Yosemite National Park, California

This was a special place to celebrate Penny's birthday.  Jerry started out the day by cooking a huge birthday breakfast of eggs, bacon, and chocolate chip pancakes.  

Benjamin was very pleased with a petting farm here at the campground with alpacas, goats, chickens, and donkeys.  

We enjoyed stunning views of waterfalls and sheer granite rocks throughout the park.  It was fun to see the locations of many of Ansel Adams' famous black-and-white photographs.  

Benjamin and Katherine did a little rock climbing near Bridal Veils waterfall and Benjamin waded in the icy cold water at the base of Yosemite Falls.  We hiked through pine forests to get to the base of the falls.  There was an option to hike higher but, as I mentioned in an earlier blog, that would probably be a little too much like exercise for some in our party.

Katherine took some very cool water photos with her Olympus underwater-capable camera.

As we were leaving the park, Penny mentioned that we hadn't seen any deer and right at that moment Katherine spotted two deer right beside the road. They were so tame as we walked close to get a picture.  

We finished out the day with cheeseburgers, grilled by Jerry, and "Ultimate S'mores" (marshmallows, graham crackers, Hershey's bars, and chocolate chip cookie dough) cooked by Katherine.  Could there be a better way to celebrate a birthday?