Yosemite National Park, California & Las Vegas, USA Holiday Review - Water, Earth, Climate and Ice

Submitted by: Till
Date of travel: 15-July-2006

Did you know that over 3.5 million people visit Yosemite National Park each year? Last year my best friend and I became a part of that statistic. Growing up I had frequently heard stories of how stunning this part was so I wanted to see all of this beauty and nature for myself. There we saw firsthand the gigantic Yosemite Valley that stretched for Kilometers. We also felt the heat from the geysers and felt the massive presence of our new friend El Capitan. El Capital is an enormous cliff that looms over the Valley and that is made of granite. We took a quick try at Rock climbing but our lack of training prevented us from lasting too long or reaching too high up on the cliff. Big rocks were not my friend's favorite so we walked along side the waterfalls and the wonderfully clear streams. The meadows of Tuolumne and Dana were a treat to experience. There we discovered why meadows are mentioned so frequently in poetry: they are simply breath taking. Yosemite stretches across the slopes of the Sierra Nevada Mountain chain. We were left speechless at the sight of the river running alongside mountains and cliffs. Mountains, wetlands, Bridaveil and Ribbon waterfalls, cliffs, hanging valleys, glaciers and streams are all hosted here. There is so much to do that there is not enough time to do everything that you would like to do. Yosemite National Park is the perfect combination of water, land, climate, and ice. I can see why my parents spoke about it so.