We are now well into our last few days with Sue and Tom and after returning from a lovely trip to Sacramento (Sue and I) consisting of wine, walks and indian take away, we were greeted by another of Tom’s yummy dinners. Brodie was yet again the centre of attention and after a few drinks we decided to dress her as Tupac, Mrs Beasley and a cowgirl, which she didn’t really approve of, but ah well, she is a cat and cats should be dressed up.  
The next day (Thursday) we were booked in to yoga and Ryan had a date with the pilates reformer before our class – see photo below. It was very torture-esque with a hint of 50 shades of grey but Ryan was fine in his short shorts and seemed to get on well with the machine. I had my session the day before but no one needs to see those photos. 

‘Soma’ and their hard core ‘barre’ classes have been amazing and have hopefully kept me somewhat in shape after the mass of food and wine we have consumed here! 

  
After Thursday we had one more relaxed day of Walmart and Sushi before our trip to Yosemite and Ryan and I spent most of the day booking our bike rental for San Fran, the last few nights of accommodation in Fiji and car rental for New Zealand. By now it feels like we should be returning from an amazing holiday but luckily for us the adventure continues and it is reallllllllly exciting planning our trip.

It was Christmas eve for Ryan and he was super excited for Yosemite, so after a good nights sleep we were up and on the road by 9am. We had seen there was a big dump of snow on the mountains and with the clear blue sky, the conditions were perfect conditions and it seemed we had saved the best till last! 

  
We drove up through the snow covered trees and took in the breath taking scenery. It was quiet and we were lucky enough to be amongst the few who had decided to venture out to Yosemite that day. It was chilly and we were kitted out with snow shoes, hats and gloves and ready to go! 

   
 
Stopping by the four mile trail that Sue and I had climbed when I was 11, we headed up in the snow, stopping at various points to admire the view of the ‘Yosemite Falls’ (upper and lower) and the valley. We had an amazing panoramic view and we could not have had a better day for weather, we had really lucked out and the bright blue skies and beaming sun glistened on the snow. 

   
   
The trail was closed at 2.8 miles up because of the weather and though we didn’t quite get to that point we decided that with lots to do and limited daylight, we should turn around and crack on. Only passing a handful of people on the way down and after a brief snack, our next stop was the base of ‘Vernal Falls’

The climb was a steep one (for my little legs) and even though it was quite icy it was definitely worth it. The boys rushed on ahead and we met them at the bridge to watch the water move down over the rocks beneath.

Ryan didn’t appreciate the snow ball down his neck on the way down and I don’t think he has paid me back for that just yet…..ooops.

   
 
The Ahwahnee hotel was only a short walk from where the car was parked and so we went there to warm up by the MASSIVE fire place. 

   
 
The sun had gone down and the clouds were forming so we made our way back through the valley, taking more photos and admiring ‘El Capitan’ and ‘Half Dome’ before we left down the snowy mountains. 

All in all it was an awesome day and Ryan loved his first trip to Yosemite – I am sure it wont be the last!

  
   
   

  
Home to Granny and a roaring fire, we had our last dinner of turkey burgers, champagne and a meringue challenge. The next challenge is to fit all of our ‘stuff’ in to our back packs ready for our San Francisco adventure tomorrow morning. 
Very excited but have had the most amazing time in Sonora with Sue, Tom and Granny (note the capital G)

  
R & E xx