Yosemite National Park

A lovely relaxed morning start to Saturday, checking out at the hotel at 10:30am and working out way up to Yosemite National Park. Sat Nav estimated over 2 yours to get there but that doesn't include stopping to take in the scenery!

We finally got to the park and it was very busy (as expected!) but everyone was friendly and the weather was great.

Our original plan was to see Yosemite Falls and perhaps even Bridal Veil Falls (I visited 20 years ago!) but due to the sheer volume of people in the park, it took us a few hours to do a couple of miles. We finally parked and walked to the falls, to be greeted with fools rather than falls. No water. No water at all.

Needless to say, we felt quite silly but we're pleased we went. You can't imagine the sheer scale of these rock formations and the cliffs they create but there's something very raw and real about Yosemite. The smell of pine trees, the sun glistening on Tenaya Lake, it's just stunning.

For someone who's not keen on walking, this place makes me want to book a lodge and spend 5 days hiking.

We finally headed out of the park and began our drive to San Francisco. On the way, we passed fields and fields of white peach trees, all uniform and setting the landscape. For miles, all we could see were mountains and lush grasses. It felt very 'green' compared to arid Vegas and Death Valley.

Adam wanted to drive over the Golden Gate Bridge so we had to take a little detour to Sausalito. It was dark by the time we made it to the bridge but it's lit beautifully, bathing the cars (and us) in a warm terracotta glow.

I had forgot to warn Adam how steep SF is. It's very steep.

We received a very warm welcome from the staff at the Intercontinental Mark Hopkins on California St. We were ravenous having not stopped for lunch (because of the park queues) so we treated ourselves to room service! A Turkey Club with side salad for me, a proper beef burger and salad for him.

Alcatraz and SF sightseeing tomorrow.Read more