19.7. - Yosemite Chillout

Hi everyone!!
Well, today was an easy-going day. We were really lucky to find a camping spot IN  the Yosemite Valley! It was awsome. We took a bike ride to Mirror Lake and it was so great to see the Half Dome, El Capitan and a few other Peaks from down the valley. It was so  hot that we jumped in the water (Mirror Lake) and though the water was very shallow it was refreshign! There was a big Rock in the middle of the lake, Markus said it looked like a giant shoe and it did indeed. Some kids were jumping from it and Markus hurried to do the same thing... (next to the rock the water was deeper). Erik followed but only jumped once, Markus, on the contrary, could not stop.
It was a beautiful  day and there were a few squirrels and blue jays trying to get something to eat from the tourists. We also saw a bird all black with a little bit of red in its wings. (anybody knows the name?)
We then had our lunch on a rock underneath some trees and with a great view of the Half Dome, a flowery meadow below it.

On our way back to the campground we got confused and ended near the Happy Island where we had a smoothy to quench our thirst. Thereafter we went up to the Vernon Waterfalls. it was a really steep trail and the height made the way up even more strenous.  Once we were up, though,  the sight of the waterfall was really rewarding... the light falling in the waterfall formed a "rainbow circle" and the breeze cooled us off and calmed Markus who had been complaining all way long. To an extent he was right to do so since we had been biking for almost two hours, then swimming and the trail to the waterfall was approximately two miles but extremely steep.

Happy again we headed to our campground and by the time we got there we were sweating again so we jumped to the Merced river for a few minutes. Then we made a fire to grill our franks for some hot-dogs.
By the time they were done it was already dark so we had moonlit dinner by a table near the river and  a stone bridge. It was really magical. The moon was almost a full one.

The next day (20th) people by the restrooms were talking about having seen a baby black bear. We were not lucky enough to see it!