Last weekend we left for Mammoth to attend our nephew, Keith's, wedding. It was a fun weekend filled with gorgeous scenery, a fun wedding, and memories made.
We took Evan to Yosemite one time when he was around 2-years-old. We haven't been back since! Tragedy. Hudson kept saying, "I've never seen this place." We told him, "Yeah, we've been keeping it from you!" We had to get out of the car for this scenic shot. They kids seemed semi impressed when I told them I had hiked to the top of Half Dome when I was in my early 20's!
No cell reception meant Evan opted for sleep.
Thankfully, this one zonked out as well. He chatters about everything when he's conscious!
To get to Mammoth, we drove all the way through Yosemite to the eastern entrance. Neither Eric or I had ever been to that side of the park. It was beautiful!
I was taking pictures as though I'd never seen a cloud or trees before!
I was nervous about the drive being too long or curvy, but ended up really enjoying the scenery along the way.
Gorgeous lake on the eastern side of the park.
I don't like to camp, but I like pretty views!
Tuolumne Meadows. I've heard of the name, but have never seen it! So pretty! Right as you are amidst trees and mountains, suddenly the landscape opens up to the amazing span of open space. We want to come back to explore this area some time!
There were some pretty steep canyons on the drive that were a little scary.
Tioga Pass is quite the steep grade. I didn't like that part of the drive, but it was nice to be able to get to Mammoth through Yosemite. In the winter, the pass is closed, and you can only get to Mammoth by going south to Bakersfield and around! That adds a few hours to the trip. No, thank you.
We stayed at the Westin hotel. The bride works there, so we got a good room rate. Our room was awesome and looked out onto the pool! We hung out at the pool Friday night and enjoyed a bbq with the family and wedding party.
We had a little time on Saturday before the wedding, so we drove around and explored Mammoth for a bit. We found this pretty lake.
The temperature was in the 60s to 70s and felt so good. I was worried, however, about too much sun, especially at 10,000 feet elevation.
The wedding was at the Catholic Church in Mammoth. It was a little unconventional of a ceremony, but very sweet and personal. The reception was outside at a historic museum. The boys had fun exploring a nearby creek.
I tried to find shade!
We left the reception around 6 and headed to the hotel to change. We walked down to the village to look for ice cream. Mammoth is such a cute little town. I'd love to see it in winter with snow, but I don't know if I'd be willing to make the drive in winter! I'm a weenie when it comes to long car rides.
We let the kids swim and we sat in the hot tub once we got back to the hotel, and we were all asleep by 10!
The next morning Eric and I had brunch with the family and then let the kids swim one last time before heading home. I lounged on a beach chair and took selfies. I liked my makeup that morning!
Even though the temperature was cool, the pool was heated and the boys really liked swimming there. I liked the view of the pool with forest trees all around!
Eye shadow was spot on that morning!
Quick McDonald's lunch before we hit the road.
We explored Bridalveil falls for 30 minutes on the way home. It was a much needed stretch break. Evan wasn't impressed because this late in the summer and with the drought conditions, the "fall" was more of a mist! We need to take him next spring when the snow is melting and the falls are gorgeous. The he might be more impressed!
Funny, I didn't get any pictures of the bride and groom, but they looked fantastic! It was a nice little weekend trip with family.
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