Category Archives: 2026 Yosemite

2026 Yosemite

Yosemite Day 2: July 7, 2026

The Merced River gave me a warm, audible welcome when I rose early and opened my window.

Entering the park and driving along Southside Dr. was so peaceful and relaxing. Upper Yosemite Fall provided the sight I needed to stop the car, take this shot, and savor the Valley floor. Breathe in, breathe out.

Later, when I was on the other side of the field, I talked briefly with a man about 35 years old shooting the same fall from a closer distance with a digital camera and a long zoom lens (probably 2.5 feet). He reminded me of my younger self, holding (and traveling with!!) a similar camera — and film! Only then did I reflect on how easy it had been to use the 10x zoom on my iPhone. Would I want to go back to those days and those experiences? No — I enjoyed my earlier experiences, but let me only savor the memories!

I parked at Yosemite Village and walked the short distance to view both Upper and Lower Yosemite Falls. The first picture below shows both falls, which is followed by two shots of Upper Yosemite Falls.

This fall stands at an amazing 2,425 feet, one of the tallest in North America. I stand at about 0.2% of that height!

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2026 Yosemite, Uncategorized

Yosemite Day 1 — July 6, 2026

My car’s packed! It’s time to head out for Yosemite!

I have three purposes for this trip:

1) To do something I love!! I want always to have at least one trip on the books to look forward to.

2) To learn a few things about traveling alone to unfamiliar places. No longer is my wife, Bev, able to go with me because she has Alzheimer’s.

3) To connect with Bev by video call daily even on days I can’t be there in person.

My reflections during the next three days will likely be on all these themes. Thank you for traveling with me. Comments are welcome.

The first 2.5 hours driving on truck-busy freeways getting out the Bay Area was no fun. But after heading east on Highway 140 out of Manteca, the drive became wondrously less populated and far more beautiful. Nature began to ease the stiff neck and to renew my soul.

Wonderful to have pull offs where you can see nature’s beauty.
Ah, yes — where I will relax tonight!

OMG! But, imagine my delight upon opening the door to the porch at the back of my ground floor hotel room and finding the Merced River flowing by.

I was grateful that the first FaceTime connection with Bev was delightful. Was it her weekday one-on-one helper, Gia, who made it so good? Was it my soul having been partly restored? I’m just grateful. No need to know why it was.

Now, I’ll head to the lounge to watch the World Cup match between the U.S. and Belgium with others. After having dinner and watching part of the match there, I came back to the room to see the disappointing ending of the match.

Ah, long after the game, sitting on the deck in the darkness and listening to the water — how magical.

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