On our second day at Yosemite, we visited Glacier Point. It was supposed to be a "must do" so we did! And we were really glad we did, too. The way to Glacier Point is a small road off of another small road that winds up the mountains through the forest, eventually arriving around 3,000 feet higher than the floor of Yosemite Valley.
On our way up, we stopped at an overlook with a view of part of the valley. We got there at a perfect time, because there was a thick fog moving through and in and around all of the trees and rocks and ravens. It was so much more special than bright sunshine would have been!
By the time we left, we weren't sure if Glacier Point was going to be much different - it was only a mile further up the road, and the first viewpoint was so pretty. Glacier Point was even better, though! It had an even wider-view angle of the whole valley. We could see the hike we did the day before from above, all of the waterfalls we'd passed, and even the famous Half Dome (on the right, below). We even saw little tiny people at the top of it, through our binoculars.
It really put everything into perspective! It's one thing to see tall mountains from the ground, but it's something else to see it the other way around. On the way back down, we drove past trailheads and pretty meadows and by one meadow, a few cars were stopped. We wondered why and looked out to our left and saw a black bear!
It was just happily munching on its lunch, not at all concerned about all of the people photographing it from across the meadow. Close up thanks to my dad's zoom lens!
How beautiful!
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