"Operation Fall Color" Day 2

Left the hotel at a decent hour, for me, anyway. 10 am is reasonable, no? and I only got out that early cuz I was trying to get out before the maid knocked on the door.

On the way out, I insisted that the desk clerk call me Kelly, and I found out that his name is John. We are one convo away from a dinner date. I will suggest the Thai place down the road.

Yosemite is nice, but even this late in the seaon, it is clogged with tourists. I've stopped at a little picnic spot on the Valley floor to write you guys some postcards, and eat my sandwich. It's not the most picturesque locale in the park, but it'll do.




I stopped at the mega gift shoppe a bit ago to buy the postcards and some souvenirs for you. Had every intention of buying Jakob a personalized Swiss army knife, cuz I am sure that I had one at seven years old. But I put it back. One more year, perhaps. So... T-shirts it is. And a money clip. That will blow your little mind. A gadget that keeps all your tooth fairy money folded neatly and in one place.

I think I'm starting to relax. I just need about three more months of this. You would join me in a week or two, of course.

Anyway, I drove around some more and found that classic Yosemite that I remember:




So I sat there on a stump in the meadow and gazed at the face of El Capitan for a bit before hitting the road again.

On the way out of the park, I finally found it -- exactly what this little getaway was supposed to be about.




A secluded little piece of real estate where I can just sit and be. I sat and ... be'd ... for a good couple of hours, savoring the sunset, breathing deeply and then being some more.

100 or so miles of driving today (Yosemite is HUGE), plus gas and a $20 park entrance fee, but it was all worth it to find this little piece of nirvana.