Back in 1985, my then-girlfriend (now wife) planned our first-ever trip together from the East Coast to Washington state, then a train to San Francisco. We were looking for something to do for a few more days. I suggested this park called Yosemite. When we drove in, we couldn’t believe the scenery and just stared up at the cliffs and waterfalls. We stayed in a tent cabin for $25 per night, hiked up Vernal/Nevada Falls, went to several ranger-led walks and presentations, and just had the best time of our lives. We don’t remember much about the rest of the trip, but Yosemite changed our “travel life” to always hit national parks. Since then, we’ve visited Yosemite about seven times. And yes, we were still able to do the Vernal/Nevada Falls hike more than 30 years later in our 60s.
Jason Braun