Yosemite, Lake Tahoe and the Joshua Tree

After spending a few weeks getting to know San Francisso I went on a wee road trip. I drove to Yosemite National Park and camped there for 3 nights. The park itself is really beautiful; there is a river flowing through the valley floor. There are many huge waterfalls that flow into the river and lots of big rock faces and mountains. I climbed to the top of the biggest waterfall, called Upper Yosemite Falls. It was 4 miles uphill and really hard work in the heat but the view made the effort well worth it!

My next stop was Lake Tahoe which is a very big lake surrounded by forests and mountains. In the winter people go there to ski, but it is nearly the summer now so people visit it to lie on the beach and sail boats on the water. The lake is very pretty with really clear water. I went on lots of trails around the lake and climbed to some view points.

While I visited these places I was camping in a tent which was really good fun. However; you had to be really careful about cooking food and keep it in a special box when you have finished cooking and eating. This is because there are bears in these areas and they can smell food from miles away and come looking for it! I didnt see a bear in either of the campsites but I did see one running through a field in Yosemite.

My last special place I visited before travelling back to Edinburgh was the Joshua Tree National Park. This is down in the south of California, not far from LA. It is a big area of desert wilderness which has lots of Joshua Trees, which are actually large Yucca plants, and these incredible rock formations. It looks like somewhere that dinosaurs should live but I didnt see any! I did see a lot of lizards and small aquirrels.

Now, my trip is at an end. In a few days I will fly to London then get the train back to Edinburgh. I have had such a wonderful trip, full of experiences that I will never forget. I am sad that it is coming to an end but I have missed home and I look forward to seeing everyone when I am back.

Hope you've enjoyed reading about my journey. Maybe I have inspired you to see some more of the world when you grow up, I hope I have!