Nov 2 / Day 33

We stayed in Yosemite for two nights, one night outside of the valley because all the campsites were full and one night in the valley in the Upper Pines site. Even in late October with temperatures reaching 30 at night the park and camping was completely full mid week. Driving out of the valley it was golden hour and the whole face of El Capitan was glowing an insane orange. It’s so massive I can’t believe people climb that thing! We escaped paying for a site again the first night because we arrived when it was dark and left early in the AM.

The next morning we secured our spot in the Upper Pines. Rangers said it was one of the best sites and so rare without reservation! We then drove around the park and saw all the main views like Glacier Point and Bridalveil Falls. Driving around the park is so wild because you’re either driving next to these massive cliffs looking up like wow or driving on winding roads on them looking down like woah. I decided one day I want to hike Half Dome, 4,500 feet high and takes 10-12 hours. You can only hike it if picked in a lottery system and they only allow 75 people a day. I started reading reviews and it sounds incredible.

Halloween night we went on a tour/ haunted walk / history lesson through the cemetery. Different workers were dressed up as the people buried in the cemetery that used to work in Yosemite and told their story while also trying to make it spooky because they are “dead”. It was more funny than anything, Dan kept whispering “this is so fun”. One of the guys sounded like Shaggy from Scooby Doo and we couldn’t stop laughing as he talked. We met people that said they had seen baby bears earlier that day in the Upper Pines camping, where we were staying. We then watched the new season of Stranger Things in bed in the car through a hot spot and ate candy. It was a perfect Halloween. The next morning we snuck showers in the “glamping” site bathrooms that you usually have to pay for. We’re now headed out for the ocean to start our drive up Route 1!