svb in yosemite 1
Sleigh bells ring, are you listening,
in the lane, snow is glistening
A beautiful sight,
we’re happy tonight,
walking in a winter wonderland.
:
When it snows, ain’t it thrilling,
Though your nose gets a chilling
We’ll frolic and play, the Eskimo way,
walking in a winter wonderland.

- Winter Wonderland, Dick Smith/Felix Bernard 1934

 
We’re not very worldly travelers, especially now that we’ve got young kids to handle. Unlike many of our own friends who’ve managed to travel heavily even with babies in tow, we’re simply just homebody types, content to hang out at home and savor our well oiled routines.

But once in a while, we’ll get restless enough to try something really adventurous. This year, since we had family over for the holidays, we decided to head for Yosemite, basically a stone’s throw away from our backyard, for a 3 day, 2 night stay that yielded a spectacular winter experience which we city slickers, originally from the tropics, could only liken to a trip through the belly of a big freezer. No, we don’t see snow that often, and it showed.


The most practical way to commandeer this trip was to first find a place to rent. We thought that maybe we could rough it out like these people so we could spend very minimally,

snow tent      snow tent

 
but eventually decided the tents wouldn’t fit the entire house we wanted to bring along with us (so no, we weren’t really serious about camping). Our traveling family circus of 7 opted instead for this:

yosemite house 1     yosemite house 2     yosemite house 3

which cost us a reasonable $350 per night. The cabin — or “chalet” as the owners called it — fits 10 and definitely a very comfortable 7, so the cost amounted to $50 a night per person. Not bad for a brand new house with all the amenities!

Along the way, we lost one of the baby’s shoes while in our usual chaotic state — don’t ask how because we don’t really know — and had to warm his toes this way till we got him new boots. Those are indeed, his gloved feet!

All in all, here’s what we spent for the opportunity to cavort with nature:

gloved feet

Snow clothes (most borrowed from other family members)  $200
3 days, 2 nights in a chalet  $700
Snow chains  $30
Park entrance fee  $20
Replacement kid boots  $35
Dinner for 7 (2 nights)  $120
Lunch for 7  $150
Gas for a 460 mile roundtrip ($2.75 per gallon, mileage: 20 miles/gallon)  $63.25
Miscellaneous groceries  $70
Speeding Ticket (Ooops. Unplanned) N/A
Total $1,388.25

 
Now compare what we would have spent if we had instead cavorted with Mickey and had all visited Disneyland:
Mickey Mouse

3 days, 2 nights in the renowned Disneyland Hotel  $4,194.90
Room Type: 2 Bedroom Suite  Included
Package: Resort Package  Included
Dining: Donald’s 3 Day Meal Plan (Dinner Only)  Included (this runs $92 per adult and $70 per child)
3 Day Park Hopper souvenir ticket  Included
Gas for an 800 miles round trip ($2.75 per gallon, mileage: 20 miles/gallon)  $110
Breakfast and lunch for 7 ($15 per person for 2.5 days)  $525
Total  $4,829.90

 
Quite a difference! If you don’t mind the altitude, the cozy, authentic nature-bound family bonding expedition was a fantastic value if you ask me!

It had just snowed a few days prior to our arrival and with the sun out in force during our entire stay, the landscape was breathtaking, like you were living in a picture postcard. We were also treated to some close encounters with a handful of foxes on a couple of occasions (there seemed to be a lot of them this year). For all that, this intergenerational trip, tailored in length for little kids as well as for a couple of senior citizens, was perfect.

Nature Trip for 7:         ~$1,300
Snowball fights on a fresh carpet of snow surrounded
by towering white cliffs and a blanket of pine trees: 		        Priceless

 

the digerati life at yosemite      trees at yosemite

 

How To Cut Down On Vacation Expenses

  1. Consider splitting the bill with other people. Invite others to your trip whom you get along with!
  2. Rent a house instead of staying in a hotel if you have a big group. You can then shop for and cook your own meals.
  3. Visit an inexpensive location where things cost lower.
  4. Visit a place that is closer to home so you can cut down on fares or gas.
  5. Have shorter vacations or maybe just go on day trips more frequently.
  6. Consider a nature trip where you won’t be tempted to spend additional money on souvenirs. Bring home some pine cones or shells from a beach!

 
Here are more photos of our short but enjoyable sojourn. Few humans are included though.

Some Yosemite Resources:
Yosemite National Park
National Park Vacations: Yosemite Park
Wikipedia Entry
Yosemite National Park Reservations
Yosemite Vacation Homes

 
< Tent Image Sources: oregonpeakadventures.com (Ed Hershberg), Neal Tanner’s page. And that smudgy spot against the mountain back drops is really me. >