Fall in Yosemite

Last weekend we travelled to Yosemite to see the fall colors. My online research showed that the peak fall color in the valley was likely to be for that particular weekend. And so I was all excited about the trip. To add to the fun, a couple of friends decided to join in too - the more the merrier.

Before we go into the actual description of the trip, some background is essential. When I came to the US it was to the east coast which is home to some of the best fall colors. While I do not miss all the cold and snow from the east coast, the 2 things I do miss here in California are the spring flowers and the fall colors. So when my husband went back to school on the east coast, I would travel every fall to meet him in the hope of seeing some color. But of course he was always busy and so we never made the trip. To cut a long story short, it was after a span of 7 years that I was hoping to see fall again.

We set off early morning (5 am - I absolutely insisted we leave early) and were inside the park by 9 am. It took us another 30 minutes or more to drive to the valley floor where the color was at its peak. It was stop and go after that even without the traffic - we wanted to stop at each and every bend :-)

The color was in plenty - the oaks, dogwoods etc. all were showing color. It was a pleasant day too. The colors were being clearly reflected in whichever rivers and ponds still had water (since by fall most of the water bodies are already drying up). We spent a good amount of time in the valley walking around, clicking pictures.

We later went to the mariposa grove and hiked a bit there. On our way back through the valley we noticed that the color was even brighter - it was changing fast, within a span of half a day.

The following day we travelled back - reaching the bay area by mid-afternoon, in time to get ready for the work-week ahead. It had been a little hectic but a very fulfilling weekend.