Yosemite

By: Katie Stirling

     Vacations have always been something that I enjoy and look forward to. I love traveling and seeing new things. Experiencing something different is full of new and exciting things.
     Last July, my family went to California. We flew from Des Moines to San Fransico. The first night we stayed in a hotel in the city. Big cities are absolutely nothing like Clarksville. There are so many more buildings, lights, people, businesses, restaurants, etc.
     After the first night, we headed for Yosemite National Park. There was a huge difference in the scenery. In Yosemite, everywhere you look are trees, mountains, rocks, streams, animals, snow, and much more. The amount of walking and hiking we did in these eight days is crazy. We saw several, several miles of incredible, natural beauty.
     One of my favorite things we did was hiking the Mist Trail. This consisted of walking right next to Vernal Fall, a 317-foot waterfall. There were very long, steep steps you had to climb in order to do this, and got soaking wet in the process. It was one of the coolest things I have ever seen. We literally walked through a rainbow while hiking this trail.
     Another cool thing we did was visit Mariposa Grove. This is a place filled with giant Sequoia trees. These trees are wider and taller than imaginable. One of the most noticeable ones there is the Grizzly Giant. It is 209 feet tall and has a circumference of 96 feet at its base. This is almost as tall as the Statue of Liberty.
     We also rafted the Merced River, visited the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, saw the Pacific Ocean, and walked along the shore in San Francisco. We ate at so many great restaurants and bought lots of things in several gift shops. This vacation was definitely one that I won’t ever forget, and I’m so thankful I got to experience it.