To Yosemite and Beyond — Taylor Mikiska

Every year around my birthday, my mom comes out to visit. The last couple years, it's lined up with my sisters fall break, so they were able to make it whole family affair. Instead of them always coming to LA though, we try to go somewhere else in California. This year, we did Lake Tahoe and Yosemite. It was so so stunning and I'm so glad my first visit was during fall. Living in LA, I forget sometimes that I do like seasons and how exciting it is to see the leaves changing and feel a chill in the air.

My family- mom, step dad (Tom), brother (Tyler), and two younger sisters (Morgan and Mia)- arrived in Lake Tahoe just a bit before Joey and I. My mom's name is Missy btw, but I only call her mom, so that's what she'll be here. We all stayed in a condo together right on the lake, which was perfect. We got there just in time for sunset on our first night. I hadn't seen my family in person since last Christmas and it's always really exciting when I do. We face time a lot, but it's just not the same as getting to see them and hug them in person. We didn't have a strict schedule or really any serious plans at all for the trip except to breathe clean air and spend time together in a beautiful place.

We spent one night and one morning in Lake Tahoe, but I can't wait to go back and stay for longer. I think my favorite part of the trip was actually waking up in Lake Tahoe on my birthday and having my coffee on the dock. There was something about the stillness and ease of it. The combination of hot coffee and breathing in cold air while looking out over the crystal lake, was a pretty ideal way to welcome 25.

After coffee, we got packed and ready to head out. This was the busiest day of the trip and we had a lot ahead of us to see! We went on many a road trip with my mom and Tom before the girls were born and these road trips always included several stops along the way to our final destination. Tom loooooves stops along the way. We would stop for historical sights, farmers markets, and any side of the road attraction we might encounter. It drove me insane when I was younger, but I'm exactly the same way now! Trips that would take 4 hours if I drove straight there, take 7 because I have to stop and see the sights. Yolo ya know? I'm here, I might as well see what there is to see. I have a tendency to be in quite a rush in my day to day, so I like to use these moments to slow down and take it all in. Another fun Tom fact- he totally refuses to use GPS. He's super old school and uses paper maps. PAPER MAPS. I know right? Tom doesn't even know how hipster that is of him. This also used to drive me insane when I was younger, but it's just part of the journey now. I actually have a little box of maps from the trips we've been on, and #humblebrag a great sense of direction, in part because of this.

Our first stop on our way out of Lake Tahoe was the Red Hut Cafe. It was perfect breakfast diner food and super cozy. I'm instantly a fan of any place that tops off your coffee any time they visit the table. We had to split up because they didn't have any tables big enough or any way to arrange them to sit all 7 of us together, so me and Joey went with the girls. It shouldn't surprise me how much they grow between visits, but it always does. Morgan is almost taller than me now- not that it's all that tall, I'm only 5'2'', but I know she'll be even taller next time I see her. I could listen to my sisters talk for hours. I got to on this trip, and I'm thankful for every minute of it. Next up was Mono Lake...

I knew absolutely nothing about Mono Lake before we got there. In my mind it was something similar to Lake Tahoe I guess, a vast, clear, sparkling lake. I wasn't expecting what we got at all. I found out it's really salty , like three times saltier than the ocean. When I looked back at the pictures though, I found the whole color palate striking. The tall golden grass and drying cotton wood, the squishy salt deposits, the way the sun shined down right above us, was all so different from what we had experienced the day before. I love California for that. California is a Dr. Seuss book come to life, colorful and enchanting. Stepping on salt deposits felt like walking on moon sand. AND I decided I was going to start referring to anyone acting salty as "Mono Lake". So, I'd say this was a really worthwhile stop.

We finally made it into the park. Yosemite National Park. You guys- this is all still ONE DAY. I told you, Tom does not play around with the stops. It's great. Pictured above is Mariposa Grove. There aren't many sequoias in Yosemite, but there's a patch of them here. If you haven't seen them in person, I highly recommend. Obviously, nature is alive, but these giants feel particularly so. My sisters were outraged that someone had carved a big hole into this one, aptly named "tunnel tree". If you look closely in the top left photo- you can spot Tom pretending to be a bear behind me.

We managed to make it to Evergreen Lodge by sunset. I can't say enough about this place, it's a true gem. They even had a special spot just to watch the sunset. Also, this sunset is an Autumn dream, and how cute is Mia? She broke both of her arms (monkey bar accident) before the trip- but handled it like a champ. By that I mean, she did everything exactly the same as if she didn't have casts on both arms, which I think is pretty incredible. We had a huge dinner that night at the lodge and prepped for a full day in the park.

Kismet is the only way I could describe spending my golden birthday in this golden place. Yosemite glowed. The colors were so crisp and bright. Gold swept through all of Yosemite Valley. The sun kissed the trees, and the grass, and the tops of our heads all day. I was really emotional while we walked through the park. I cried, as I do. For fleeting moments and wanting the time with my family to matter and feeling generally overwhelmed with all of the life and beauty around me.

I'm so grateful for the time we had together here. Thank you a million times to my mom and Tom for planning these trips and always spending my birthday with me. I look forward to every October and every trip we take together. Maybe we'll manage to get a few more pictures with all of us together on the next one.