Pick one moment during which you felt most alive this year. Describe it in vivid detail (texture, smells, voices, noises, colors).
It was chilly when we got out of the truck. I almost felt guilty for making him pull off the road. We had already had a great vacation, a busy great vacation. I could tell he didn't want to add one more stop while we were headed home. I felt that it would be a disservice had we driven through Yosemite and not stopped. Timing worked out well. Clover needed to get out of the car seat and stretch her legs. She was getting grumpy.
Yosemite is known for so many things. Waterfalls being one of them. So I thought there would be more road signs. You have to be actively looking or you will miss the one 2x2 sign that says Bridalveil Falls. Now that I am thinking back there might have been more. I only saw one.
The parking lot was shaded by a combination of the mountain and huge trees. There was a slight breeze. Once we hit the trail, Clover grabbed her Daddy's hand and off they went. I trailed behind trying to situate my sweater and my bottle of water. There she was ahead of me, all three feet of her in her bright orange tutu.. Who wears a tutu hiking? Clover does. She didn't know where we were going but she was ready and willing to get there. Hubby was excited too. We had all seemed to develop an adventurous attitude while on this trip.
The trail was paved which made the short hike to the falls very pleasant. We hiked up to the waterfall. There was a small stream next too the path. A few more steps revealed the waterfall. In all honesty it wasn't what I expected at all. It was a little smaller than I had imagined. It was still beautiful. The sound of water off the mountain right above us was very calming. I snapped a few pictures and we walked back down. We stopped for more pictures. I with my camera and Hubby with his phone.
We stopped for a moment. As I stood there I had a strange feeling of familiarity. I looked around...Clover handed me an acorn. We had stopped in a small grove of Oak trees. Yellowish leaves were still clinging to the trees but some had already started their decent to cover the ground below. Natures way of telling you that Fall was on its way. The moist fresh air combined with the smell of the Oak grove instantly put me in a good mood. In my mind I was transported to the place where we played under a giant Oak as children. A place where the fall wind carried the smell of the giant Oak to greet you when you pulled up the drive...my grandmother's house.
Clover picked up an acorn cap and pretended to drink out of it. I smiled, remembering the times when I did the same exact thing. I could have sat there all afternoon creating new memories with my cute little family while being halfway caught in a sense of nostalgia. After awhile the chill had started to penetrate my sweater and we decided that it was time to get back in the truck. Clover picked up two more acorns to play with, and after a pit stop we were back on the road and headed home.
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