Yosemite!

9/8-9/26, 2021

 

Big Oak Flat Entrance to Yosemite!

Our next stop of interest had our eyes set on Yosemite National Park! To break the drive up, we stopped at Russian River RV Campground in Cloverdale, CA for of couple of nights. This campground definitely had its ups and downs! It is built on hills that must have taken some intense planning! Actually, they might have needed to look a little closer at some of the details when planning this campground! The sights were pretty tricky to get into. Between trees, hills, narrow sites with drop off edges, and curvy roads, Dick had himself a good challenge. One other complicating factor is that all the sites are available on a first come basis. Lastly, the sites are color coded on the map, indicating length restrictions. Sights were either designated green (for RVs less than 35 feet) or yellow (for RVs 35 feet or more). Our fifth wheel is 31 feet, so we were limited to green sites. After making numerous attempts at a site, we finally gave up. Available sites that we could maneuver into were all yellow sites (of course!). In frustration, we ended up occupying a yellow site and it wasn’t long before a little golf cart from the office showed up to challenge us. After explaining all of the circumstances, the guy relented and allowed us to stay at that site. Good grief! Oh, I forgot to mention, all of this happened in 104° weather! We were completely drenched in sweat by the time we were done. The uphill side to this place is the Russian River. We did get out for a walk after it started to cool off and found ourselves on the sandy shore of the river. It felt so soothing to take off our shoes and wade in the cool water for a bit! Another upside was Ray’s Food Place. We figured for our stay at Yosemite, we would be a bit isolated and wanted to stock up on groceries. The final upside was finding the public library to print off some genealogy information Gordy (Dick’s cousin) is interested in. 
We even found a post office to get it mailed off at!

 

Our next stop was at Turtle Beach RV Resort. This entire day seemed to be a day of blessings!  The route took us right past San Francisco, giving us a cool view of the skyline and a quick glimpse of the Golden Gate bridge!  Friends, Marcia and Dan, were just visiting here a week before we passed through.  It’s a shame our timing was off!  It would have been fun to have met up with them on the Pacific coast!  We spent a day with them last winter in Florida on the Atlantic coast!  Arriving at Turtle Beach had a more welcoming landing than did Russian River!  This RV park is also a first come park. With the hot weather we are having, I had called a few days before our arrival, inquiring if they had 30 or 50 amp service. Turns out they have mostly 30 amps, with a handful of 50 amps. The gal on the phone volunteered to assign us to a 50 amp site! Super nice!  It’s level, no drops offs… Dick had our camper perfectly placed with the first try!

 

On the drive there, the “change fuel filter” indicator came on in the truck. Amazingly, we were able to find a Chevrolet dealer with an express service where they remedied the problem!  As long as we were out and about, Dick got a fresh haircut, I got my eye glasses adjusted and the optometrist even checked Dick’s eye pressure for him!  With Dick’s advanced glaucoma, his ophthalmologist in the Twin Cities area wants to monitor him regularly from afar. We fueled up before heading back to the campground and were all set for our two-week stay at Yosemite!

 

Back at the campground, we started planning what we want to do at Yosemite National Park.  I had just opened up the website to be greeted with the news that the park is currently requiring you to obtain a day pass for admission.  They are limiting the number of people in the park due to Covid.  You can purchase a three-day ticket a week ahead of time.  We had already decided to skip going into the park for the weekend and take in some sites outside of the park to avoid the hassle of the crowds, so getting a pass for Monday worked out!  The passes for the following weekend are already sold out!  Apparently, you need to be on your computer at 8:00am the morning the tickets become available (seven days before you want to go).  I’m so thankful we found this out when we did!  It would have been devastating to have gotten there and then found out you need admission tickets.  It would have been too late!  Our lifetime senior pass covered most of the cost of the tickets ($2.00 instead of $33.00).

 

For our 16 days at Yosemite, we stayed at Yosemite Lakes RV Park.  The RV park is located five miles from Yosemite National Park’s entrance!  It’s a beautiful RV park and we were able to find a site where we are backed up to a shallow river.  

The collection of National Park stickers continues to grow!

We had such great neighbors during our stay!  Bud and Donna were having a bit of a family reunion here.  They were very kind and shared all kinds of local knowledge which we were able to benefit from.   Geno and Dani were another amazing couple we were able to share backyards with for a few days.  Dani is a gifted educator who shares her talent with a lucky group of second grade students.  She has the wisdom to focus her attention on relationships, which is so important for our students!  Joan and Steve, another neighbor, travel with a camper van and use a motorcycle to get around locally!  With California fuel selling at $5.00 per gallon, getting 100 miles a gallon makes seeing the park much more economically reasonable!  Smart move, guys!    It was a blessing to have met them each of them!

One of our many great neighbors!

Anna’s Hummingbirds were a constant at our campsite!  It took what seemed like a matter of minutes for them to find our feeder.  Many times, we had three hummingbirds feeding at the same time!

Although our campground is only 5 miles from the park's entrance, Yosemite is HUGE and it takes a while to get to the various sites around Yosemite.  Along the route to the valley, there were numerous pullouts, offering spectacular views of the Merced River at the bottom of the valley!

Once you reach the valley, again there are more pull-offs, allowing us to take in the views.  Many of the spots included information on the valley.  The valley was once populated with hotels.  The meadows were filled in, allowing for crops to be farmed and cattle to be grazed, and apparently it had quite the stench to it!  John Muir was a huge influence in establishing this park and beginning its restoration!  Restoration continues today.  We noticed some work being done in one of the meadows and inquired as to what they were doing.  The answer:  "Removing fill dirt to establish the natural state of the meadow."  They have discovered that in removing this fill dirt, seeds that had been covered and been dormant for a century began to grow!  Some of these plants are rare and close to extinction!  So cool!

This is the spot Theodore Roosevelt and  John Muir enjoyed a campfire together, discussing the importance of saving this land!

Our first trip into Yosemite was an amazing day!  We had learned from Bud and Donna there are bike trails in Yosemite Valley, so we loaded up the bikes and headed to the valley.  Our intentions were to find the Visitor Center, collect information and then take in the trails.  One wrong turn later, we found ourselves at the base of El Capitan instead!  Well, flexibility is our motto, so instead of riding bikes, we found ourselves chatting with rock climbers.  One climber pointed out a couple of specks on the wall that, when you looked through binoculars, you could see were climbers! Apparently, it takes 3-5 days to climb up El Capitan.  They haul water, food, sleeping platforms…in packs up with them!  I can’t even imagine! 

 

El Capitan!

Climbers on El Capitan!

Can you find the climbers?

In continuing our conversation with the climber, we learned there was a short trail that climbers take to reach the base of El Capitan.  Before we knew it, along with Ann and Marty (a couple we met who are traveling from Florida to escape the heat), we were off to put our hands on the wall that rock climbers from around the world come to conquer!     

 

The base of El Capitan

Finding the base of El Capitan with Ann and Marty

When we reached the wall, the trail began to parallel the base of the wall and we could see various spots that had open access for photos.  We selected one of these sites and began posing for pictures, trying to imagine the feeling of climbing this beast.  Shortly after we arrived, Doug, a climber from the area, joined us.  He and his partner were going to use this spot to climb a small portion of El Capitan.  In talking to Doug, he pointed to a crevice in the wall and commented “that’s where Alex began his free solo climb from”!  I couldn’t believe it!  If you haven’t seen the documentary, “Free Solo”, I recommend it.  It is the story of Alex Honnold, who in 2018 climbed El Capitan free solo style (no ropes or gear of any kind!) in 3 hours and 56 minutes!  We had randomly come to the exact spot where Alex began the very first free solo climb of El Capitan!  

 

That's the crevice Alex started his ascent from!

On another day, we did manage to ride our bikes around to various other great sites located in the valley.  The bike trails total around 10 miles, so we didn’t go far, but there were so many stops that it filled our day.  One stop was at the base of Yosemite Falls.  In spring and early summer, there are two waterfalls here, Upper and Lower Yosemite Falls.  Between the drought and the time of year, the park ranger told us we would be able to view “No-semite Falls”.  Completely dry waterfalls!  You can see the dark stains on the rock from where water normally flows!

You can see the stain of Yosemite Falls in the background.

The dark stain is where Upper Yosemite Falls is in the spring.

View of Half Dome from the valley.

There is also a small chapel located in the valley.  It is the oldest building in the valley and continues to have worship services on Sunday mornings.  Unfortunately, we didn’t get passes into the park for the weekend and were not able to attend.

 

Our bike ride around the valley was all pretty darn flat making for an easy ride – except for our trip to Mirror Lake.  If we had our biking shoes on, the hill might not have been as challenging.  I guess a good workout is good for me, right?!  Mirror Lake is located at the base of Half Dome, the iconic symbol of Yosemite.  The idea is that the lake provides a perfect reflection of the dome and is a photographer’s dream location.  However, once again, the drought and time of year have dried up the lake.  At the lower section of the lake, we saw “Mirror Sandbox” and at the upper section, we saw what is commonly referred to as “Mirror Meadow” instead!  This lake is the remnant of a glacial lake that once filled the entire valley.  It is believed that this lake will completely disappear at some point in the future due to sediment accumulations.  

 

Looking up at Half Dome.  Half Dome is illustrated on my shirt.

Mirror Lake.  Notice the water line on the rock.

"Mirror Sandbox"

Along the trail, we came across an area where people have created tiny cairns.  I’m not sure why this trend began or what the significance of these stacks of rock are, but of course, we had to add our stack of rocks to the collection!

Half Dome is the iconic symbol of Yosemite and after spending a few days in the park, it's easy to understand why!  It seemed wherever we went, there was another stunning view of this giant piece of granite!  Ansel Adams was a photographer who had an art gallery in the valley, featuring his work along with the work other local artists.  This art studio remains in the valley and continues to be operated by family.  One of Ansel's famous photos is of Half Dome and its reflection in the Merced River taken from Sentinel Bridge.  We couldn't resist trying to capture a similar shot.  We were there late morning and you would get a better photo if you got there first thing in the morning.  I guess it really is the early bird that gets the worm!

There is a 5-mile trail that takes you around Mirror Lake.  With the lake being dry, we were able to cut across what should be the lake and cut the trail into a 3-mile hike.  Another hiker we met along the trail told us there were a couple of black bears ahead of us!  We hadn’t had a bear sighting yet and were super excited about the possibility!  We were a bit down on our luck, however, and we completed the trail with no bears in sight.  In talking to one of the park rangers, we learned the bears have had a very difficult year.  Despite all of the signs stating, “Speed Kills Bears", tourists drive way too fast inside the park.  There have been 37 bears killed and 40 bears injured this year alone.  With a population of 300-500 bears in the park, that’s a huge loss.  In addition, 7 bears had to be euthanized due to people supplying human food to them.  These bears had become accustomed to people, lost their natural fear, and had become aggressive.  So sad. 

Lunch time!

There is a lake here in the spring!

                                                      

In the Valley’s Village, you will find a cemetery dating back to the mid 1800’s.  Walking through the cemetery, we found the resting spots for both Native Americans, primarily from the Miwok Tribe, and individuals largely involved in the creation of Yosemite National Park.  During the days of the gold rush, many individuals from of the Miwok tribe were killed or starved to death.  So very sad to reflect back on some of the ills lurking in this country’s past.

 

There is also a re-creation of a village, built very much like the village where the Miwok tribe originally lived.  Included in this village were teepee-like huts, a sweat house (where they would cleanse themselves before a hunt in order to rid themselves of the human scent), and a round house for religious ceremonies.  Many of these structures continue to be used today. An interpretive trail around the village includes information on the uses of local plants for both food and medicine.  The Miwok people who still live in the village today continue to teach the practices of their ancestors to interested individuals. 

  

We learned that the second week of our stay coincides with the annual Yosemite Facelift event, which basically means you can be provided with a grabber to pick up litter and a burlap bag to put in in if you want to participate.  What the heck!  Why not?  In return we were given a Klean Kanteen water bottle with an image of Half Dome on it.  We happily took our burlap bag and hit the trails.  By the end of the day, we had gathered nearly 3 lbs. of litter!  

 

Swinging Bridge (which doesn't swing!)

Cook's Meadow with Half Dome in the background.

Along the way, we came upon an art class in session.  The instructor was teaching adults about lighting and silhouettes in painting landscapes.  What an incredible setting for such a class!    It happened to be lunchtime, so we grabbed a nearby rock and eavesdropped on the class for a bit.  Before we left, I found myself totally inspired to take an art class!  I’ll add that to my bucket list!   

 

Art in THE park!

Another day in the valley took us to Mist Trailhead, where we began our trek to the top of Vernal Falls.  Finally, we did find water!  Typically, you are advised to bring a rain poncho, as the mist off of the falls will drench hikers.  This time of year, no need for the poncho, but we did find a waterfall!  This trail began as a steep, paved trail that led us to a 700-step, rocky staircase to the top of Vernal Falls.  Along the way, there were several stop-off points giving you beautiful views of the falls.  At one spot, we could see a small rainbow at the bottom of the falls!  

                                                              

Instead of descending the stairs, there was another option available.  We were able to cut over to the John Muir trail, which provided switchbacks rather than stairs.  Descents have come to be a regular stress on my knees and I’m confident I had an easier time on the switchbacks than what I would have had on those stairs!   On top of that, at our highest elevation of the trail (about 5,500 ft.), the trees were beginning to show off their fall colors!  As stunning as the waterfall was, I think this was my favorite spot of the hike!

                                                      

                                                      

Once again, that's Half Dome!

                                           

Outside of the valley, we took in a couple of sequoia groves.  The Merced Grove involved about a 3.5 mile round trip hike and has about 20 giants in it.  There is a cute log cabin in amongst the giants, used for educational purposes.  This grove of trees was amazing!

 

Tuolumne Grove gave us a one-mile hike down, about a mile hike of viewing trees and then back up a mile to find our truck.  To get to this grove, we hiked along Big Oak Flat Road (no idea what the flat part of its name refers to!).  At one time, this was a toll road to get into Yosemite Valley!  In fact, it was the only way to get into the valley.   The lower section of this trail was intertwined around a grove of about 25 giants.  At one point, there is what remains of a dead sequoia, which was tunneled out for the road to literally go through! There was a photo of the first stage coach to pass through the giant.  

  

Olmsted Point provided another stunning view of Half Dome.  This time, we looked across at Half Dome rather than looking up.  Yep, the drive was a bit nerve wracking for me, but was totally worth it!  Typically, I do most of the driving once we are unhitched, but Dick graciously gave me a break for this portion of the trip, as I’m not so great with heights.

 

Half Dome from Olmstead Point

Another day, our adventure first took us to Tunnel View.  Yosemite has several tunnels, but just before going through the longest tunnel, there is a pull-off which offers a stunning view of the valley and highlights both Half Dome and El Capitan.  In my mind, it is a “must do” stop!

El Capitan and Half Dome from Tunnel View

The tunnel itself is 0.8 mile long and is the only way to reach Glacier Point.  We have seen Half Dome from so very many perspectives; but from Glacier Point, you truly have a spectacular view of Half Dome.  In looking through the telescope (provided by the park), we could see people walking around the very tip-top of the dome!  The hike these people took gives me nightmares!  It is a 16-mile, round trip hike, nearly 5,000 feet above the valley floor and requires a special permit.  A total of 225 permits per day is the limit.  The last 400 feet of the trail requires the use of cables, which looks basically like a ladder.  No thank you!  It was amazing to gaze at the tiny images of the brave individuals who had conquered the climb.  Now, they only need to figure out how to descend!  I want to know how in the world you go down those cables while other people are going up! 

Yep, that's Half Dome!

We could see people who had hiked to the top of Half Dome.

Next, we drove to the access point of both Sentinel Dome and Taft Point, first hiking to Taft Point.  Taft Point offers yet another view of the valley from the elevation of 7,503 ft. above sea level.  I was pretty timid about approaching the edge but eventually worked up the nerve!  Yikes!

 

There was a wonderful trail connecting Taft Point to Sentinel Dome that followed the rim of the valley and offered amazing views along the way.  

From Sentinel Dome, we had a 360° view of the entire area!  So incredible!  By the time we reached Sentinel Dome, haze from the Sequoia National Park forest fires was setting in.  But, we still were able to have amazing views of all the geological wonders we have been exploring for the past week!  

The rock in front of me has a metallic diagram of the 360° view landmarks.

Half Dome in the background.

After spending nine days in the park, we drove a lot, hiked a ton, rode our bikes a bit and saw so many amazing features of Yosemite Park!  That being said, we need to figure out how we can get back here for another couple of weeks in the springtime!  We still want to see the waterfalls flowing, the Mariposa Grove of sequoia trees, hike the trails in the Tuolomne Meadow area, hike the "Four-mile trail" to Glacier Point,  and see Mirror Lake when it's not a meadow!  Yosemite, we will be back!!!