we woke up the next day and suddenly I was a year older... 29! I put on my birthday shirt (a vintage fiddling contest t-shirt from my actual birthday June 28, 1987! Jason found it for me online a few years ago) and we headed out for more adventures!
our first destination was Bridalveil falls in the valley.
Bridalveil falls isn't nearly as large as the other falls we'd seen but it was still beautiful.
we walked to the platform lookout which was extremely crowded so we kept on going onto the rocks. there were way less people out on the rocks which seems to be typical for everywhere in the park. most people stay at bridges or ledges and aren't willing to climb any further which is nice for us. the rocks were a little slippery so we had to be careful and Jason was wearing flip flops (the walk to the falls was short and we didn't expect to be climbing) so he couldn't go as far as me. I kept wanting to see what was beyond each rock so I kept going just a little bit further. it was so nice, cool and refreshing with the mist blowing on me and I was having so much fun climbing on the rocks. it was a great start to my birthday adventures!
we left and passed by Tunnel View again so we had to make another stop.
we went to Glacier Point next which is a viewpoint above the Valley. the road was closed for cars so we had to take a bus to get there. I think Glacier Point has the most stunning views in the entire park.
this rock formation is Half Dome which you can see throughout the park but this is the closest we got to it. there are actually cables on the dome so you can climb up to the top but you have to make reservations way in advance. it also looks a little freaky for us acrophobs.
the lower falls in the pic below is Vernal falls, which we hiked to, and the upper one is Nevada falls.
Jason met some Guatemalans that lived near where he served his mission and one of them took these pics for us.
panoramic pic.
that was our last place to visit in Yosemite and it was a perfect finale for our time there. we definitely plan on going back and camping there again- and maybe go backpacking! Yosemite is so beautiful and worth the drive.
we left the park and headed to San Francisco! we got there just as it was getting dark and we went straight to the Golden Gate Bridge. I couldn't believe how cold and windy it was there and I was loving it! I suddenly felt like I had so much energy and was just full of joy and excitement to be there. I used to get that feeling a lot as a kid and it makes me so happy when I can feel that way again. I was running around taking pictures and what made it better was we were the only ones there. the Golden Gate Bridge is always so stunning to see in person.
I turned the timer on my camera and was running back and forth so we could get pictures together. it was a little bit darker out then I wanted but I still love these pics.
we stayed until it was completely dark and drove to our hotel. it was definitely a memorable birthday getting to start the day in Yosemite seeing waterfalls and stunning views then ending it in San Francisco at the Golden Gate bridge. it was a perfect way to celebrate the start of the last year of my 20's!
we had booked our hotel on Priceline earlier that day but when we got to it it was way shadier than we had thought. since when we booked it it had said it was a casino hotel (we don't gamble but the casino hotels are usually pretty decent and the biggest thing is they have secure parking garages) and it wasn't so we were actually able to get our money refunded. we found a room in the same hotel we stayed in last time for a way better price and it is in a prime location near Fisherman's Wharf. I think we got such a great deal because it was almost 11 pm at that point.
we hadn't eaten dinner and most places were closed except this dinky little pizza place. the pizza wasn't all that bad but it might've been because we were so hungry.
