Traffic was heavy in the park because it's a weekend, but we were able to find a parking space in the Village and hiked around one of the meadows and along the Merced river for a short while, then we had a picnic----nothing fancy, just crackers and cheese and lunch meat.
Since we left town early a wee bit of caffeine would have come in handy but every place that we went to that served coffee was mobbed with crowds. Very curious! So we left the park and went to the Tenaya Lodge---a rather high falutin' place in Fish Camp and sat by the outdoor fire pit and had a wee bit of wine.
Very relaxing! Then we headed down to Oakhurst and the famous Elderberry House to try out their Cellar Bar. The Elderberry House is a very expensive gourmet restaurant with fix a prix menu, but there is also a tiny no reservations bar and very casual that serves excellent food from a more limited menu for less than half the price of the formal dining room and lets you split the orders---perfect for after a hike in Yosemite in sweatshirt & jeans weather.
So, we shared a Raclette Cheeseburger with caramelized onions and shoestring fries, an excellent Kern salad, and Pesto Risotto and of course two more glasses of very good wine. A feast!
It was a much needed holiday of sorts after a stressful few months. Mrs. Hov is happy, so of course I am too.
