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Small wedding in Yosemite: know of an amazing photographer with a package under $3K? Caterers too?

scazza — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 08:12:22 -0800

Small wedding in Yosemite: know of an amazing photographer with a package under $3K? Caterers too? I saw these photographers in CO who provide 2 shooters and let you keep the files for $2600. Anything like this in the San Francisco area or drivable distance from Yosemite?

Also, I would love to have Caridwyn & Sons cater a small lunch/picnic after the ceremony but I haven't heard back from them. I need some alternatives. Recommendations? Local, slow food, seasonal, reasonably priced, willing to help with decor, and do a small wedding? (Wedding cake not necessary.)

Thanks everyone.

How should I travel from Yosemite to Las Vegas sans car?

elliot100 — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 05:53:35 -0800

At end of August, am heading from SF to Yosemite by Amtrak train+thruway coach, staying in the middle of the park valley for a couple of nights, then heading to Las Vegas for a couple more nights and flight back to the UK. It looks like Amtrak coach+train to Bakersfield, stay overnight there, then coach to Las Vegas is the obvious itinerary, otherwise it would be an extremely long day's travel. Any other suggestions, or anywhere better to break the trip? Many thanks.

Yosemite, Mesemite, Ussemite

Parasite Unseen — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 09:05:12 -0800

Where to stay when visiting Yosemite in May? My lady and I are hoping to visit Yosemite for three or four days shortly after her graduation in May. Unfortunately, all of the campsites in the Valley are (predictably) booked by now. We want to find an alternate site that will allow us to drive into the park with as little hassle as possible, but we also want to stay somewhere nice. The internet has been very little help for this; every site we've visited that gives reviews is wildly uneven (half the reviews for each campground will give 5 stars, the other half will give 1 star).

I was hoping that the the hivemind could help me find a campground that was close to Yosemite, has available spots left to reserve, and that the MeFite answering can attest is a decent place to camp.

In case it matters: It'll be two people camping, using a tent.

What's the best Yosemite camp ground for a group of 8 first time visitors?

sideshow — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 23:28:27 -0800

What's the best Yosemite camp ground for a group of 8 first time visitors? We want to do some day hikes, and we want to visit as many of the "must see" places as possible. We plan on going around the middle of August for 3-4 nights. We're looking for the following things:

1) As close to Yosemite Valley (and all the iconic spots) as possible

2) Tent camping, or some of those semi-permanent tents like at Camp Curry

but...

3) Not a bunch of sites jammed together, like (as far as I can tell)* Camp Curry

4) Showers and running water would be nice, but not a requirement.

1 and 3 have the biggest priority.

I know that having a secluded campsite in the valley with a view of Half Dome in the middle of August with hot showers and flush toilets probably isn't going to happen. But, I'd like to hear from the MeFi Mind on the best place to camp.

Places to stay in/close to Yosemite

lmY2K — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 12:04:29 -0800

Please advise on a place to stay in Yosemite in August for two not very outdoorsy families with young children. We are planning on driving there from the Bay Area and staying for two-three nights.

Help me plan a December trip to Yosemite

wintersweet — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 17:36:27 -0800

I want to do something memorable for my 30th birthday, so my current plan is to head to Yosemite--I've never been there. However, my birthday is in December, so that's when we're going to go. Most of the Yosemite-in-winter advice online and in guidebooks seems to be outdated, and the official Yosemite website just doesn't seem that useful to me. Please give me your personal recommendations on what to do, where to stay, etc., particularly those based on recent experience. We'll be leaving from Fremont, California (SF Bay Area) and I'll be driving an AWD car (I'll buy chains, since I know they may be required, but I do have some ice/snow driving experience). And yes, I also checked previous posts here without much luck for my specific questions.

Details:

1) 2 nights is probably all we can manage, as one person needs to get back to work.
1a) Leaving December 15th or 16th and returning December 17th or 18th.
2) 4-5 people, all of whom don't mind staying in one room or suite, but only 2 of whom will be sharing a bed.
2a) Electrical outlet near one bed is absolutely necessary for medical reasons.
2b) A place with character and comfort would be nice, but the only important things are location, cleanliness, and especially LOW COST (we've got ... one librarian, two unemployed ESL teachers, one part-time ESL teacher, and one part-time math college teacher, so our budgets are small).
3) Food: we're concerned about cost but we still want kind of tasty food, and one of us is a vegetarian.
4) We range from "extremely out of shape but fairly persistent" to "more or less in shape," but none of us are athletes or experienced winter hikers.
5) At least one person wants to snowshoe and one person wants to ski or snowboard, but any equipment will have to be rented (and all but one of us live in the SF Bay Area, so we don't have Serious Cold Weather clothing). I assume Badger Pass is our best bet here.
6) Seeing the most beautiful winter landscapes at Yosemite is really our #1 priority.

What I need:
1) Where to stay--current lead contender is an $89 3-bed suite at the Best Western in Oakhurst.
2) Where to eat
3) What specifically to do (e.g., not "snowshoeing" but "the ranger-led snowshoeing trip that leaves from XYZ) and see
4) How you'd get there
5) Any other tips and suggestions for enjoying a winter trip there

Despite the restrictions I really do think we're going to have a good time. :) Thank you so much for your suggestions!

Advice for big hike in Yosemite

The_Partridge_Family — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 10:19:33 -0800

Four Mile Trail to Glacier Point - I plan on spending next weekend in Yosemite, staying in a tent cabin at Curry Village and doing this hike with a friend. Has anyone done this trail and/ or have advice to offer? Any information would be useful - what to wear, what to bring, whether it'll be hot or cold, how much (and what) food to bring (and where to get it), turn around time, how to survive in a tent cabin after dark with no electricity, whether the included breakfast at Curry Village is worth the extra cash etc etc.

I know this question makes me sound a little clueless - I'm not, I'm just looking for any useful advice from experience. I've hiked a lot, but never a full day.

I do have the Lonely Planet guide to Yosemite, and we're both in our 30s in reasonably good shape.

Priority list of things to see in Yosemite

Burhanistan — Sat, 04 Aug 2007 13:31:08 -0800

36 Hours in Yosemite: I'll be attending a conference in San Francisco and will have most of the weekend to kill. We've already booked a hotel room just outside Yosemite National Park. I plan on seeing the Giant Sequoias, and generally just driving around. There's so much to see there that only 36 hours seems like a travesty. Alas. What are some must see things there that I can enjoy at a relatively relaxed pace in my short time there?

Out of my dome to see Half Dome in a day?

blastrid — Fri, 14 Jul 2006 13:49:15 -0800

Am I crazy to spend only 1 day (2 nights) in the Yosemite Park area? We've got a limited budget, and Yosemite is just one stop in our road trip down the PCH. My party and I are departing Tucson, AZ the last week of July, and planning to make the drive all the way to Mammoth Lakes on the east side of Yosemite the first day. We'd stay the night there and enjoy Yosemite the entire following day. Preliminary plans have us leaving a hotel in Mariposa (just west of Yosemite Valley) headed for Big Basin Redwood Forest and Monterey. Then after a night's stay in Monterey we will take in the full beauty of the most scenic drive on the western US.

We're young, we're (mostly) in shape, and I definitely don't want to leave Yosemite feeling like I didn't get to fully enjoy it. We're not camping, so any activities could only occupy one day (no 2-day excursions into the wild).

What to do? Where to go? What to see?

San Fran over the 4th

gus — Fri, 24 Jun 2005 09:59:01 -0800

My girlfriend and I will be in San Francisco on July 3rd through the 6th before we go to Yosemite to camp with some friends... Neither of us has been to San Francisco before, and we don't know anyone there. We'll be staying downtown and have a rental car. We thought it would be a good idea to drive up to the Napa Valley area for an afternoon and have found lots of things on the web, but an insider's perspective would really help us out.

What are some of the must do and must see things for a couple of young 20 somethings without a lot of money in San Francisco? Bonus points for a good 4th of July party!

Motorcycle Touring in CA

gkostolny — Thu, 13 May 2004 11:00:35 -0800

I live in San Jose, CA and I recently got a new (used) SV650S motorcycle. I am looking for tips with regard to doing some touring and/or camping using the bike.

Also, if you have any tips on how to have a more pleasant time getting to Yosemite and the rest of the Sierra than riding through the flotilla of bugs that is the central valley, I'm all ears.