A Family Visit to Yosemite
Wife and mother of two, Lisa Hardy-Reems of Oakland, California shares in words, photos, and video her recent drive with her family to Yosemite over Memorial Day weekend.
Had you ever been to Yosemite before?
I’ve been, but only as a child or as a young adult, so I never really had the chance to take it all in as an adult and truly appreciate the park.
What are some of your other experiences with outdoor spaces?
I have always preferred to be outside rather than indoors. Enjoying whatever weather we are having, as long as I am well-prepared is great by me! I have tried to instill this in my girls as well. It is helpful that Dad enjoys outdoor activities too.
Michaela (8) and Morgan (16) enjoy ice cream and a view of the rapids!
What surprised you in Yosemite?
The park was filled with international visitors. Many from India! This was impressive, given that the Park Ranger I spoke with said there were 100,000 visitors that weekend! That said, we were the only black family as far as the eye could see. No kidding!
What is your advice for visiting Yosemite?
We were fortunate enough to take a convertable on the drive, which proved to be invaluable! The awesomeness of what is Yosemite, cannot be appreciated looking through a window of an SUV or sedan. So I recommend top down!
If you are planning a trip to Yosemite, BOOK EARLY! Indoor/Outdoor camping spaces are hard to come by. Also, stop at the last chance gas before driving into the Park. There is a lot of driving to be done, and traffic to sit in over the weekend, so remember: NO GAS IN THE PARK!
“That said, we were the only African American family as far as the eye could see. No kidding!”
Wow, this part of the story caught my eye the most, other than the visualization of such an immensely beautiful location. Our people, African-Americans, historically have been victims of “nature disenfranchisement.” “We” have no appreciation of the outdoors because it is something that wasn’t readily available to us, or exposed to us. Lots of us, not all, came up in the inner cities where, cross country road trips, getting lost in the woods and fishing were only things to be enjoyed through television. I think it’s imperative and important to experience The Great Outdoors and to not sequester our children from it. Outdoor life is far more enjoyable than a sedentary, indoor life. We need to get out and enjoy nature as it was meant to be, not stuck in concrete and metal all day, breathing in carbon monoxide and viewing pigeons and squirrels as wildlife.
Thanks so much for your well stated comments Jerel! I completely agree with you on all points, and this is precisely why Outdoor Afro exists. Through this platform and other programs, we hope to support a new national vision of outdoor engagement that includes everyone.
My husband just yesterday said “I’ve been all over the world and haven’t been to Yosemite.” Reading this blog post make it crystal clear that we have to go ASAP. Then I can take a group of girlies so they can see more of the majesty of outdoors. Outdoor Afro for life!
Whenever you decide to go, let me know — it’s one of my favorite places and it’s just great year-round.
…and by the way, I’m “down with OBG!”
I’m so glad this was posted I had to prove to my boyfriend that black people camp he is scared to camp. He is use to tv 24 7. I loved looking at your photo. Very nice.
Well of course we do! He should try it sometime! Thanks for chiming in!
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Outdoor Afro by Rue Mapp is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
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