Vacation, 3

We made it to Yosemite, and the weather was great. The first day we climbed to a bridge were you can see Vernal falls. Aunt Mary, Uncle Tom, my dad and I decided to hike to the top. We must have gone up one thousand steps to get up, not including all the walking. At least we took lots of quick breaks. Well we made it to the top and that was my major accomplishment. The trail was around three miles round trip and we went up really high. We also walked to Lower Yosemite Falls and Bridalveil Falls, though none were as challenging or long. And we did those as a family.

At the camp were five families, Graunt Mary and Gruncle Tom, my Grandma and Grandpa Cox, Philip and Abby, Gruncle Kirk and Graunt Gretchen, and my family. (Graunt and Gruncle stands for Great__. We made it up on the trip, and it's shorter to use.) Each family had there own cabin.

Our group of Housekeeping cabins was also by the river, so we lots of chances to swim or play. I usually just washed my feet or iced my muscles, plus wading in as far as I wanted to. My family and my Grandparents also swam in the Lodge pool. It's big and you have to take a shower before you get in. That keeps the pool cleaner. One of my favorite things about the Lodge was that Grandpa bought us ice cream. I got chocolate. I also went on a blow up boat ride with Aunt Mary. It was okay, but I couldn't actually paddle that great since I didn't have any leverage. And the boat wasn't blown up all the way on the floor of the boat since the electric pump was broken. At least we didn't get hit by the child that was shooting water at us, it was cold!

One of my favorite times of day, or night, was around 9:00 to 10:00. That the time when our group gathered together around the fire or the table. One night we roasted marshmallows and made smores. we also told jokes. At the tables some nights we played cards. Games like Class Struggle, a favorite of mine. There was also a night were we waited and prepared food for the people returning from Half Dome. In our group there were four people who successfully made it, Gruncle Tom, Gruncle Kirk, Philip, and Abby.

Yosemite was beautiful and I just loved the wildlife that wandered or ran through the camp. There were Blue Jays, Ground Squirrels, and even a female mule deer that just walked across the street and through camp to some good eats! I think those squirrels are adorable!

My grandparents gave us some money to get into the Lodge and for suvineers. I bought a beautiful necklace with a copper cover leaf charm and a deck of Yosemite cards. My parents also bought us kids one hat each that said Yosemite.

Yosemite was fun, but we had to leave. We drove to Flagstaff for a family reunion and met with my two aunts and their families, plus my grandparents and us.

At Flagstaff I had a fun time. We visited the Grand Canyon, Slide Rock State Park (SRSP), went swimming in our hotels pool, watched some old tapes as the kids as children, ate good home dinners, relaxed sometimes, and more. In addition I also got to spend time with my family, and meet my little cousin Wyatt. He is also really cute.

At the Grand Canyon I saw some great sights of the canyon and walked for a while on Rim Trail, it's name says it all. We also ate lunch at a restraunt in the Lodge. It was also Grandma's birthday and Aunt Gretchen told the waiter so. The cake was passed around, and it was delicious! And I found a deck of Grand Canyon playing cards that Grandma helped pay for. Thanks again, Grandma!

SRSP was probably one of the funnest things during our time in Flagstaff. I got a few nicks and bruises, but it was worth it, especially once you got used to the water. There were lots of fun slides that didn't hurt too much to go down, except for one, and I tried most of the ones that we came to. After Slide Rock, we ate at Dairy Queen. I had chicken strips and split a banana split with my mother. And guess what! I found a deck of Sedona cards and realized we had some Zion cards at home. So now our family has four different sets of the same brand!

After a few days we left for home and to the doggies. The first night we stopped in Amarillo and stayed at the Fifth Seasons hotel. We stayed there once before too. My mom said it might have been a luxury hotel in the 70's since there was a central room with fake plants and a bar and grill. The inside of the rooms were probably old in style, but they we clean. Breakfast was not bad either; eggs, sausage, and toast.

That day we arrived back home! Finally. I was getting home sick.

The whole trip was great. For more info you can look at my parents' blogs, though I'm sure you already have. :)