Hi Socaloc, I had seen kid T-shirts in the Stanford bookstore, but did not realize they even sold pup collars ! Would love to see the pup walking on the streets with a Stanford collar around his neck !

Wednesday, June 9th:
YOSEMITE :
We woke up comfortably today at San Jose, had breakfast at home, and left by 9:45 am for Yosemite. Just the three of us, DW and son accompanying me. It was middle of the week, so we knew that our daughter will not make it here.

We stopped only once for coffee and fuel, and then at Oakhurst for lunch (Taco Bell), before reaching our Wawona Hotel inside the park by around 2:30 pm. The drive was so-so, not particularly scenic to the south park entrance. The hotel looked very nice, very colonial and quaint.

Our rooms were not ready, so we left our luggage at the foyer, and took the park shuttle bus to Mariposa Grove, reaching there at 3:30 pm. We walked on the trail to the "Grizzly Giant" and the "California Tree Tunnel". It was an easy walk, taking about 75 mins for the round trip. Lovely giant sequoia trees. The tour was relaxing and educative. Then we took the park shuttle back to the Wawona Hotel.

Our rooms were ready now, and we relaxed in it for an hour or so. Then returned to the hotel reception area, and sank into the comfortable sofas there.There was someone playing the piano, and singing old fashioned songs of a bygone era, which was absolutely delightful. We sipped some wine, and sat there for hours, listening to the singing. Met two wonderful couples there, one from Massachusetts, and an elderly couple full of life and zest (in their 80's) from Los Angeles. Lovely people. The atmosphere made everyone very friendly, and everyone was having a great time.

We had a nice dinner at the Wawona Hotel of Strawberry/spinach salad and Lasagna. Went to bed early that night by 9:30 pm.

Thursday, June 10th :
YOSEMITE :
Today we were scheduled to spend the entire day in the Yosemite valley, and we were quite excited. After a sumptuous breakfast in the hotel, we were off by 10 am.

It is a longish drive from Wawona Hotel to the Yosemite Valley area, and there was a lot of road construction work going on inside the park. So ever so often they would stop cars in a particular direction for 15-20 minutes. We encountered several such stoppages, which were frustrating. Finally made it uphill to "Washburn Point" and soon thereafter to "Glacier Point". The views from each of these vantage points were excellent, in particular from Glacier Point. From the latter, you can look down on to the complete valley floor, and see the Half Dome, the Yosemite Falls, the winding Merced river etc. Spellbinding views, and reminded us so much of Switzerland (in particular of Lauterbrunnen).

We then drove down to the valley floor level, went through the tunnel, and emerged in the Yosemite Valley - sort of like walking into Wonderland ! Again some agonizing road construction delays, and it was awhile before we made it to the Day Parking Lot, and found a parking slot after much delay. We took a park shuttle bus, and got down 2 stops later at the Degnan Deli. It was already 2:45 pm with all the road delays, and we were hungry. Had a quick bite of sandwiches, with some delicious smoothies.

From Degnan's Deli it was a short walk to the Visitor Center, where we toured the Ansel Adam's photo gallery. Then we watched the 20-minute film in the theater on Yosemite, which was very nice.

Again boarded the park shuttle to the Yosemite Falls stop, and walked to the base of the Lower Yosemite Falls. Enroute, we passed a vantage point from where both the Upper and Lower Falls were visible together, and it was a really awesome sight. The falls were full of water, and the flow was spectacular. One of the best sights in the park.

Then we took the park shuttle a long distance, to the Mirror Lakes stop, and walked to Mirror Lake. The walk was nice, but all rivers were at their highest levels in over a decade, and the water flow was very strong. Hence the mirror reflection was not there to see.

We took the shuttle bus back to Yosemite Village. Strolled through the Village Store, and dined at the "Loft". Decent pizzas. Then walked back to the Parking lot, and retrieved our car. While exiting, we did stop at various places. The "Valley View" point was particularly dramatic, and so were many other un-named points where many people had pulled over to catch the sights. And just before we entered the tunnel, we did stop at "Tunnel View", and watched the sunset from there. As we slowly drove back to Wawona, the skies were turning into lovely shades of orange and purple, and we could not help stopping ever so often.

The road construction hold-ups again delayed our return, and we reached back at our hotel by 9:15 pm. Went straight to the reception area to listen to some piano music, but it was over 15 minutes after we reached. Once again, early to bed.

Hmmm gridlock in Yosemite? that sounds contradictory. That had to take away from the experience. Isn't it fun making travel friend connections?

You have been a real help Socaloc. Hope to post the last installments today of my remaining two days in USA.

I think they were repairing the roads in Yosemite after the snow had melted. So on most roads, they would allow traffic one way for 20 minutes, and then the other way for the next 20 mins and so on. That caused the traffic delays and hold-ups.

Too bad you had so much construction in Yosemite. It's hard to not get frustrated sitting in traffic. Sort of takes away from the Yosemite experience.

I loved hearing about your visit to Stanford. I can see why it would have been emotional and you described it so well. Almost had tears in my eyes reading it.

I am looking forward to your next installment.

Friday, June 11th:
YOSEMITE :
Woke up, got ready and packed our bags. Breakfast at the Wawona Hotel, and then bags in the car and we were off. Our son was in a sulking mood today. He had gone entire two days without internet connectivity, and wasn't happy about it one bit. How did we survive our youth when internet was not around ??

Again, the road delays on Wawona Road. Again entered Yosemite Valley through the tunnel, and pulled over at the "Tunnel View" spot for morning viewing. Clicked pictures, and went further ahead and parked at the Bridal Veil Falls. Walked to the base of the falls and back. The spray of the waterfall was pretty heavy as we neared it. Then a brief stopover at the Swinging Bridge, and we were off on Tioga Road.

Many posters on this board had recommended visiting the Tuolumne Meadows section of Yosemite. We had learned the previous day that although the roads were open, no services had yet started in that area, and that any hike would not be possible as there was still a lot of snow on the ground. However, people had highly recommended that we drive there. The Visitor Center people in Yosemite Valley claimed that the drive was very beautiful at this time of the year.

It was a pretty long drive, with lots of snow on either side of the roads. After an almost endless drive, we finally reached Olmstead Point at about 1:45 pm or so. The views were extremely rewarding, including the Half Dome that was visible in the distance. There was a short walk from Olmstead Point on the snow to a scenic lookout. I tried it, as I wanted to go there, but the ice was very slippery, and I had to turn back halfway. It was pretty late, and we had a long drive back before we could get any lunch anywhere. So we canceled plans of driving further to Tenaya Lake, and retraced our steps.

After a long drive back, we exited Yosemite via the North Entrance (Highway 120) at about 2:45 pm. The drive as you leave the north entrance is quite spectacular, with lovely curvaceous roads in scenic environs. We reached a small town called Buck Meadows by around 3 pm, where we stopped for a late lunch. A very nice diner greeted us, and we had lunch of Grilled sandwiches and Enchiladas. Fueled up, and drove non-stop, reaching San Jose by 7 pm.

We had spoken to our daughter over the phone during the return journey. She was waiting for us at home, and took us out to a Malaysian restaurant called "Banana Leaf" in nearby Milpitas. Very popular place, with long lines to get in. Wonderful Sake Mojito, Tom Yum soup, Basil rice and Green Curry. Then back to San Jose and into bed.

Thanks paula. I guess overall Yosemite was a somewhat underwhelming experience. Maybe I had set my expectations too high. The place reminded me too much of the Bernese Oberland area of Switzerland, and the solitude of the Alps and its rugged pristine beauty seemed a far cry from the crowds in Yosemite. I know it is unfair to compare; I guess I had read just too much hype about Yosemite, and the disappointment was inevitable. Anyway, now I've "been there and seen that" !

In contrast, the trips to Grand Canyon, Las Vegas and Monterey were far more enjoyable. Not to mention the nostalgic return to Stanford.

Saturday, June 12th :
NAPA VALLEY :
I had kept brief notes of all our travel days, except this last day at Napa Valley. Don't know why I did not keep any jottings. So this last day's diary is totally from memory.

It was a weekend again, which meant that our daughter could join us. She had planned a trip to Napa for wine tasting and touring. Son is a great wine lover, but felt that after 3 days of internet deprivation at Yosemite, he had to stay at home and "dispose off a lot of work" on the net, whatever that meant.

So we left our son to his beloved laptop, and departed in the morning after breakfast. First we stopped by at the Enterprise office and returned the rental car which we did not need anymore. Then off to Napa Valley.

We drove practically the entire length of the highway which goes through the wine country region of Napa, crossing dozens of vineyards. It was a bright sunny clear day, and we loved the drive through the wine country. Finally stopped at Sterling Vineyards, practically at the far end of the wine producers. They have a gondola ride going up to their establishment, which offers good views of the Napa Valley.

We took the gondola up, and started our self-conducted tour of the winery. It was interesting, informative, with six wine tastings interspersed all through the tour. The wines were good, and we were particularly impressed with a somewhat sweet white wine which we tasted. Ended up buying a bottle. And we could keep our wine glasses as souvenirs ! There were lovely views of Napa Valley from their outdoor deck which was on a generous height.

With enough wine in our belly, we scouted for a suitable place for lunch. Did not keep my notes, so I have completely forgotten where or what we ate, but I remember enjoying the meal ! Then spent a lot of time window shopping and going in and out of cute stores in the cute little towns that dot the Napa valley. Really had a relaxed and carefree time.

On the return journey, we stopped for another round of wine tasting at V. Sattui, which looked like a very popular place. They had large tasting rooms, and they were packed with people. Very picturesque gardens and a lovely atmosphere. Tried about 5 different wines, and ended up buying a bottle of red.

The houses everywhere looked very pretty, and told my daughter to be on the lookout. Some day, I will have enough money to buy me a mansion here ! Or better still, to buy a mansion with a winery !

Slowly made our way back, detouring to drive over the Golden Gate bridge during the return journey. It was a crystal clear day, and the there was not a speck of fog anywhere as we went over the bridge, DW finally getting a clear view of the entire bridge. Returned home, and got down to doing my packing, which took a lot of time. Had a small dinner at home and retired to bed.

Sunday, June 13th :
RETURN TO INDIA :
I was to fly back to India this morning. DW was to spend another week in California with our daughter (daughter had planned to do a lot of shopping for her mom). Our son was to return to the East coast, locate an apartment in New York, and start a job in a few weeks.

We all piled into the car, and our daughter drove us to San Francisco airport. My flight and our son's flight were leaving around the same time. DW had tagged along to see us off. I was dropped first at the Continental terminal, after which they would have dropped off our son at the United terminal. It was an uneventful journey back, with a short 2 hour stopover and change of aircraft at Newark, NJ. Then a long non-stop back to Mumbai.

Thus ended our West Coast journey. It was the first trip with our children in a long long time, and I do not know when all of us will get a chance to travel together again. This also brings me to the end of this TR. It has been a pleasure writing this. I hope some of you have enjoyed reading it.

I'm glad it was a pleasure writing - it was certainly our pleasure reading! Glad you had such a wonderful trip.

I'm enjoying your son's character in the story line. Fun.

Years ago, I had a similar experience with 'hype' and 'expectations' with the Big Island in Hawaii. For some lame reason, I was 'expecting' some kind of 'foreign cultural experience'. Boy was I let down. LOL From that moment on, I always really try not to set myself up. It happens to the best of us.

Thanks for continuing this great trip report indiancouple! Your dedication is admired.

( Or better still, to buy a mansion with a winery !)

I think millions share THAT dream. LOL But I am sure it is a lot of work!

It's over?

I sincerely REALLY enjoyed reading your trip report.

Thank you so much indiancouple!

Excellent trip report...thanks so much.

Thanks for posting your excellent report.

Lee Ann

Thanks sf7307, Socaloc, Elendilpickle and peterboy. You have all been very encouraging as readers to this TR. Thanks once again.

Great report. Thank you so much.

thank you so much for your trip report - i enjoyed reading it so much.

kona514, millie2112, thanks to both of you for the appreciation.

Great report...enjoyed it very much!

Hope you had a good flight home. I really enjoyed your trip report. Hopefully with both your children in the US, you will get back sooner than later to visit again.