. And we saw a bear! It was grazing in a meadow and we were so excited to finally see a bear here in Yosemite. After the tour we headed back to their hotel to get them checked in. It is called the Tenaya Lodge, just outside of Yosemite and it was really beautiful! So they got settled and we went back to camp to have dinner and get our swimsuits. Then it was back to the Lodge to swim in their indoor pool. It was great to have some family time and get caught up; it has been a year since we have seen them and a lot has happened in that year. It was great to see the cousins together too. Collin is 4 and he is so cute! After swimming it was time to call it a night so we headed back to camp and to bed. Tomorrow we are sleeping in!