To the Coast I Go (Day 5)

To the Coast I Go (Day 5)

• 11.02.2011

I think I have a sunburn on my face. I’m totally okay with it.

You know when you are just sure that you are making good decisions? That’s how I feel on this trip. I also feel super lucky. Not only because I can take this trip, but also because it’s worked out so well thus far.

Last night I slept pretty well in my super cute room at the Wawona Hotel – but I can GUARANTEE that I’ll sleep even better tonight in my luxurious room at the Sanctuary Beach Resort in Marina. It’s seriously awesome. I’m literally listening to waves crash, putting my feet up in front of a fire, and snuggled into a super comfy couch.

So just like I planned (albeit not in advance) I woke up in time to watch sunrise at Glacier Point. I got already in my zip-off pants and multiple layers of Patagonia and headed to the lobby. I also applied double extra deodorant because I didn’t need a relapse of Stinky Jen from yesterday. I grabbed two to-go coffees in the lobby and hit the road. (Sidenote: the lobby people thought I was 22, not 28. One of the men also tried to get me to take one of his sons back to Boston because “he could give college another go there”. No thanks sir.) The ride to Glacier Point was a little longer than I expected time wise, but totally worth it.

It was just me and a handful of Germans taking in the sights. Also, a note to the Germans. If I offer to take a picture of your group, then you in turn should offer to take my picture. But that’s fine. I have a tripod and I’m getting really good at using it. A few other things? 

• It was super neat to see Nevada and Vernal Falls from a totally different view. They almost look more impressive from across the valley. I’m 25% more pleased with myself for accomplishing those hikes. Since I’m the boss of this adventure, I can do that.
• I remembered my Mentos. But in the sunrise hours of the day, they are super hard/frozen. Not as enjoyable as they would have been at Vernal Falls
• OH. Another great thing? I saw a BEAR one my way back from Glacier Point. It wasn’t really safe to take a picture so you’ll just have to take my word on it.

After checking out the Point and grabbing some breakfast buffet, I headed to the Mariposa Grove to check out the Sequoia trees. The Grove was just about 10 miles away, so it was a great “quick” stop before heading to Monterey.

But thanks incredibly inaccurate and terribly out of date maps, my “quick” activity, turned into 3 hours of wandering around the poorly marked trails. While I never felt lost, I certainly had no idea where I was going. There were points where you’d see a sign saying the destination was 2 miles away, you’d walk for 15 minutes…. And see another sign that said it was still 2 miles away. Folks, that just isn’t possible. All in all, glad I went but certainly not worth 3ish hours of my time…. Or 6+ miles on my feet. 

Memorable moments?

• Believe it or not. I forgot my Mentos (see face above). This is seriously the longest any package of candy has lasted in my possession. Those Mentos should have lasted an hour, but instead they've been around for nearly 4 days.
• When I took the picture of me sitting in front of the tree, a Sweedish family kept saying "WOW WOW WOW" for me. It was slightly awkward slash great.
• As I "ran away" from the Sequoia Grove, I ran over a chipmunk. So, there was one downside for the day but to be honest, there are a hell of a lot of chipmunks in this park and they could spare to lose a few.

The rest of the day was spent driving to the coast for a change of pace. After about 4 hours of pavement, I arrived at my destination for the evening (and perhaps longer… I haven’t yet decided). My parents have graciously sponsored a night for me at the Sanctuary Beach Resort.

 

This place is the bomb.com for several reasons:

• my room comes with a fireplace and a deck that looks out on the ocean
• my room also comes with a golf cart (my parents know me too well)
• there is a fire pit that is lit at night during sunset
• its so pretty that I didn't even care that I got my jeans wet playing on the beach by myself 

I did manage to get here just in time for sunset which was totally awesome. But, you can judge for yourself in the pictures. Originally I was planning on going out for dinner, but I decided to order in. What did I order? A children’s burger. Exactly that. But, when I went back to the restaurant for bbq sauce I got lost in my golf cart and had to go back to the front desk and ask for a map. True story. 

So, now. I’m trying to decide what to do tomorrow night. Do I stay here one more night in luxury? Or try something new? The sunset here is just so phenomenal that it’s hard to leave. Reminds me a lot of all the great Captiva Island sunsets that we’ve caught on family vacations there. A true gem.

Here are a few bonus images for the day:

The Sun isn't quite up yet... you can just see that line of haze-ishness ... and the Mentos.

The Sun has just crested over the mountains.... so pretty.

This is what I looked at for 150ish miles from Yosemite to the Coast

I'm still excited about driving.

 My children's meal dinner. Yep, I'm 28.

P.S. Did you enjoy the bonus live post from Glacier Point this morning?

P.P.S. I ordered my breakfast delivered to my room in the morning. I plan on eating it on the deck.

P.P.P.S. Looks like the weather is turning in Yosemite. Think rain. Think potential of snow. Think cold. Looks like my timing is perfect... or I'm just lucky