Your point is taken :-), I will try to do much better today. ha ha First of all, we have a very fast connection here in Oakhurst, California, so here is the link to the rest of Day 3's pics, and Day 4's pics.
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151645578132456.1073741830.677627455&type=3&uploaded=79
By the way, the "Nude Girls" pic was from a spot about 100 miles out in the desert north of Las Vegas. Really? Is anyone that desperate? There was also a "Brothel" sign near the same location. - Crazy!
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Some funny things the boys said in the last few days . . . They try to keep me entertained.
Driving into Zion National Park in Utah - "Can you believe the Mormons hand carved ALL of this?"
We were entering Yosemite and Zach and I were talking on the radios about Roosevelt's part in influencing the creation of the National Parks . . . Josh says "What the heck does Rosa Parks have to do with Yosemite?" On this one, he wasn't trying to be funny.
We are driving directly next to a river, probably about 30 yards on our right.
Jerry - "Oh, look at that gorgeous river!
Zach, trying to be funny - "Where?"
Jerry - "Right there!"
Annette, trying to be funny - "Where??"
Jerry, the anger and disbelief rising in his voice - "RIGHT THERE!"
Hysterical laughter from the three of us . . . .
Jerry - "I can't believe I fell for that."
A funny discussion on this piece of information. We discussed Jerry and I picking Zach and Josh up, but the final decision was for them to pick me up.
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Today's Ride: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151645646127456.1073741831.677627455&type=3&uploaded=100
We started the day by putting on every layer of clothing we had to drive over Tioga Pass. (We learned our lesson in the Rockies.) They just finished clearing the snow and opened the pass about 4 days ago. We loved the drive and I was able to get some great shots with my new camera. Then we drove into Yosemite Valley. It was as beautiful as you would expect. It did surprise me how many people were there. It's before Memorial Day, and with it being Wednesday, we didn't think that it would be crowded at all. It was almost to the point that it took away from the experience. People from all different countries, parents with strollers, hikers, bicyclists . . .everyone rushing around to "experience" the best that nature has to offer. The campgrounds were literally strewn with tents placed about 3 or 4 feet away from each other. Our friend Gary, who generously lent us his trailer for this trip, had visited Yosemite with his family. I remember at the time asking him to tell me about the experience and his first word was "crowded." I think that he was there in the peak of the summer months. I cannot even imagine what it was like.
It seems like this is a real problem that we will continue to face in our National Parks. We have preserved these beautiful areas of our country so that people can enjoy them, but unfortunately, we have done such a good job and people can now travel so easily, that tourists, both foreign and domestic are coming in droves to experience our parks. I can't imagine them ever limiting the number of visitors, but it sure looks like that is where we are headed.
Don't get me wrong, we still really enjoyed the experience. It has been on my "list" for some time, and I would love to come back and do some more hiking and exploring.
We stopped on the way to our hotel at another part of Yosemite called Mariposa Grove, which has beautiful giant sequoia trees. We were too pooped to hike the trails, but did take a few pictures of the ones near the entrance. Really beautiful.
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We are settling into a routine, Jerry and the boys go out and "hunt" for dinner, and I prop up my swollen ankles and post the blog in the peace and quiet of the room. I am trying to drink more water and not use salt, and hoping that now that we are out of the heat, that I won't have to look like a I have a pregnant woman's ankles by the end of every day.
I am so proud of the boys. It is amazing to see them work together on the ride. Jerry takes the lead and calls out any road hazards, etc. Zach is our "back door" man and lets us know when a car is passing and "takes the lane" for us, by getting over and letting us drift over in front of him whenever we need to change lanes. Josh rides in the middle and keeps an eye on both of the other two. A full time job, along with saying the most entertaining things. I will say that sometimes the topics drift off into weird places, like today when we had a ten minute discussion on why you never choose a urinal that is directly next to someone else. These are the times that I try to go to my "happy place" and think about Erin and I doing some fun "girl" things together. ha ha
I do try to get back at them - today we passed a custom van from Alaska, with two adorable Huskies hanging their heads out the windows. I snapped a picture, and Josh says "Mom, you can't just squeal "puppies!" and start snapping pictures. It ruins our image."
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