Today me and Sian decided to hike up half dome. We set off from the hotel at 4am and arrived at the foot of the trail in the pitch black. Armed with a torch we walked the first hour in total darkness.

As everyone can imagine this did not turn out very well. An hour later we discovered we had gone in the wrong direction! With the light finally breaking we were on the right trail.

It started off manageable but quickly became impossible for myself. We were at constant cliff edges with me attempting rather unsuccessfully negotiate the trail. After a few close shaves of me nearly falling off the edge it was time to do a risk assessment. The probability and impact were far to high it was simply a matter of time until I fell to my death.

So we decided to head back on a slightly easier trail. Now this proved a slight problem for myself. As the plan all along was to propose to Sian at the top of the mountain.

So I had to settle for a wonderful view of Half Dome instead. So down on one knee I plucked up the courage to ask. After saying yes and having a quick kiss and cuddle we sat down to eat our philadelphia sandwiches and admire the wonderful Yosemite landscape.

Today has been chock full of random wildlife sightings.

It began with me needing a wee REALLY badly. So as soon as we arrived at Yosemite we pulled over so I could take a leak. As soon as I had jimped back into the car I looked up to see a wolf strolling by the front of the car. Me and Sian were pretty taken back and didnt manage to take a photo until it had walked by.

After finally finding where to park we headed to the information centre. As we walked down the road Sian noticed a pair of antlers sticking out of the growth. We rounded a corner to be met by 3 deer grazing. We were within touching distance and Sian managed to take quite a few photos. Which hopefully will be online shortly.

After spending a few hours walking around Yosemite and gathering our bearings it was time to head back to camp. On the way back to the Bug we narrowly avoided running over a vulture which was chowing down on some carrion in the middle of the road.

Oh and we saw some squirrels, cats and dogs but they are nowhere near as impressive.

Well I promised I would keep everyone upto date, so out in the hot evening sun sipping a bud time to list the days activities.

A ridiculously early start thanks to our bodies still running on GMT meant an early breakfast. After stealing a few choice items for the long car journey ahead it was time to get on the road.

First stop downtown SF to pick up some workout gear which hopefully I will get to use later in the holiday. As right now I am not convinced the door frames in the cabin can take my weight!

Our brief look of SF highlighted just how much smog there seems to be, we couldn’t even see the tops of the skyscrapers. We only stayed a short time in SF and headed out to do the first big shop and to Yosemite.

THe wonders of GPS took us to a non existent Walmart which left us driving around trying to find a supermarket we could buy fruit and water in bulk.

After a few hours we had managed to buy all the needed supplies so we headed for a quick disappointing lunch at Togo’s. Without a doubt the worst sub I have ever eaten, WOULD NOT RECOMMEND!!

The long drive out to Yosemite was far from what I had imagined. The surroundings were so flat and desolate, broken only by the occasional grape fields.

After a few hours driving it was time to fill up the car. Which is where we hit a few problems. We didn’t know if we had a diesel or unleaded vehicle, the pumps didn’t accept our credit cards and we had no idea how to operate the pump once we found a card it liked! The ever friendly american public was at hand and showed us the ropes and we were on our way in no time.

We arrived at the Yosemite Bug and made our way to our cabin on stilts. [I am sure Sian will be uploading a few pictures] Ate a quick dinner and headed down to the bar.