The start of our tour....1st stop Yosemite national park

We had a early start leaving at 8am, the lifts werent working so the staff bought our bags down! And we was down just before 8 but the guide had already brieft everyone and they were out the door! So we just waited for our bags and joined them outside, everyone was loading there bags onto the truck and as we had just joined them we had no idea there was a order so we just got in line and when we got to the front the guide looked at the case like "where the hell am i going to put that" he found a space.....but what can you do if the guide briefs everyone before everyone is there ! His own mistake! We all boarded the bus a small van with 4 benches in for 3 people on each it was gonna be a squeeze!  However the seats were relatively comfy. We set off out of the city over a bridge and we had a photo stop here looking back on the city....

....it was a Great view of the city

 We were then off to walmart for some supplys, it was here we were numbered for the groups we would be in to cook, wash up and clean the van, me and luke were numbered different numbers and so i asked if we could be in the same group, thinking it would not be a problem we were travelling together as a couple so we should have been asked if we want to be in the same group! Anyway it was a simple request but he said no!! I couldnt believe my ears he said we have to break up sometime!  I couldnt believe i was sitting there...l a 26 year old adult that has paid a lot for the tour and he was telling me that we couldnt be together! I dont think so! We swapped with one of the girls that didnt mind what group she was in but that wasnt the end of that! It ended up being a huge problem! Its seems a bit petty but what i was mainly thinking of was the dinner cooking he said it takes at least an hour and i thought if we go somewhere were we can go for a walk or swim while waiting for the group to cook diner. We wouldnt be able to explore together as a couple and that just didnt make sense! We wanted to explore, take pics and experience everything together which i assumed would be obvious but apparently not!

We got to wallmart and it was huge! And so bloody cheap! My family had told me to go there when we got to florida as thats were they bought a lot of there stuff when they were in the states, and judging by this walmart store we would need half a day in there! They had everything you could ever want in one store! We will defo be going there in florida! 

After this we continued our journey to yosemite national park, we stopped at a fresh vegatable store, another supermarket and a very small town for a picnic lunch! Which was an experience!

....it was a very old town! It looked extremely historic!

After this stop it was straight to yosemite NP (national park!) when we got there we was not prepared for its beauty :) we spent a few hours stopping at various spots to look at the view.....

....The pics really do not do it justice, it was stunning. 

....we saw several different views of the stunning yosemite falls.

Yosemite falls is a combined height of 2425 feet and is the most popular & famous waterfall in yosemite national park, it really was a spectacular sight where ever you saw it from, we took many pics of this!

After then we headed to camp! When we arrived luke was a little dissapointed...the ground was uneven and full of rocks and the tents were practically on top of each other! Oh well this was our home for 2 nights! We all began putting up our tents they were pretty easy to put up.....

Althought the tents were easy to put up they only had a thin wrap over them and we was already cold! We were only told to pack a jumper and we just werent warming up at all! Well luke was but i wasnt ! Then the group that were doing dinner had to do that while the others could go for a swim or something! I had a shower and luke sorted our our beds and then we just chilled in the tent sorting our bag out etc and when we decided to go and sit at the table to wait for dinner we were shocked to discover that everyone had eaten and had finished!! And the meal was chilli con carne with the mince seperate and there was no mince left at all! So we had no dinner that night! We was fuming! Especially with the guide whos job it was to announce dinner and make sure everyone ate! We had paid for our meals to be included and here we were without dinner! As i am writing it it makes me angry! And after we had set up our tent ....completely set it up he came over and asked us to move it a bit!! So he could put the hammock up! We just looked at him....he gave everyone no advice on where to put there tents just let us grab everything and do what we wanted! His lack of experience is starting to show & irritate me.

We went to bed early and luke was super warm in his bag but i was just cold all night i find it so hard to warm up once cold especially when we remain outside and having a outside shower didnt help! We slept on and off and was up at 7am,  breakfast was set out you just help yourself....it was nice....english breakfast muffins, toast, bagels, cereal, fruit, yogurt, tea, coffee, cereal bars lovely. Today we were going for a hike up to sentinal dome it was a large dome shape mountain! we couldnt wait for the views! But before we boarded the bus we had to stand in the order we sat in the bus the day before so he number us again as it seems some members of the group couldnt remember what group they were in! I couldnt believe it so again i asked him in front if everyone could me and luke be together and he said no! And i said to him i am serious we want to be in the same group we like to do things together and he just basically ignored me and walked away! We couldnt believe it! I dont get what the big deal was he was adamant we werent going to be in the same group! He obviously didnt no me! It was making me sound like i was making a Mountain out of a mole hill! But it was such a simple request, we had paid for this trip he was our guide not my bloody dictator! This would be sorted by the end of the day! Since leaving on this trip i have realised that a lot of stress can be from you being bothered by what someone else has said or done to you and saying nothing! I just didnt want that kind of stress any more and really if someone has done something to upset or annoy you you should be able to talk about it in a adult manner! And that is what we would do later when he was alone and couldnt walk away from us! 

We went on this hike, and it was freezing! There was snow on the ground at parts! We had worn trousers but a lot of the girls had worn shorts and they were freezing! The hike itself to sentinal dome wasnt to bad it was nice with some great views and we came across some huge pine cones!

When we were at the bottom of sentinal dome we saw snow and there was a great view here we couldnt wait to get to the top and check out the views up there! And we werent dissappointed...

After our hike up we all walked down a different way meeting our guide dylon at the bottom he didnt mention a time or anything so we just took our time and when we reached the meeting point the view was just stunning the pictures really dont do it justice we spent a while just taking it all in it was just so amazing and then we went to see where the guide was, we found them all sitting just finishin there lunch! As we sat and began to eat everyone got up to follow the guide to some viewing point we had already been to! We were happy to just sit and have our lunch with the view in front of us! 

This is where luke befriended several squirals ! We hadnt seen the sign at the gift shop saying dont feed them! So luke shared his sandwich with them! It was so cute! They were climbing all over him! 

...it was cute to watch 

We went to sit in the cafe after that we were so bloody cold ! One of the girls had tied her jumper around her legs as she had worn shorts and was freezing! We boarded back on the bus we were now heading down to yosemite villlage area to be dropped off for some free time to explore. As we were dropped off at yosemite lodge i thought this is our chance to talk to dylon! Everyone else walked away and i got back in the van.... Luke behind me i knew he wouldnt get out and walk away! I asked him outright what the problem was with me and luke being in the same group? He didn't really give us a answer just kept saying no! He even said your together 23.5 hrs a day you can be apart for a while!!!! What a cheek! As if its his decision to make! I was pissed right off by this point i just couldnt believe that he was dictating to me about the amount time we spend together! Your a guide mate get off that pedastall you have made for yourself! I kept my calm the whole time! Mean while luke was at boiling point! He just wasnt getting it so i said "this is our trip that we have paid a lot of money to be on and we ARE going to be in the same group" i was so fed up of doing it the right way and asking politely now i was going to dictate! He didnt know what to say and was getting redder and redder in the face he obviously wasnt use to this kind of confrontation but he was only there to guide us not to take decisions away from us, everyone else on the tour apart from one other older couple were travelling alone or were single so didnt care about what group they were in but i feel the guide should ask the couples what they want to do, maybe that will come with experience with him afterall he was only 24 and had only done this tour once.

Glad we had sorted that problem out we went on a walk to explore! We had a map and there was a free shuttle in the park so decided we were going to do a loop, we had 3 hours, we started by going to the base of the yosemite falls! Then we walked to the museum and visiters center both very interesting. We met this american couple on route and we walked with them ! We had a lovely chat :) americans are so friendly :) we hadnt spotted any of our group so wondered where they had gone? Eventually 2 hours later we bumped into them they had just got a drink and gone to the deli to buy dylan a birthday cake! We liked our group, there was many nice people on the bus but we just thought it was like follow the leader! We had seen loads of pretty and interesting things and they had seen the bottom of the waterful and the deli! In every tour/country we had been to we had seen this follow the leader situation going on! It seems a shame as people miss out on things because they wont walk away from the group, maybe we would think differently if we were travelling alone or where younger? But i dont think so as we love to explore! We couldn't decide if dylon was gunna be a dylon! about the group situation! But we really couldnt care less! This was our trip we had been waiting for for along time! So we were gunna just have a good time :) 

At camp that night we made sure we had dinner! It was fajitas! They were scrummy! We then sat around the camp fire which luke made! He had made the one the night before aswell he was very good at it! And it was so bloody cold we all needed it! The marshmellows were handed round and we all just sat and chatted then we went to bed we had to leave at 8am and we had to pack away everything, the trailer, eat breaky and make lunch! 

Another cold night for me :( and it was raining all night! Plus we kept slipping down the tent! Litrally couldnt wait to get to vegas just for the hotel and warmth! We woke up the next day and thank god it was not raining! Me and luke had a good system! He took down the tent and i made the breaky and lunch! It was a good system as were hapily sitting down eating our breakfast while everyone was putting there tents down! 

 

This is exactly why we should be in the same team we work bloody well together! And we dont even discuss the system it just happens! Anyway we were leaving yosemite today and off to a new destination! I wonder what beautiful sights we see today!