Yosemite and Rafting the Tuolumne River

Here I go again off on another adventure with my teenagers. This time we were on our way to explore Yosemite and to go white water rafting. We cheated and took a plane from Orange County to Fresno and rented a car to save six hours of a boring drive. Before we arrived in Yosemite we went on a two-day white water rafting trip on the Tuolumne River a class 3-5 when it comes to getting wet. We stayed the night at the Groveland Hotel. The hotel was a traditional bed and breakfast complete with a teddy bears to snuggle with.  The next day we went to the meeting spot to join Zephyr White Water Rafting Company for two days on the Tuolumne river.

I arranged to have our own boat and we loved it. The guide was really nice and took care of us first class. We all thought the food was better than average. We camped next to the river and Michael slept under the stars on the ground and Annie and I slept in the tent. I did not have to bring the tent or sleeping bags. The rafting company provide them at a nominal cost. No one slept really well but it was nice. The ground pad was not my temperpedic.  They set up a bathroom on the edge of the river. You took the oar with you when you needed to “sit a spell”. I think this was the best view I have ever had while using the lady’s room. The white water was fun and jumping off of the cliffs was scary. Michael jumped off all of the cliffs. We left the two-day trip river trip and drove to the Yosemite. What a beautiful drive. We stayed for three nights in Camp Curry. We had a tent cabin and loved it. The stars were very bright at night in Yosemite Village. We hiked, rode bikes and explored every inch of this beautiful National Park. After we stayed at Camp Curry we moved to the best of the best hotel,  The Ahwahnee Hotel. The hotel is in natural surroundings, featuring Yosemite Falls, Half Dome and Glacier Point. The dinning room was magnificent. We enjoyed out meals in this beautiful room with a view of the mountains. We went bear hunting at night but we only found a raccoon. We went on long walks and explored this beautiful hotel. We left the Yosemite and drove to Mariposa Grove to see the big trees. This was the first time the kids and I did not have a reservation for a hotel and to me it was a little scary. We did not find one until we got alllllll the way to Fresno. We checked into the Holiday Inn Express. It was perfect. This was the beginning of me seeking out these clean inexpensive hotels. The Holiday Inn was better than a good nights sleep. It was great!  That night we went to see Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D. The next day we flew home. Another great trip. I love you Michael and Annie,  you are the best to travel with.