This year, we stayed in California for our annual vacation. And one of our favorite places here is Yosemite. So, for my birthday in September, we camped for 5 glorious days in the incredible Yosemite Valley. 

Generally, the water levels of both the Merced River and the falls are very low in the Fall but this year they were still flowing well.

Biking around is super fun as it affords the opportunity to cover a lot of ground as well as the option to stop on a whim when something just takes your breath away (read: every hundred yards or so). We made it a point to hang out on the “beaches” by the river to take in the beauty.

A few years ago, I discovered the art workshops given by the Yosemite Art Center. They allow visitors to work with talented, inspiring teachers in the incredible park and they’re fun! This year, I took the class from Sean Vidal Edgerton, a scientific illustrator for the California Academy of Sciences.

I wanted to draw small but I drew the biggest thing around: El Capitan.

Ultimately, I got into smaller items, like the funky pine cones.

One night we went to the Ahwahnee Hotel, which is now called the Majestic Yosemite Hotel, because of some naming rights humbug. I don’t like the new name but the hotel is indeed majestic. This is one little staircase that I thought was cool.

I met a guy in an RV who was from Oahu. He lives half the year in Hawaii and the other half tooling around the Mainland in his RV. What an idyllic life! Anyway, he gave me a CD of some classic Hawaiian music. Listening to Gaby Pahinui while driving out of the Valley on a perfect day was sublime!

A hui hou!