John Muir Was No Fool

If you have not been to Yosemite, it's time for you to go. If you’ve made the pilgrimage but it's been a few years (or 20), I'm talking to you, too. One of the great benefits of living in Alameda is that we have so much nature located in our backyard. Snow, surf, peaks and valleys all are a stone's throw away. Yosemite is about a three and a half hour drive and it's well worth every second. 

Check out the pictures I've attached. They all look like professional postcards, right? No, it’s not because I'm some Ansel Adams protégé. It's because everywhere you turn in Yosemite, there is beauty beyond reason! Gushing waterfalls pouring over majestic mountains that couldn’t be more jaw-dropping if they were carved by Michelangelo himself.

And there is something for everyone. Can't live without your Peet's Coffee? Yosemite’s got it. Want to boil your own water by rubbing two stick together? Sure, you can do that. Maybe you want to sleep on the side of a cliff after a long day of rock climbing. Or maybe you’re the kind of person who considers sleeping in a hotel bed camping. Either way, Yosemite has got you covered.

My family, and about 10 other families from Alameda, went to Yosemite just last weekend. We've gone consecutively for about three years and each visit is better than the last. Our days are filled with hiking, biking, rafting, horseback riding ... Like I said, there is something for everyone. After all that, we still find time to relax by the campfire, eat s'mores and chat it up. Three of my personal favorite outdoor activities.

Though I can't force you to take a few days off, let me throw this at you: right now is the best time to hit Yosemite. It’s spring so the dogwood trees are in bloom, the weather is great and, highlight for my girls, lots of baby animals, like ducklings surfing the rapids. Cuteness factor off the charts!

Maybe it's time for you to channel your inner mountain man. Fill up that city slicker SUV with tents, sleeping bags and anything else you can find at REI and hit the road. Think like John Muir and go rediscover the great outdoors. 

Growing a badass beard is optional, but highly encouraged.