Yosemite Valley, CA

We decided to spend the Labor Day weekend at Yosemite. After seeing the photos online, I was so excited to see the cliffs, mountains and the valley. When we got there, I didn't know that there was so many driving involved! The Airbnb place we rented was 1.5 hours from Yosemite Park, the entrance was 45 minute drive to a main site/hike, then from that, another one hour drive to get to another main site! When we got to our first destination which was the Glacier Point, we were so tired of driving so we decided to listen to the lecture. The park ranger said that Yosemite was as big as Rhode Island! No wonder we were driving all the time! I have only been driving (legally) for just one month so it was really a stretch for me. The roads were like the ones going to Baguio City - it was very narrow, zigzag, one side was the cliff and the other side were the mountains and, to top it off, if someone was really slow in front of you, there's no way to overtake so parang prusisyon kami which made E and I a little impatient. It was a 75/25 journey. 75% of the time we were driving, and 25% we were taking photos and site seeing. With all the complaints aside, the views were breathtaking. Getting in touch with nature after spending 24/7 in the city was a breath of fresh air. Here are some of the things I learned while on the trip:

1. Road trips are a great way to bond with family, friends or anybody we want to get closer to.

Growing up, papa would insist on going everywhere with all of us kids so at a young age, I was used to being on the road. We were dragged to Mindoro, Bicol, Laoag and almost all over Luzon. Okay I may be exaggerating a bit but you get the point. So for me a 6 hour drive to Baguio from Manila is normal. Emil on the other hand, hated long drives but this time, he was able to appreciate it so much more than our previous trips. We got away from our normal routines and got to talk to each other more about anything. Good thing we like the same music (except for John Mayer) or it would have been war of the worlds part 2! He even said the long drive was therapeutic. It really is! We joked, we laughed, we fought (mostly because of my driving. haha), we made up and everything else in between. Now it made me appreciate road trips more than I did when I was a kid.

2. Traveling makes us appreciate other people and other places that we are not usually accustomed to. 

Our Airbnb room was in North Fork, CA. It was a very small town which is what I am not usually fond of. It was even a little scary when we were driving at night because when looking at the side mirrors, we wouldn't see anything. It was pitch black. It looked like a scene from the Walking Dead. This is one of the reasons I would rather be in a crowded city. haha. We arrived at our room around 10 pm but were so hungry so we went to a bar in front of our room. I have to admit, it was a little scary for me just because I wasn't used to that kind of atmosphere. The bartender told us the kitchen was closed so they were only serving beers (yay! lucky for us Mormons! ;p) but gave us a coupon to use at a pizza place down the road which was still open. He was so helpful! Come the morning after, we went to the same bar to have breakfast. We were served by this lovely old man maybe in his late 70s. While eating, I was just observing the dynamics of the bar and saw how close everybody was! There were a lot of regulars and they were so close to the employees. Our Airbnb host told us that the bar has been there for ~100 years now. That was so impressive! A bar or any other establishments couldn't make it that long if not for the relationships people created over time. It was such a close knit community that my fear was replaced by my sincere admiration to them.

at Glacier Point

3. Nature is a testament of God's existence. 

Seeing the gigantic mountains at Yosemite would make you wonder how they came to be. Compared to their sizes, humans are nothing. Glacier Point was ~6000 ft. The valley was as big as a state. I remember our visit to Shark's Cove in Oahu last July. We went up the reef to go to the side of the deep waters and the waves were unusually stronger than how I remembered it was. Note: We've been to the area a thousand times before but nothing like this. I was standing on the reef just watching the waves when suddenly a wave ~40 ft. came over us so fast there wasn't even time to react so we all lost balance and one of us even bled because the reefs were so sharp! It just made me think, walang wala tayong laban sa nature. But, as it says in the scriptures, God gave all of these for us to enjoy. Pres. Uchtdorf said

"God Himself said we are the reason He created the universe! His work and glory—the purpose for this magnificent universe—is to save and exalt mankind... This is the paradox of man: compared to God, we are nothing; yet we are everything to God."