We did it! Took the time, made the big drive. And had loads of fun! We found a great little B and B near Mariposa, drove each morning along the torrent that is the Merced River, and entered the tourist-filled park. Besides the people, the park was, uh, respendent. (I'll look at that spelling later...)
And Lana proved herself a formidable photographer!
The valley floor was lush, and the greens were very saturated. The sky was crystal blue. Like a picture book. We even saw some nice deer, although too close to the road for comfort.
On our one full day we hiked to not one, but TWO waterfalls. And they were gushing, not just flowing. Lana slept well -- ah, "rested her eyes" -- in the car on the way back to Mariposa!
After puff-pancake breakfast and fruit platters the next morning, we went back into the park. One last look around and dipping our feet in the river.... and WHOOSH! Lana slipped and fell in the icy water and let out a scream that rebounded off the trees in the pine forest around us. We hustled her to the car and held up a towel as a changing room. We soon had a story we could laugh about.
