Yosemite National Park

Yosemite is most definitely "God's Country" - the only problem is you have to be willing to drive miles of steep, winding, switchback roads with sheer cliffs along the edge to get to the awesome sites! It is definitely not for people with a fear of heights or that suffer from motion sickness! There are 4 tunnels that Roger was worried about driving the motorhome through but we checked them out in the car first and they were not a problem.

We were amazed at how many people were there - the Tioga Pass opened on Friday and we drove in on Monday - all the campgrounds were full and there were a lot a tour buses full of foreigners. We ended up "boondocking" in an area just outside the Wawona entrance. Can't imagine what it is like in the popular summer months. The nights were cold but the days were warm thanks to no wind and bright sunshine. We saw dogwoods and lupine in the valley and snow at Glacier Point!

The most popular areas to visit are the Valley, Glacier Point and Mariposa Grove, home of the giant sequoias.

In the Valley we spotted rock climbers on El Capitan - they were almost at the top and had probably spent the night on the rock face. You can only see them with binoculars. We walked back to the base of Yosemite Falls - it is the 4th highest falls in the world - and also to the base of Bridal Veil Falls - gorgeous! Then we hiked to the base of Vernal Falls. Due to the altitude and the 400 feet elevation gain the 4 mile (round trip) jaunt about "did us in!" We got back to the car and ate Advil for lunch!! One of the most strenuous hikes we've ever done and notice I said "to the base of the falls" not to the top!! Nevada Falls is just above Vernal Falls and we could see it from the trail head - didn't need a closer look!                                                                


El Capitan

Yosemite Falls

On the Vernal Falls trail



Bridal Veil Falls

We drove up to Glacier Point on Tuesday -16 winding miles that take a good hour - and about half way up it started to snow! It was so beautiful with the pine trees dusted in snow - a winter wonderland! Unfortunately, by the time we got to the Point it was covered in clouds and we could not see anything! Every once in a while the clouds would part and we would get a "sneak peak" at the scenery - enough that Roger said "I have to come back when I can see the valley." So we drove back up on Thursday and were so glad we did - it was magnificent! We could see Yosemite Falls, Half Dome, Vernal and Nevada Falls and the entire Merced River Valley with the beautiful Awahnee Hotel at the base of the mountains.

We are so blessed to have these majestic National Parks here in the US - we are making every effort to see them all!

 

Half Dome

 

June Lake

June Lake, CA


We drove a scenic loop around several picturesque lakes today - we can't get enough of this beautiful scenery! We had lunch at "Whoa Nellie's Deli" in a Mobil gas station. WOW! Delicious fish tacos with mango salsa and spicy coleslaw - were we ever surprised!

We will cross the Tioga Pass into Yosemite tomorrow morning. It just opened on Friday at noon. A "local" told us they can get as much as 120 feet of snow in the pass but this winter was light so the road opened early. Good news for us because we would have had to drive all the way to Lake Tahoe and around if we couldn't get through. We will unhook the car and drive separately - we drove it in the car and it's a windy road along cliffs but not terrible bad.

 



Mono Lake

We are in Lee Vining, CA near Mono Lake - a "sister" lake to the Great Salt Lake in Utah because it is so salty no fish can survive. It is a eco friendly stop for birds migrating as far as Argentina. The sign said that "at times you can imagine walking across the lake on the backs of birds."

Mono Lake

"Tufas" along the shore of Mono Lake





Rock Creek Lake

This area is dotted with so many beautiful lakes surrounded by pine trees and aspens. Can't imagine the beauty in the fall. We hiked around this lake yesterday - we couldn't get to any of the others because the road was still closed. The altitude probably would have done us in anyway! There were numerous fisherman catching trout around the edge of the melted ice. We saw tracks that Roger thought were bear tracks and I thought were dogs walking with their owners - Roger said "believe what you want!!"

Rock Creek Lake

Convict Lake

We continued our journey north along the eastern Sierras up to Convict Lake – a beautiful place nestled in the foothills near the lake and a bubbling stream. We are here for three nights while we explore the area.

We drove to Mammoth Lakes today and rode the gondola up to the top of the ski slopes. It was a glorious sunny, 53 degrees with no wind at the top – a perfect day for spring skiing.

The roads to many of the lakes and trails we wanted to explore are still closed due to snow, ice and avalanche risk. Guess we are a little early in the season despite the lovely weather.

These are hot springs near our camp – scalding hot so we just looked. They are located about 6 miles down a gravel road in a National Forest – definitely “a road less traveled” - and when we arrived there was a big paved parking lot and 6 restrooms! Our tax dollars at work!

We read about this hot tub out in the middle of nowhere in a blog that Roger reads so we decided to check it out this evening! How fun! Someone took PVC pipes and directed the hot water into a pool made of rocks and cement. You can turn a valve on the pipe on and off to control the amount of hot water that flows through the tub. We enjoyed talking with two couples and a trucker! Glad they weren’t nude!!!

 

Darwin Falls and Movie Road

One of the best things about our lifestyle is being able to take time to see the “small stuff.” On our way out of Death Valley we drove to Stovepipe Wells and Panamint Springs and hiked back to Darwin Falls. Who would guess there’s a waterfall in this desert. It was a fun hike back and forth across a creek and up and down rocks but worth the effort to see the vertical falls and clear pool.

The drive across the Sierra’s was a white knuckle one – a winding road with steep cliffs and big downgrades! We unhooked the car so I followed Roger in the car. I’m sure the scenery was breathtaking but neither of us took our eyes off the road! We went from 285 feet below sea level to over 5,000 feet at Town Pass then back down to about 1500 feet.

We were both looking forward to the town of Lone Pine – anxious to see something green if only a “lone pine!” Roger read a blog about boondocking in this area so we made our way to their “favorite campsite of all” in the Alabama Hills at the base of Mt. Whitney. We were not disappointed!

Lone Pine and the Movie Road area is know as a favorite movie filming location – especially, the old westerns but also more recent films. You can drive down Movie Road and just camp anywhere – we found a great place with a fire pit and leftover wood. The view of the snow capped mountains is gorgeous.

We toured the Lone Pine Film History Museum this morning – what a trip down memory lane. Names like: Hop Along Cassidy, Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, The Lone Ranger, and of course “The Duke” John Wayne. Episodes of Rawhide and the movies – Gunga Din, How the West was Won and many other old westerns were filmed here. More recent movies are: Django Unchained, Tremors, and Iron Man. We keep expecting to see the Lone Ranger and Tonto race by on Silver – right Kemo Sabay??

After lunch we toured the Manzanar National Historic Site. Not a proud time in United States history. It is one of nine internment camps for Japanese Americans during World War II. In all about 110,000  people were held in these camps from 1942 until 1945 – 18,000 at Manzanar – and none were ever found to be anti-American of subversives. In fact, several were killed in action serving in our military while their families were held captive! Of course, we have heard about these camps but never really knew the details or appreciated the families sacrifices.

Scotty's Castle

No pictures because we didn't go see it!! It is literally a castle built in the far northern part of the park by a wealthy Chicago businessman in the 1930's. He and his wife loved the serenity of the desert. It is built over a natural spring and has many innovative designs for the time. They offer 2 tours - one of the house and one of the underground. Unfortunately, for some reason they were not offering the underground tour while we were here and of course, that's the one Roger really wanted to see. Add to that the fact that it is an hour forty five minute drive from Furnace Creek and when I called to make our reservations the recording said "due to road construction expect up to 45 minute delays." A possible 3 hour drive through the desert - each way - did not sound like fun to me!!