San Fran to Yosemite to Chico!

We decided to make the most of our half day in San Francisco. First we visited the California Academy of Sciences Aquarium. Nicole hadn't been to an aquarium in years. We visited with all the fish, snakes, penguins and spiders for a good two hours. At 11:00am we watched them feed the penguins, very cute and educational.
After the aquarium we hit up some key tourist attractions, Lombard Street and the Golden Gate Bridge. We drove down the twisty street with a dozen other tourists. We couldn't believe people actually live on the crazy one-way street. The Golden Gate Bridge was hidden in clouds but we still enjoyed the view from a lookout spot at Fort Point in Golden Gate Park. While in the park we had a picnic lunch preparing for the long drive ahead. We drove over the Golden Gate Bridge and headed toward Berkeley.

Berkeley was pretty awesome and Nicole managed to find a few things to buy along the well-known Telegraph Avenue. Nice hippie atmosphere. We arrived in Yosemite just after dark around 8:00pm. Our camp site number was posted at the Crane Flat gate just as expected from our reservation. We set up camp in the dark and then cooked ourselves a wholesome stir fry dinner. Not bad for a one burner stove.

Our first night at Yosemite was cold, dropping to just above freezing overnight. We both didn't get a very good sleep. We were happy to wake up and have hot tea and oatmeal for breakie. We saw all the sights you could in one day at Yosemite. Tunnel view lookout, Yosemite visitor center, Yosemite falls, Bridalveil falls and mirror lake were a few, all the while being wowed by El Capitan and Half Dome. We also saw bears (yes plural), deer and squirrels.
We stayed warm in the evening by cooking another hot meal this time accompanied by a campfire. We were better prepared and slept much better the second night. Wish we could have stayed one more day!

Left the park by 11:00am to head to Chico to see Marie! Long drive up the scenic hwy 49 but all worth it to see Marie's smiling face. The three of us quickly caught up with each other during a nice walk into town. Back at Marie's adorable home we enjoyed home made vegetarian chili for dinner. It was excellent and hit the spot. We were in a nice warm bed by 11:00pm. Lots planned for the next few days.

San Francisco Pics | Yosemite Pics