After a restful sleep, we roused ourselves from our warm comfy bed in search of breakfast. The signage could be better here in Yosemite National Park, but after a few wrong turns, we found Degnan’s Grill in Yosemite Village. The breakfast sandwiches were quite filling.

Next stop was the visitor center where we received a map and directions to Yosemite Falls and Cooks Meadow. After 1 wrong turn and a helpful volunteer, we were on our way. As with all of our stops on this trip, the views were spectacular. The timing to see the falls in their awesome power was perfect. By autumn, the falls will be little more than a trickle. The weather was also perfect – clear blue skies and temps in mid 70s.

Yosemite falls actually is two separate falls – upper and lower. There is a pond (or small lake) and stream connecting the two that is not visible from the vantage point.

We had a little trouble finding the correct path to Cooks Meadow. Again, a park employee set us on the right path. Again, the views were most impressive. After walking for 5+ miles, we decided it was time for a snack. Ice cream was the perfect “pick me up” before going in search of Bridalveil Fall.

Cooks Meadow

Since it was too far to walk, we Googled driving directions and found our way fairly easily. In addition, to the wonderful views of the falls, we had a birds eye view of El Capitan, known by the local tribes as Tutokanula. It is solid granite and rises 3,000 feet high. It’s a popular climbing spot since it was first climbed in 1958. Using binoculars, one of our fellow tourists spotted two climbers on the sheer rock face. On the way back to our camp, Peggy spotted Cathedral Rock. It’s triple spiked tops truly remind her of a cathedral. Again, the picture doesn’t do it justice.

When camping, the official junk food is hot dogs. So, we decided to have a fire and cook them over the fire. They were yummy. We relaxed by the fire reading our stories before tucking in for the night.