Yosemite Nirvana

Canyon & Lily at the falls

Dustin riding into the valley

Lily Canyon & Alice in the Meadow

Well, we made it to Yosemite and back…all six of us managed to make it home in one piece—full of fantastic memories, that at the time, didn’t seem so fantastic. Dustin left on his bike Wednesday morning and the kids and I spent the rainy day hanging out at home—packing and doing laundry. It rained on Dustin and co. and I believe that the first day of 100 miles, soaking through their skin, was, needless to say, miserable. Thursday morning I packed the kids into the car (it’s amazing how easy it was to write that sentence and how hard it actually was to get everyone, the stroller, the bike rack, the duffle bags, crib, food, and four cantankerous kids into the van). Once in the car—restrained in car seats and seat belts—we had a pretty good ride. It took us about three hours to get to the hotel which was a few miles outside of Yosemite and where Dustin and the others were camping. It was a beautiful drive full of blooming trees, flowers, greenness, the beautiful Merced river, canyons, valleys, lots of vineyards, and a few deer. It must have been amazing for the bikers to see it all in slow motion—as it was, speeding through in the car—it was staggering. The kids were surprisingly good and Alice sang the last half an hour, to a little tune she invented, “Daddy on his bike…”

We had a great camping dinner (everything tastes better when it’s cooked outside), and then, gratefully, checked into our hotel. I was glad that we weren’t camping…it was just too cold. Dustin left early the next morning for the last 20 miles of the ride and the kids and I killed a few hours at the hotel so that we could arrive at the same time. As we were driving into the valley and I still had no glimpse of any of the riders, I had this panicked feeling that we missed them and that they were already finishing and setting up camp at Upper Pines campground. We drove through to the campground, only to find, that we were the first car there and that, obviously, we had not missed the bikers…but, in fact, had left before them. So, here I am in Yosemite with four kids and possibly a few hours to kill. We went back to a meadow and I let the kids out to walk around while I nursed the baby. I sat on a rock and watched them…Canyon insisted on bringing some goldfish with him because, “walking makes me hungry.” After a few minutes I noticed a deer in the meadow, nibbling at the grass…then I saw my three kids venturing very close to the deer…just looking at it and munching their goldfish as if it was the neighbor’s horse. Then I noticed the deer noticing the goldfish and getting closer and closer…needless to say, I was a little nervous and quite helpless with a baby attached to me, and about 100 yards away. After a few minutes of calm observation on both sides… the deer decided to go to the other side of the meadow…and the kids, out of goldfish, came back to me and baby Jane.

There was still no sign of the bikers and so, as it was getting past lunch time, I put down all the seats in the mini-van, got out the snacks and everyone was safely installed…eating some snacks and taking sips of the coke I was saving for Dustin. Minutes later, Dustin rolled in and we were happy to welcome him with cookies and backwashed coke and lots of hugs and smiles. We followed him into camp and the kids spent the day playing in the creek, hiking to Yosemite falls, watching deer, sleeping outside—under the trees (Jane), and playing with friends and eating great food. After dinner we made our way back to the hotel and slept wonderfully (with exception: Lily—see her blog for details).

We went back into the valley in the morning for a campfire breakfast and then packed up one more time for the trip home. It was raining as we left the valley and climbed up 120…as we got higher, we noticed that it got colder and colder. Dustin and I looked at each other each noting the possibility of snow. Now, let me explain. To those of you who live in the mountains and spend your winters shoveling, cursing, and freezing—snow is not very romantic. To our California grown kids…snow is like going to Narnia, Disneyland, and the Beach all in one day. Sure enough, the temperature dropped and the rain turned to snow. The kids were thrilled and I found myself reaching this point of nirvana. Despite all the difficulties, the logistics, of pulling off a trip like this, the fact that we have four kids and two of them are babies, and the exhaustion that inevitably follows motherhood…I found a moment of peace and contentment. I looked back at my bright-eyed kids (Lily & Canyon) who were discussing that the show looked like stars at light-speed and somehow wondered what a snow fort in space looks like, at Alice, repeating the phrase, “Look at this, mommy,” and baby Jane sucking her fingers and staring out into the soft contrasting light of snow and trees and muted sunlight. We were listening to music and the white light of snow and sun was all around us…and for just one second, it seemed all worth it. Maybe I’ll feel like this again someday…hopefully…because these moments seem far and few between.

So we’re back and real life starts tomorrow and we’re counting the days until the next Yosemite trip.