The Treasure of the Sierra Nevada

On the eve of my first Saint Patrick's Day spent in the good old US of A since 2009 (yes, you read that right!), I wanted to sit down and put together a little recap of an amazing trip I took to California at the start of the month. Although I'm shocked as I sit here typing to realize that it was a full week yesterday since my return, the giddy memories of my reverie keep replaying in my head, and it still feels like it was just yesterday! 

My good friend Elyse from Hong Kong now lives in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains, about two hours' drive from San Francisco. She coaxed me into visiting, and I'm oh-so glad I took her up on her offer, because we had such a blast exploring majestic Yosemite National Park, plus a slew of "gold rush towns" that sprung up in the region back in the 1840s and 50s when the area known as the Mother Lode saw thousands upon thousands of prospectors from all walks of life trekking to the region in the hopes of striking it rich! 

There are few words to describe Yosemite. I'd been once before with my family back in the summer of 2004, when my mother, sister and I spent a month in California driving all over the place. My dad, unable to take as much time off from work, had to choose the highlights he most wanted to experience, so Napa, Sonoma and Yosemite were the stops he explored with us. Well, my memories are still clear all these years later, but it sure was nice to visit a second time. 

The park is truly awe inspiring. In fact, even the drive to the park before you've entered its boundaries is jaw-droppingly gorgeous. By the time we were nearing the floor of Yosemite Valley, Elyse was pulling her car over every couple of minutes so that we could get out and admire yet another stunning panorama.

After lunch at the Ahwahnee Hotel, we spent some time hiking to Lower Yosemite Fall and even encountered a herd of deer crossing the road near El Capitan. Although our time in the park was fairly short, I feel so grateful I got a chance to experience nature's beauty at one of this country's true treasures. 

Yosemite, impressive as it was, came as no surprise, because, as I said, I'd been there before. Not only that, but through iconic photographs like those of Ansel Adams, and even that recent documentary Free Solo, which won an Oscar a few years back, images of the park are seared into the collective mindset of Americans. 

However, I was in no way prepared for the charming string of gold rush towns we proceeded to visit over the next three days.