Yosemite

Thursday was my last day working at TFA after nearly six years - I start my new job at Khan Academy on Monday, so for the three-day weekend in between Ben and I took a mini-vacation to Yosemite. Or, as we called it/each other throughout the trip, "Yo, Semite!"

Just like the last national park we visited, the scary sign game was on point:

Also just like the last national park we visited, it was insanely beautiful. It was too early in the season for all the trails to be open, but thanks to all the recent rain there were waterfalls everywhere and it was like being in a Disney princess movie.

Bridalveil Fall

Since we had two full days to explore, we got to do some nice long (non-strenuous) hikes and explore a decent portion of Yosemite Valley. Every time we turned a corner we came across another gorgeous vista more beautiful than the last.

Mirror Lake is aptly named.

Stone towers left by previous hikers

We had a fantastic time, and it was also an excellent way to reset my brain before starting my new job. It's only three hours from where we live, so we're hoping to go back before too long!

Exploring our new neighborhood

And it turns out we live walking distance from this trail:

I still miss real fall, with the crisp air and changing leaves, but I guess this is an okay runner up for November weather.

Road Trip: Phoenix

Well, technically we are in Phoenix today, but it is a million degrees here and even our host said that the best thing to do in Phoenix in the summer is go away, so we decided to drive to the Grand Canyon! It's three and a half hours each way, but neither of us had ever been and we didn't know when we'd have the opportunity again, so we figured we might as well go for it. It was totally worth it! It's hard to convey the scope and beauty in snapshots, but we did take a few. See if you can tell the difference between the first two pictures we took there:

If you guessed that while brushing those stray hairs out of my face I knocked my sunglasses off my head and into the canyon, you were right! They were cheap sunglasses so I'm not upset that they're lost, but I feel very guilty for littering in a national park.

We took a bunch of pictures as we walked around because everything was so gorgeous, but they all sort of look the same after a while, once we stopped losing accessories into the canyon.

Ben did take a cool panoramic shot with his phone, though:

Click to embiggen

Also, they really don't want you to feed the wildlife there, which is understandable, but this sign basically says that if you feed the squirrels you will contract the plague, and that seems a bit severe.

We're back in Phoenix and will spend the evening hanging out with our friend, before heading off to LA  tomorrow!

Road Trip: Driving through NM and AZ

I know I've been posting only about our destinations so far, but today's drive from Gallup to Phoenix was so beautiful we had to take pictures. Instead of going the direct way on the main interstate highway, we took a slightly less direct route that went through the Pueblo of Zuni in New Mexico, the Fort Apache Reservation in Arizona, the Tonto National Forest, and lots of gorgeous scenery in between.

Dowa Yalanne outside the Pueblo

The Zuni Pueblo itself is also very picturesque - lots of adobe houses and hornos - but no photos are allowed without a permit.

Pretty driving

More pretty driving

Different type of pretty driving

A lot of the scenery seemed quite similar to Colorado, where we've spent a decent amount of time, but the redness of the rocks and the presence of cacti made it clear we were in the Southwest.

Little cactus

Big cacti

We mostly took pictures as we drove, but we did pull over once to stretch, and for Ben to climb on things.

 Now we are in Phoenix, and there are cacti everywhere, including this giant one in our friend's yard:

Now we are here and about to have dinner, and we have all day tomorrow to explore!