Villa YOSEMITE Valley

Two venues for my 35th birthday: Villa Yosemite in Groveland, CA and Yosemite Valley. We didn't go there for the sole reason that it's my birthday, we were there on a trip with friends hoping to catch the last of the summer sun.

What a nice birthday surprise...

We stayed at Villa Yosemite in Groveland, CA which we rented for a little over one grand for 2 nights of "owning" the luxurious 7.5 acre lot and calling ourselves dons y doñas. Really, really beautiful property and so sweet of our friends to let us sleep in the master's bedroom (it's my birthday eh!) We especially love the kitchen and the movie theatre... I wouldn't have complained if i had to sleep in its comfy seats.

Day of my birthday, October 3, we left after breakfast to drive to Yosemite National Park (about 40 minutes). Our first stop was the Tunnel View. Coming from the south gate to the valley, one has to go through Wawona tunnel and as you emerge from it, this is the scenery that will welcome you...that's why it's called you guessed it, tunnel view. Unfortunately for us, we came the other way (north gate, i supposed) and therefore we reached the viewpoint first. It was only later, on our way back to the parking lot, that i noticed the tunnel hahaha. Still, it was a breathtaking scenery...sort of a teaser, a prelude, a beautiful summation of the park's attractions: El Capitan, Half Dome, Bridalveil Falls. We lingered there for a while, took pictures, savored the view. I was so happy to be there with Fil, Racrac and our fun-loving friends.

Later we descended the valley to get a closer look. We stopped at El Capitan...it sure looks "commanding" up close. Sadly, there was no water coming over Bridalveil falls so we drove by and ended up at the village store for lunch and souvenir shopping. After lunch, everybody was too lazy to do more exploring, must be due to high altitude sickness or maybe because we have kids. Hmmm...not really. We were just too excited to go back to the villa (",)

We had a feast that night, they even made me a birthday cake. All it took was a box of cake mix, strawberries, a candle and some whipped cream and a scoop of ice cream to go with it. Love it, love these people. We spent the rest of the night just hanging out, eating (of course!), watching the kids play... I took a dip in the jacuzzi tub before going to bed. Life is oh-so-good!

Before leaving the next day, we managed to have another breakfast fit for kings and queens (courtesy of my husband who also prepared breakfast for everybody the day before) and settled in the theatre to catch the first few minutes of sunday football, yeah! We convoyed back to the bay area and were home around 2pm. The 3-hour drive was just perfect for an easy out-of-town trip...not too far, not too close...maybe we can go back next time to camp. It would be fun!

By the way, i have another reason to celebrate: October 4 is my 2nd year anniversary here in the US! Time really (really!) flies so fast!

Tweet