January 27 – February 1

A few weeks later we took off for Yosemite for the fourth year in a row, taking advantage of the same deal as before, buy two nights lodging and get a third night free.  This would reduce our cost for staying at the Lodge to $180 a night versus a normal rate of around $260 to $360, depending on the season.  But first, as I did last year, Joanna and I spent two nights in Kernville, with Kim and Marty joining us for the second night before heading up to Yosemite. 

Since I enjoyed my stay so much the last time, it was an easy decision to book our stay at the Kern Riverfront Lodge for just $84 a night.  For dinner that night we walked a few blocks uphill to Pizza Barn, which was not too busy but worth the trek.  We had a beer apiece and split our usual sausage and mushroom pizza, putting a dent in it but still taking some back with us to reheat later in the kitchen in our room at the lodge. 

We hung out in the morning and then took a short walk by the Kern River, enough to generate some interest in lunch which we quenched at Sequoia Mountain Bakery, where I had stopped the year before for snacks for the drive to Yosemite.  Joanna and I split a bowl of potato and spinach soup and a BLT on freshly baked Sourdough bread.  We also confirmed that the cake we’d ordered for Gemma’s birthday that weekend would be ready for pick up the next morning. 

The afternoon quickly passed and soon Kim and Marty arrived and after a quick drink in our rooms, we drove up the hill to Kern River Brewing.  Along with a round or so of beers, Joanna and I split an impressive order of fish and chips, knowing we still had some of the pizza left back at the lodge.  The next morning Joanna, Kim and Marty took a long hike and returned late morning in time for us to go pick up the cake and make the five-hour drive to Yosemite Valley, arriving right about when Jessica, Kris, and Gemma arrived with James and Jessica landing not long after. 

Joanna and I were assigned to the same first floor rooms in the Cedar wing that I was in last year, but this time out from underneath the stairwell.  James and Jessica were a couple of doors down from us while the rest of the group were a short distance away in the Birch complex.  For dinner that night we stayed close and ate at the Mountain Room Lounge where Joanna and I split the Braised Short Ribs with Fiscalini smoked cheddar polenta, and roasted carrots, which was quite good. 

After dinner we convened in the kids’ room to celebrate Gemma’s birthday a day or so early to get at that cake we had brought from Kernville.  The birthday song was sung; candles were extinguished and only time will tell if wishes would get granted.  The next morning, we all met at the Lodge’s Base Camp Eatery where I had an order of Scrambled Eggs with Bacon and Joanna enjoyed a large bowl of oatmeal.  Later, we all hopped on the shuttle for a ride out to the drop off point for the Mirror Lake trail.  I wasn’t up for the hike and so rode the bus to the Yosemite Village where I hung out until everyone joined me. 

We all had lunch there and then walked over to the trail for Yosemite Falls stopping at the base of the lower falls, and then looped on the trail that would take us back to the Lodge.  In the afternoon, a group went out for another hike and later I met all of them at Camp Curry where we would end up having dinner at the Seven Tents Pavillion, a food court similar to Base Camp at the Lodge, but with a few more options.  Joanna and I got a round of drinks at Bar 1899, the new pub there and split an appetizer order of Sentinel Shrimp Potstickers with ginger scallion sauce and chili crisp and then later a bowl of clam chowder. 

Our last day was one of individual pursuits, including a guided tour of the Ahwahnee Hotel which led up to a final dinner there.  We’ve had many nice meals here and although the food was good, the service was agonizingly slow, taking us over two hours to complete our meal, with long waits in between courses.  The pictures I took of our dishes didn’t turn out, so we’ll leave it here and hope the next time we return our experience is a better one. 

And that would wrap up our Yosemite visit.  We returned home in one straight shot, only stopping to fill up the tank for the final fun into town.  Our fourth stay in Yosemite in as many years was as enjoyable as one can get and I’ll be curious to see if we return for a fifth time next year, or land in some other appropriate winter location. 

Links

Kern Riverfront Lodge: https://kernriverfrontlodge.com/

Sequoia Mountain Bakery: https://www.facebook.com/p/Sequoia-Mountain-Bakery-61567371458462/

Kern River Brewing: https://www.kernriverbrewing.com/

Mountain Room Lounge and Base Camp Eatery: https://www.travelyosemite.com/dining/yosemite-valley-lodge