{"id":3994,"date":"2026-07-01T04:55:24","date_gmt":"2026-07-01T12:55:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thesimplehouse.com\/?p=3994"},"modified":"2026-07-01T04:55:24","modified_gmt":"2026-07-01T12:55:24","slug":"day-five-june-19-2026-the-curse-is-broken","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/thesimplehouse.com\/?p=3994","title":{"rendered":"Day Five \u2013 June 19, 2026: The Curse Is Broken"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This was the day we’d been waiting for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After three unsuccessful attempts over the years\u2014two canceled by wildfires and one by record snowfall\u2014we finally crossed Tioga Pass<\/a><\/strong> and officially entered Yosemite National Park<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>
Along the Tioga Pass Road<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

At last, the “Randall Curse”<\/strong> had come to an end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead of entering Yosemite from the west like most visitors, we approached from the east on Highway 120<\/strong>, better known as Tioga Road<\/strong>. Open only during the summer months, this high-elevation highway is more than just a way into the park\u2014it’s an attraction in its own right. Rather than plunging immediately into Yosemite Valley, Tioga Road introduces you to a completely different side of Yosemite, one of expansive alpine landscapes, granite domes, sparkling lakes, and sweeping mountain vistas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We deliberately allowed ourselves plenty of time for the drive, and we’re glad we did. Nearly every few miles there was another turnout that begged us to stop, get out, and simply take it all in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>
Tuolumne Meadows<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The highlight of the drive was undoubtedly Tuolumne Meadows<\/a><\/strong>. Stretching across a broad alpine valley at nearly 8,600 feet, the meadow is a peaceful landscape of winding streams, towering pines, wildflowers, and granite peaks rising in every direction. It’s easy to understand why so many people consider this one of the most beautiful areas in all of Yosemite. The scenery here is completely different from the famous valley floor, offering a quieter and equally spectacular perspective on the park.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>
Tuolumne Meadows (and Brenda)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As we continued west, we found ourselves saying “wow” more times than we could count. And this was just the drive in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If this was the introduction, we could only imagine what the next three days would hold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>
Tuolumne Meadows<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>
Tuolumne Meadows<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

By late afternoon we reached our hotel just outside Yosemite’s western entrance and settled in for the evening. The weather forecast couldn’t have been better\u2014three days of sunshine and warm temperatures. After years of bad timing and bad luck, everything had finally come together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tomorrow, we’d explore Yosemite Valley.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But for now, we simply enjoyed the satisfaction of knowing we’d finally made it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The curse was broken.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This was the day we’d been waiting for. After three unsuccessful attempts over the years\u2014two canceled by wildfires and one by record snowfall\u2014we finally crossed Tioga Pass and officially entered Yosemite National Park. At last, the “Randall Curse” had come to an end. Instead of entering Yosemite from the west like most visitors, we approached from the east on Highway 120, … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “Day Five \u2013 June 19, 2026: The Curse Is Broken”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[277],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3994","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-travel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/thesimplehouse.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3994","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/thesimplehouse.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/thesimplehouse.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thesimplehouse.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thesimplehouse.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3994"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/thesimplehouse.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3994\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4006,"href":"http:\/\/thesimplehouse.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3994\/revisions\/4006"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/thesimplehouse.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3994"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thesimplehouse.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3994"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thesimplehouse.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3994"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}