Beautiful, Beautiful Yosemite.

By the time we headed to Yosemite, we had visited a number of America’s national parks: Grand Canyon, Zion, Bryce, Death Valley, Yellowstone… and had found unique reasons to love each one. 

We genuinely weren’t sure how much more natural beauty America could throw at us. 

But as soon as we approached Yosemite, we knew that we were once again about to discover something completely different. Rather than the scorched earth of the more southerly parks, the area around Yosemite and its entrance bloomed a hyper-realistic green. Wild grass, huge trees and tangled undergrowth tumbled down the hills and onto the roads. It was a place literally bursting with life.

But before we could explore, we needed to check in to our accommodation for the next few days, the Yosemite Rustic Bug Lodge. I have to say, this is one of my favourite places we’ve stayed in. 

Although our room was pretty luxurious by hostel standards, it felt like back to basics travelling. The bathrooms were shared, as were the kitchens, and people congregated in the buzzing communal areas. Made up of a mixture of dorms and private cabins, the lodge sits prettily on a hillside just outside Yosemite. It also boasts a spa, as well as yoga classes. Needless to say, I was sold.

The first night we arrived just happened to be Valentine’s Day. We opted to try out the yoga classes – perhaps not traditionally romantic, but there you go! While I’m definitely not as much of a Bendy Wendy as I was when I went to yoga at least twice a week, I really love it, so was super keen to get back into it again. Luckily the class was a gentle, restorative style so we were eased in slowly. In honour of Valentine’s Day, we did a few partner poses, and it was great to see Phil enjoy it and see what yoga is all about. We followed it up with a visit to the spa, chilling out in the hot-tub with complimentary herbal tea, feeling very much in the middle of nowhere.

Waking up early the next morning, it was time to explore Yosemite. Somewhere between the first view of the stately El Capitan to our walk across the frozen Mirror Lake, it became one of our favourite parks so far. It was on Mirror Lake, in fact, that we witnessed a whole family of tourists fall through a hole in the ice. We’d walked a little ahead, so all we heard was an almighty crash, a splash, and a smattering of breathless cries. At first it was hilarious, as they giggled and tried to haul themselves out. Then everything got a bit serious as more and more people got swallowed up by the ice. We realised quickly that one, everyone was getting very, very cold, and two, that someone had a very expensive digital camera around their neck. Finally, a team effort managed to haul them out and I sacrificed my fleece to the rapid drying of the camera. When the commotion died down a bit, we turned around to look at the gaping hole in the ice, the steely blue water underneath. Phil and I had stood feet from it earlier that day. Just a friendly reminder: don’t mess with nature. 

After a number of hikes and hours spent exploring (including getting drenched by America’s tallest waterfall and stopping for lunch with the prettiest view) it was time to head back to the hostel for some food.

We'd picked up some bits and bobs from a convenience store, and I left it for a maximum of two minutes in the hostel fridge while I went to tell Phil where the kitchen was.

When I came back, our food was out of the fridge, and on the table top, about to be tipped into a pan by a friendly-looking lady. How do you approach someone to tell them that they’ve actually just stolen your food? When I went travelling in NZ, I was more than accustomed to hostel-etiquette, which basically specifies that all food needs to be labelled. Or it’s a free for all. Even if it’s only carrots, left for two minutes.

I politely informed of her of the situation, and hilariously she denied all knowledge.

“People will take things from right under your nose!” she exclaimed. Indeed.

She asked where I was staying, then left the kitchen in a bit of a hurry. I kinda got scared she was going to find me in the night. Thankfully she didn’t, and we were free to drive away from the Yosemite Bug, well-rested and ready for the next adventure the next day.

Up next? Walking with giants.