Suprised by Waterfalls

I’m ashamed to admit that, although I grew up in So. California, until yesterday I’d never been to Yosemite. As we took in the beauty of it, Kevin’s mom and I talked about what it would have been like to be the first white guy to discover such splendor. How could you ever describe it to your friends back home? I think it would be impossible.

Although I’d seen pictures of Yosemite before, I wasn’t prepared for how awe-inspiring it actually was in person. This time of year, the waterfalls rushed powerfully down the valley to meet us. We hiked to lower Yosemite Falls (if you can call ¼ of a mile of paved sidewalk a “hike”) only to be overwhelmed by the power of the water. We scurried across the bridge at the bottom of the falls as frigid mist sprayed our faces. (I can’t wait to see the pictures we took – I’m sure we’ll all have frozen smiles from the chill and you’ll be able to see the goose bumps from a distance in the photos!) As we continued to drive around the valley and entire area, we would often spot a “new” waterfall. The whole adventure could be summed up as “Surprised by Waterfalls.” We also spotted a lot of wildlife throughout the day. We saw three coyotes. (Actually, there was a dispute over whether they were coyotes or some other type of beast.) As we hiked up to the redwoods, apparently the world’s largest trees, we saw a group of five deer.

After Tahoe last week and going to Yosemite yesterday, I don’t know how much more nature I can take! But I love it.

So, anyway, now it’s back to the grind. My days are somewhat confused after this past week’s weird schedule.

Today I had to sit through a hearing on a bill called the “Safe School Lunch Program.” Don’t you love how people frame debates? “What are YOU? Against safe lunches for kids?” And how are lunches supposed to be safe exactly? You’d think that people were trying to put razor blades in peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Or something.