The Bridalveil fall was in close distance from Valley View. We followed signs on the road to get to Bridalveil fall. The fall is few minutes walk from its parking. The weather was perfect that afternoon. The fall was not at its peak as it would be during spring but still, we were thrilled to be so close to the fall. 

A short drive further from Bridalveil fall was Tunnel View. It’s right on the roadside so you could just park your car and enjoy the view. A very popular spot in the park, Tunnel view is a vantage point from where we could see major granite rocks of Yosemite and forest bed covered with lush green pine trees. While we stood there in awe, it felt like a huge masterpiece painting come to life.

We decided to stay in the Half Dome village that night so we could go to Glacier Point early next morning. While we were driving, trying to find Half Dome Village we stumbled on another breathtaking viewpoint. It was a vast meadow surrounded by tall trees, granite rocks and wide open sky. The sky was clear blue, sun was slowly going down and moon appeared far in the horizon. There was something about that place that made me tear up a little. I felt so small standing in that meadow, felt like our materialistic world and all the sorrows of life are so small. I felt so relieved. The force and sheer grandeur of the nature was overpowering.

As the night fell it got super chilly. We rented a heated tent in the Half Dome Village which was the most affordable option inside the valley. A rental tent in the village is a small room size tent made of canvas and has wooden frame and floor. I found it quite cozy as well as cute! The half dome village was a very happening location in the Yosemite Valley. There were pizza joint, bar, coffee shop, snack/gift store, restaurants, dining hall and what not. We had some pizza and called it a day.

Next morning we got up around 5 am and headed for Glacier point. It was pitch dark. As we were driving, we noticed some moving lights on El Capitan. Those were the climbers on the go. Some were already half way to the top of the rock. I could not believe how early they got up to ascend the climb. Our altitude increased slowly and the higher we went the better the view was.

Nevertheless, it was not an easy ride. The serpentine road (which reminded me of highways in Nepal) alongside the hills got us scared to death at times. It was harrowing to look down through the window; the edge of the road gave us some massive goosebumps. I got a bit of altitude sickness. However, all that was worth it when we finally reached Glacier Point, approximately at 7000 ft elevation.

We were right on time for sunrise! As the sun came up from the right, Half dome on the left got shuttle orange lining. The sun rays also revealed never-ending rolling hills as far as our eyes could see. Most prominently, the entire valley was immersed in deep blue shade. We were overjoyed to have close up view of Half Dome and a bird’s-eye view of the Yosemite Valley from atop Glacier Point. After we took tons of pictures we put our smartphones away and just sat down to enjoy the nature all around us.  

I wished I could take a piece of Yosemite as we headed back from there. It was a soul-cleansing experience.