Yosemite with the Addington's...part two, Yosemite Falls

...after the Happy Isles trail, we headed back to the car and ate our lunch and took a moment to decide what to do next.  We read the park materials and weighed our options given the time we wanted to try to leave.  That's when we realized there was a {insert singing angels here} TRAM!

The tram was (a.) FREE, and (b.) a great way to see a lot of the area and get where we wanted to without hiking miles and miles. (score!)  It takes you to a variety of places around Yosemite Valley and just riding it alone lets you see so many different things and talk to different and interresting people!  (One man was returning from hiking Half Dome!)

The tram took us to the area where we could walk up to see Yosemite Falls... with all the rain from the past winter, it was still flowing heavily on August 1st!  That little hike provided a lot of new and interresting things as well.

This balancing rock garden was beautiful.  Really.  I could have sat there and stared at it for awhile.  Just a really neat place to take the kids and let them build or people watch others try to stack up rocks.

There was also tons of climbing right there on the path.  It is truly a wonder.  God's handiwork at it's absolute finest!

And finally, the deer.  We saw quite a few.  The kids swear there was a Dad, Mom, and baby deer... but I am sure there were many families around and we just happened to see one or two from each. 

Seriously, if this is something you are considering... please do it!  I am so glad we did and I am looking to make it a tradition for sure.  While it was tiring, it was also a nice little break from the Fresno heat and a fun little day trip.  Who knows, maybe I am on the road to becoming a nature person...maybe ;-)