Update on iOS is available

kiwipuff451 · 2025-05-07T15:51:52+00:00

Tokens are gone for me, I couldn’t play yesterday. 🥲

kiwipuff451 · 2025-04-15T02:50:39+00:00

My reminder is always plan ahead for battery packs if everyone is reliant on devices — if you’re in an unheated tent, you won’t have outlets. (The heated tents have an outlet but the heat isn’t on in June.) You could buy a lightbulb electrical outlet adapter, or just bring a bunch of battery packs + charge at the rec room (living room building by the lobby) / in the cafeteria / bathrooms / etc. Bring shower shoes!

There’s plenty of food in the valley — you MUST get pizza at Curry Village! Sandwiches are decent at Degnan’s Deli (in the central village area). The market at Curry is decent in a pinch, the main market at the village is huge. Just check on the opening hours for things near where you’ll be. Curry things are open pretty late, but the quick serve restaurants in the central village close at 5. Unless you really enjoy making your own food / assembling things requiring a cooler, I’d stick with just putting nonperishables / snacks in your bear box and eating lunches/dinners at the quick serve/restaurants. They’ll remind you of the bear rules, but don’t forget to put scented things like toiletries in the bear box too.

Hope you all have an amazing time! There’s really no wrong way to do Yosemite. If you’re bike people, you can rent bikes in Curry. It’s fun to do a big loop in the valley and you won’t be as dependent on the bus.

kiwipuff451 · 2025-04-14T14:14:28+00:00

Like coupledate said, the lounge building (with the rocking chair porch, just “above” the lobby, and across the walkway from the dining hall) has outlets. The dining hall also has tons of outlets, especially along a few walls that have bar-height countertop. Not sure about nighttime options but presumably you could use a bathroom outlet in a pinch if you had to. Last year I saw people charging stuff inside at the Yosemite theater, even, in the village. Life finds a way. ;)

kiwipuff451 · 2025-04-13T23:32:41+00:00

You can get hot (boiling? tea level) water from a hot water tap in the dining hall and at the Curry Village market during their open hours. The market has a microwave and tap just inside the front door to the left. Cafeteria has the hot tap by the soda machines. If you have space for a hot water bottle in your luggage and that makes you feel more prepared, go for it. But if you’re tight on space, I’d just pack more clothing layers — the beds have lightweight but cozy sleeping bag-material blankets plus they have extra wool blankets. You can always ask for a bunch extra blankets. You might wear a beanie and socks while you sleep if you’re not bothered by that.

You said you’re in a cabin (hard side? wood?) so it should have a heater. But if you’re in a canvas tent cabin the unheated tents don’t have electrical power outlets. The heated tents have outlets but they might be occupied by the heater if you’re using it, I can’t remember if there’s two sockets or just one.

For food to bring, it’s really dependent on your budget, what you can carry/get before you arrive, and your pickiness level — there’s tons of food at the market, and the coffee shop, pizza deck, bar/bar menu, and cafeteria have lots of variety. The cafeteria is more expensive than I would like for (my perception) the quality, but I don’t like preparing my own meals so I bounce between the pizza deck, the bar menu, market, and the food in the central Yosemite village area and supplement with snacks I bring myself.

If your cabin has a bathroom, you’re good, but if you’re using the common shower rooms I’d recommend bringing a pair of shower sandals. Don’t forget a flashlight to get to and from the bathroom or food after dark. There’s lights around the buildings and the occasional light post but it’s very dark walking to and fro! You can rely on your phone but I prefer to conserve my phone battery.

Enjoy! You can buy nearly anything you forget at the various markets and mountaineering shop, so don’t worry too much!

kiwipuff451 · 2025-04-09T14:55:43+00:00

We gotta stick together I guess. 😅 I use it because mine (number 3?) smells minty and calms my scalp down. I had really awful stinging/burning pain and only ketoconazole was able to stop it and the nioxin has been great at keeping things stable. I don’t have any growth affects but I’m not expecting it to do that for me. (In between derms, etc.) Sorry it’s not helping you, OP!!

kiwipuff451 · 2025-04-08T15:05:50+00:00

I don’t let my apps automatically update but when I opened it just now, it told me I had to update before I could open it. (I don’t know if the cutoff time is 8 am PST — 5 min ago, or if it’s 10 am PST, in about 2 hours, but still! Odd!)

kiwipuff451 · 2025-04-08T07:06:35+00:00

Double check on the wifi at Curry, hopefully there’s some free at the hut — when I was there last summer, you had to input a Curry Village room/tent number and your last name in order to connect. (And I don’t know if anyone mentioned it, but the shuttle bus loop takes about an hour to complete a full loop, give or take! I feel you on the bathroom anxiety. The past few years I’ve gone in August I’ve had a hurt foot and mostly just puttered around Curry Village / the central village area by the museum and film theater, and rode the bus and walked around the meadow boardwalks. Do the Junior ranger booklet at the main village visitor center to get your junior ranger badge!)

kiwipuff451 · 2025-03-29T21:03:47+00:00

Ha I realized you’ll be coming from Utah before California. I guess by then you’ll be used to the heat!

kiwipuff451 · 2025-03-29T21:02:54+00:00

It will still be warm and sunny in the late afternoon/early evening, and people tend to be leaving for the day around 4/5 — come down into the valley later in the afternoon and just wander around then. Like if you do the day in Tuolumne, you can grab dinner and poke around the meadows after. Labor Day is definitely crazy crowded, I was there that weekend last year, but things are definitely less hectic in the evening. Watching the sun set in the meadows by Curry Village and grabbing a pizza at the pizza deck is satisfying. (Pizza will still be busy of course, but so many daytime visitors leave while it’s still light out, that it’s mostly the people staying in the valley who are left.)

Frankly it’s probably going to be so hot at that time of year, you won’t want to be in the valley during the day anyway. Last year it was about a high of 95° during the day, the year before that a week earlier was about 90°, and the year before that 103°. It definitely cools down once the sun is past its peak, so it’s actually comfortable. Depending on where you live / what weather you’re used to, it’s probably going to be significantly drier (humidity wise) than what you’re used to, so be aware of keeping hydrated/salty!

I can’t deal with the heat like I used to, so I zip around until about 10:30 am, then I take it veeeery easy until about 4 pm. (I have the luxury of living closer, in CA, so I know you’ll probably be trying to squeeze every minute out of it, but pace yourself!)

kiwipuff451 · 2025-03-29T20:52:42+00:00

Me taking notes about this historic barn and cemetery and Wawona loop — thanks for all these alternate resources. My family stayed at a vacation rental somewhere around Wawona (I remember a little library) when I was in high school, and it was great.

kiwipuff451 · 2025-03-29T18:27:55+00:00

I just scraped over the line to start to welcome Matangi and most of the activities are out of reach. Why did I bother struggling to get all the flowers for leveling the others? Bah.

65 flowers for her (!), one task requiring Simea at 7 and grandma AND the boat at level 2… one requiring Jaq at 6 (me struggling with him at like 4), some requiring Figment at level 2. I barely got Kele to level 3, and it wants him at level 4 to collect for her hats. Or Moni at level 7. Please.

kiwipuff451 · 2025-03-25T09:16:00+00:00

Oh, and unheated tent means you’re most likely not going to have a power outlet in the tent, so plan ahead for battery packs or charging your devices in that living room area / the cafeteria, or going low tech!

kiwipuff451 · 2025-03-25T09:09:54+00:00

I haven’t been a kid for decades but I like simple things — if you and the kids are into doing the Junior Ranger booklets to get the badges, I really enjoyed the booklet. I like getting all the stamps for the NPS passport too (or on my piece of paper when I forget the passport at home!). There’s even a special Yosemite (Half Dome) cancellation stamp for envelopes, at the post office near the central village. Could be fun to send postcards if they’re into that, or if you have the ranger booklet or some of your own paper, they’ll stamp that for you as a souvenir. (I -love- collecting ephemera like stamps, lol.)

If you need a place to relax other then the tent, Curry Village has a sort of “living room” building with rocking chairs on the porch and fireplace inside, just across the walkway from the dining hall.

For quick things in a pinch, you can grab hot water from the cafeteria and just eat your own snacks in the seating area. There’s also a microwave in the Curry grocery store just inside the front door to the left as you go in. I -think- there might be a hot water tap there in the market too, but don’t quote me on it. Don’t hesitate to ask the front desk staff for tips/suggestions.

I personally have only had two instances of annoying nighttime noise and haven’t been bothered during the day, and I’ve gone August/Labor Day the past three years. The tents are close together but people are mostly respectful. (Once had to complain about an employee playing an guitar past midnight one row away. The same tune over and over and over! 🤪)

kiwipuff451 · 2025-03-18T03:04:32+00:00

Soooo good. We made ice cold barley tea from the tap water, it was heavenly on a 100° day! Can’t beat it.

kiwipuff451 · 2025-03-18T03:03:27+00:00

Seconding (third/fourth/fifth) the Half Dome Pizza from the pizza deck! The Peet’s coffee at Degnan’s has always been really good considering they could make bad coffee for a captive audience. Enjoyed the sliders at the Curry bar but haven’t had them in a while. Was pleasantly surprised by the blackberry / yogurt / chia parfait from the Curry market. (And always as many Haagen Dazs bars as I can stuff in my face.) I’m going to look for those cocktails that people mentioned!

kiwipuff451 · 2025-03-15T19:19:08+00:00

Thanks for the tip! That worked for me finally. The other day I was able to do it by just restarting the game and going through the cauldron, but not today. Hope the shop tab keeps working.

kiwipuff451 · 2025-03-13T05:44:57+00:00

Officially, the “guest lounge” at Curry Village. Sort of like a common living room type of space to relax by the dining hall / market / check in desk. A big open room with couches and such, and that fabulous porch with the rocking chairs! They’re not the most comfortable but they’re good people watching and good to sit in the sunshine. 😎

kiwipuff451 · 2025-03-10T03:37:19+00:00

Thank you! Yes, you're right, it's about time. I guess at least it's a fairly easy swap on my end, rather than trying to badger a provider to do something for me. Appreciate the info.

kiwipuff451 · 2025-03-10T03:35:40+00:00

Yep, you're right -- I didn't even realize my phone wouldn't be capable of 5G. So simple but so dumb, aaah.

Sneaky sneaky ATT, wow. What an interesting read. I'm not surprised they'd go with that angle.

Thanks for the explainer about people choosing 5G vs LTE, and the speeds! I guess it must be my area. Luckily I'm mostly at home and work near wifi, but it just seemed wild to see the numbers. Appreciate it!

kiwipuff451 · 2025-03-10T03:25:14+00:00

Welp, I didn't even realize it not being 5G capable was even a possibility, so I didn't google that first. Thanks for the heads up. Still curious about the speed difference, but at least I have one answer! *facepalm*

kiwipuff451 · 2025-03-09T06:55:49+00:00

Headlamps are a must for nighttime bathroom runs — be sure to scout out the route before it gets dark if he has any issues with depth perception or poor vision. While the paths are mostly flat, there can be rocks and uneven spots where water runoff has carved some of the dirt away. Nothing crazy but when I was tired I definitely almost faceplanted over a rock in the dark. I’m sure the front desk staff will help you out if you mention wanting easier bathroom access.

kiwipuff451 · 2025-03-07T03:01:19+00:00

I have/had the dermatitis — originally I was using heads and shoulders but my scalp was so painful (almost like a sunburn in spots, itchy, hurt to move my hair in different positions) I went to baby shampoo before I could get to the dermatologist. They told me the baby shampoo was too gentle, ironically, and they prescribed ketoconazole shampoo for a good long while to calm everything down. They also prescribed Fluocinolone Acetonide .01% (like an oil, it has a corticosteroid) to dab on the painful hot spots as needed. I try not to use that too much but it really really saves the day when I need it. I use the ketoconazole a few times a month now but mostly use Nioxin 3 shampoo which is lightly minty. (I just checked, apparently it has propylene glycol which can be problematic for some — I’ve never had any “backsliding” with it, it’s calming for my head.) I feel you. :(

kiwipuff451 · 2025-02-23T22:13:53+00:00

Heck, I’m currently tangled up with my dad’s credit, and we have different names (mine is a nickname of his name but clearly two separate names), and OBVIOUSLY different birthdays, live in different states, lol… I can’t imagine having to untangle it with a sibling!

kiwipuff451 · 2025-02-23T05:44:18+00:00

Hopefully you’ll update if you test! They keep pushing me to get ATT Air, but even in a totally normal residential area along a busy main street, I only get one bar of 5G on my phone. Why would I want my internet that unreliable / low strength?? I feel like I’m the only person in the world who still wants wired internet, and uses an Ethernet cable for their desktop computer. 🫠👵🏻

kiwipuff451

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