Another tradition we have when we go to Yosemite is stopping by Moonbow Espresso when we cross through the city of Mariposa. Moonbow Espresso is a cute mom and pop coffee shop with friendly owners and fantastic drinks; Katie swears by their soy chai latte. We chatted with the owner for a bit, watched a hitchhiker get picked up to go to Yosemite, and then decided to check out the shops on the main street of Mariposa before departing.
Next, we started our drive into Yosemite. Our soundtrack for the road was Eddie Vedder's songs for the movie Into the Wild. The hills on the way into the park were covered with gorgeous California Golden Poppies, which I don't see very often. We stopped a bit before entering the park to get some fresh air by the river and start some filming for the documentary Katie and Jake are working on.
We didn't have time for a hike on our first day in the park since we had to wait to check in to Curry Village, but we did have time to stop by Tunnel View before dinner to get a glimpse of the valley.
After checking out Tunnel View, we made our way over to Swinging Bridge to cook dinner. Burrito night is our favorite way to start out camping trips, and the view over dinner was incredible.