Yosemite National Park🥰

The alarm went off at 6.00 a.m. today. And at 6.15 a.m. again😅 But then it went very quickly. Quick breakfast included with the motel (limited selection) and off we went. After 2.5 days in the city and almost only in the car, we headed back to nature today. Yosemite National Park was our destination. When I started planning our trip, I actually planned to drive from Vegas to Mommoth Lakes. Relax there for a bit and then take the Tioga Pass into Yosemite National Park. Even at home, I always wondered why Maps didn't want to go that way or why it kept showing me a roadblock. Oh well, blonde moment.🤷🏼‍♀️ Sometimes it takes a while, but eventually I came up with the idea to google what's going on there. Answer: The Tioga Pass is usually closed from the end of September to the end of May due to snow. Ah yes🙄 The end of May would have worked for us. Hotel booked there, but also immediately looked for an alternative to Mommoth Lakes, and found it here, in Fresno. Normal drive from Mommoth Lakes to Yosemite is 1.5 hours via the Tioga Pass. Because of the closure, we would have had to drive all around, which would have taken at least 7.12 hours to 8.5 hours depending on traffic 😳 No, thanks. Last week, when it became clear that due to huge snowfall in winter, the pass will remain closed for at least the entire month of June (at the end of May there was still over 2 meters of snow), I cancelled Mommoth Lakes. Just now, just for fun, I checked how the situation is at the pass, now they even say it could be July until it opens😳 Crazy. Good thing we had already found an alternative in advance.
About Yosemite National Park: Beautiful🥰 For me, the most beautiful national park I have visited here in the USA. They all had something. They were all beautiful in their own way, but this one😍 Okay, it doesn't beat Antelope Canyon, but that's also completely different.
On the way here, we had to pass through a part that was affected by the wildfires last July. Really shocking. As far as the eye could see, black, burnt, bare trees. For kilometers. And in some places, you could still smell the smoke. Sounds strange, but it was true. It really felt like there was still a fire burning here, that's how it smelled of smoke.

Our trip here was at the perfect time. Due to the snowmelt, the waterfalls still had a lot of water, cascades everywhere, rivers full, everything green. A complete contrast to what we had here so far. But somehow also a little bit like the Black Forest #homelandlove❤️ The Yosemite Falls can almost compete with the Triberg Waterfalls🤭 Finding a parking spot in the national parks is always a challenge. However, we were lucky near the Yosemite Falls and were able to take a detour to walk the loop at the Lower Fall. Speechless. I fell in love with this landscape. Looked around a bit everywhere, then continued to Mirror Lake. We were not lucky with parking there, but we were lucky in Yosemite Village. Parked the car, took the shuttle, of which there are several here, and went to the lake. We walked along the Merced River to Mirror Lake. And again, beautiful. Yes, I often say that it can't be described, but it's true. You simply have to see it for yourself, experience it☺️😅 When we arrived at the lake, we were full of energy and wanted to finish the big Mirror Lake Loop. After a while, the sky above us turned gray, the wind picked up and there were thunderclaps. So we decided to turn back and return to the shuttle. Well, once again we did everything right. Just as we got in the car, the first drops started to fall. There's nothing else worth mentioning today. Back at the motel, I splashed around a bit in the pool, watched a bit of ice hockey, that's it. And unlike yesterday, I now know that the Wi-Fi and internet here are so bad that I don't even have to try to upload this report here, let alone pictures. I'll do it comfortably tomorrow at breakfast 😁
Conclusion: I haven't been to Yosemite National Park for the last time. And next time, I will stay directly in the park. And yes, Jörg would want to come along as well😉 He is slowly but surely starting to enjoy hiking😇