Wednesday, 16th
July
Yosemite NP
We wake up at 6.30 a.m. and after breakfast at the Super8 we move
on to Yosemite. The CA-120 Hwy is a
scenic byway. It takes about 45 minutes to get to Yosemite and
time passes very quickly because of the beautiful views.
As usual, at the entrance, we get the park's newspaper and map.
We head to the Yosemite Valley. The
first impact is astonishing. Just knowing that we were IN Yosemite
influence us. But within a few minutes, we feel at home and we
roam around the valley as if we had been there for two weeks.
We leave our car at the day-park and we walk to the Visitor Center
to get some advice from the rangers.
Mist Trail
Being honest, we already had a precise idea what we wanted to
do. Our first hike of the day leads us to the Vernall
Fall and up to the Nevada Fall.
To get there we take the valley shuttle, which is not only comfortable
to move around but it also offers a nice way to get a first-hand
view of the valley. We soon meet a lot of squirrels that, not
caring at all of the "Don't feed the wild life" signs,
come near you waiting for food. Our trail is pretty long (about
7 miles). That's why we often stop to rest and drink. One of the
best parts of this hike is the Mist Trail, which departs from
a little bridge and arrives at the top of the Vernall Fall. Going
up, we see many colorful rainbows made by the fall's drops carried
by the wind. We often stop to contemplate these beautiful views.
Once we get to the Vernall Fall's top we stop near the
Emerald Pool to eat something. After a short rest
we start again on our walk. The hike to the Nevada Fall's top
is really hard but surely worth it. The view from the top is spectacular.
It's almost midday and we walked two hours and a half. Now it's
time to start to come down following the famous John
Muir Trail. Our muscles are aching but most of the
work has already been done.
Yosemite Valley
When we arrive to the valley we're pretty tired. Although we'd
eaten throughout the hike, we're still hungry. We stop at one
of the many available restaurants to take in a couple of huge
hamburgers. We've no more energy reserves so we decide to walk
a bit around the Valley with no goal but enjoying the view. We
also spend half an hour relaxing in the fresh water of the Merced
River. This gives us some more strength to move
again. It's 6.30 p.m. when we start our last short walk of the
day. We want to get to the bottom of the Yosemite Falls. Unfortunately
this walk is full of people even though the Yosemite Falls are
almost dry. The "worst" kinds of tourists have gathered
here. There is plenty of people taking hundred of photos, shouting
and showing almost no interest in the amazing nature that surrounded
them. The falls are, anyway, pretty dry. We leave this place with
the double illusion about the tourists; one, they are missing
the natural beauty, and, two, some are missing human brains. There
is not much more to do than drive back to Mariposa where we arrive
very tired. We eat in our room and we soon fall asleep.
Thursday, 17th
July
Mirror Lake
As yesterday we must get up early to be at Yosemite as soon as
possible. Today, we add our donuts to the Super8 breakfast. The
well-known CA-140 leads us at a slow pace to Yosemite. We arrive
to the daily park at about 8.15 a.m.
We plan to visit the Glacier Point area in the afternoon. Now
we opt for the famous Mirror Lake Trail, an easy 1-mile hike.
When we arrive at Mirror Lake we feel pretty disappointed. In
the "lake" there are more mosquitoes than water. This
lake dries up quickly in the summer and now the famous mirror
is just a memory. While coming back, suddenly a bear appears walking
quietly and calmly along the river. This is our first bear in
Yosemite and we're extremely excited. The sighting is not longer
than a couple of minutes. Throughout, we try to take some photograph
(without a big success). For wildlife lovers, one simple black
bear is probably something not special but for us this meeting
represents a new unforgettable experience. We call this bear Bruno
and it will forever be OUR bear.
At the visitor center we ask for information about bears. We read
that it's pretty common to see bears in Yosemite but the rangers
tell us that we should feel lucky for this happening. A funny
rangers adds that we shouldn't feel so lucky to try our luck harder
in Las Vegas!
Glacier Point
After a big dinner we get back in our car and at 2.30 p.m. we're
already at Glacier Point. By the way, we stop at the Tunnel
View Point where for the first time we are able
to see the whole green Yosemite Valley.
Glacier Point is not as famous as the Yosemite Valley and this
is the reason why we are so surprised by the beauty of this place.
From a kind of amphitheater it is possible to see the entire Valley
below, many of Yosemite's falls (including the Nevada and Vernall
Falls we saw yesterday), and the Half Dome
in the background.
Among the many available trails we choose the Taft
Point Trail. This trail is almost flat and not long.
It passes close to the fissures, deep
rips in the granite which go all the way down to the valley floor.
At Taft Point, we can enjoy a beautiful view on El
Capitan and the Merced River. This place is very
quiet. We stay for a while, sitting and contemplating Yosemite's
mountains. The silence around us is almost unreal. Taft Point's
views will roam in our mind for a long time.
As usual, we arrive to Mariposa at about 8 p.m. and after a hot
shower we go out for supper. We try the Pizza Factory
restaurant. It's a bit rustic and the pizza is really good.
We go to sleep a bit later than usual cause tomorrow our schedule
is not too full.
Friday, 18th
July
Tioga Road
We leave the Super8 at about 9 a.m. after a cereal-based breakfast
and drive across the CA-140 for the last time. Entering Yosemite
we leave the road leading to the Valley and we head north. We
reach the Tioga Road, famous for being one of the most spectacular
scenic byways of America.
We understand at once the reason for this popularity. Tioga Road
constantly offers different views, the next better than the previous.
Scenery is changeable. Rugged white rocks are followed by snowy
mountains and alpine lakes by green meadows full of colorful flowers.
We stop at least ten times at the many viewpoints to admire panoramas.
We decide to eat dinner alongside Tenaya Lake.
We improvise a picnic while we enjoy the lake and its dramatic
views.
We leave Yosemite after passing through the wonderful meadows
of the Tuolumne Meadows area. Just after
the Tioga Pass, we stop again and we
take a walk along the gloomy-colored Tioga Lake,
which is surrounded by snowy mountains.
The sky becomes dark while we drive to Lee Vinig.
It's 3 p.m. and since we've nothing in our schedule we decide
to visit Mono Lake before going in the direction of the Mammoth
Lakes.
)
