We hit the lottery jackpot in the spring and got a campsite for three nights in Yosemite at the very end of July and beginning of August. Everyone was so excited for this trip and it honestly met all of our expectations. Everything was just awesome and we had the best week! We left on Friday, July 30th and drove to Bakersfield. I felt that the entire drive to Yosemite would be kind of long for our crew so we decided to break it up which worked out well. The night in Bakersfield was fast and basically all we did was sleep and then shower and have breakfast on Saturday morning but it was nice to have one last real shower before not showering for the next few days! We definitely looked like the Beverly Hillbillies on our trip up but thanks to Rich's Father's Day gift of a roof travel system the inside of the car wasn't too cramped and we made it all fit (or I should say Rich made it all fit!)
The funniest part about the stay in Bakersfield was that in the morning in the elevator a person walked in and I said, "Good morning" to him. He then told em that I shouldn't say "good morning" but rather should say "blessed rising" and went into the explanation as to why to do so. We still laugh about this!
When we arrived to the park ranger station in Upper Pines in Yosemite the ranger told us that a mother bear and her cubs has been sighted regularly in the campsite and that our site specifically was in the middle of "bear alley." I had a quick moment of wanting to turn around and drive home but pulled through and am so glad we did. Our campsite was perfect as it was tucked away at the very end and it was very secluded and shady which was really nice since the days got hot. 
The view to the right from our site.
The meadow right behind the campsite. We saw lots of deer in here
Once we set up our campsite we hopped on our bikes to explore a bit. Laura gave us the recommendation to bring the bikes and it was the best advice ever! We didn't get in our car once the entire time there and just rode everywhere. A neighbor was giving away a tag along bike (randomly I saw it on the side of the road one day) and that was another great thing-I had to purchase the connecting piece but it was totally worth it as Charlotte was able to ride everywhere attached with Rich. She LOVED riding on it! 
Going over the bridge in the meadow from our campsite to the rest of Yosemite.
The water was cold but the days were so hot (especially after biking and hiking) that it always felt so refreshing! I even got in! Since everyday we ended up in the water we didn't feel the need to shower so that was kind of nice.
This creek was connected to our campground so in the early evening we'd go over there and the kids would mess around in it.
The views were just incredible from every stop!
Joseph tried fishing a few times but didn't have much luck but still loved it.
The kids were honestly amazing this trip!! We were so active and busy the entire time and covered so much and they just loved it all!! Other than the Vernal falls hike where Charlotte was over it by the time we got to the top they didn't complain at all and we just made the best memories. (And just for the record the Vernal Falls hike is a little over 3 miles with 600 steps at the end so it was long for her little legs!). Other than Vernal Falls we also did Lower Yosemite Falls and Mirror Lake (which was a total bust since the lake was dried up!)
At the end of the Vernal Falls hike-ha ha!
A ton of rock statues on the hike to Mirror Lake-this was the most exciting part since the lake wasn't there! ha!
Although I wanted to turn around at the beginning of the trip when the ranger mentioned the bears, I have to be honest and say that the wildlife that we saw totally made the trip!! We ended up having the mother bear and her two baby cubs walk directly behind our campsite on two different times and it was amazing! It made me feel a bit better once I saw the mama bear and she wasn't as big as I originally imagined and plus those babies were so cute! We did our part though and kept everything locked up and put away because we know the dangers of the baby bears becoming too acclimated to people. We actually got in trouble once by the park ranger-Rich had taken the kids down to the creek after dinner and I hung out at the campsite since the fire was going. I had the trash by chair since we weren't quite done with it but then went into the tent to change. As I was changing, the ranger drove by and saw it so came and spoke with me about it. Ooops!! From that point on the trash was always locked up or thrown away immediately! Here is the baby bear walking on the little bridge that was directly behind our campsite and that we would ride our bikes over multiple times a day.
This is the mama bear and one of her cubs right at the edge of our site. The big box at the front of the photo is our food locker.
We also saw deer regularly in the meadow behind our site which was super neat, too, but not as neat as the bears!
On the drive out to Sequioa we stopped at Glacier point and did a small walk to the point there as well. The views were amazing.
We then drove about three hours to a a house that we rented right outside of the entrance to Sequoia. I didn't want to camp again and there weren't any cabin or house rentals in the park so this seemed like the best bet. The home was nestled in the mountains and had a ton of property and was a good setup for us for two nights. We spent the entire next day in Sequoia and although it was amazing it definitely didn't compare to Yosemite for us. We fit in a full day there though as we hiked Big Trees Trail, and the Congress Trail, saw the General Sherman, drove through the tunnel log, the shuttle to the Lodgepole Market and Visitor Center and on our way out did the Moro Rock hike.
Masks on the shuttle which was our fist time wearing them in awhile.
Our final adventure in Sequoia was the Moro Rock Trail which had me clutching Charlotte's hand so tightly that I'm pretty sure I gave her red marks. The trail basically went along the side of this giant rock formation and on the other side was a very large dropoff.
Once you reached the top you could walk out to the end of the rock but even Rich who normally says yes when I say no, recommended that we just take photos close to the edge. We snapped a quick photo and then made our way down, which was just as scary for me, but we made it and then were on our way back to the house for the night.
We seriously had the best trip! I am so glad that it all worked out and that we had the chance to experience it all-such an amazing (almost) week together!
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