Dear Family, Friends, and Diary,
Over two-and-a-half years after our last visit, we returned to nearby Yosemite National Park. Maybe it was our way of saying the pandemic is over, or an experiment in returning to traveling, or just a simple visit to the mountains we see in the east, when Fresno air quality allows. (Not that often, in light of our area having been anointed with the title of the worst air quality in America.)
We drove directly to the park and Mariposa Grove, the first attraction inside the south entrance. The hour-plus drive was painless, without winter snows or summer crowds. This is why we visit most often in spring and, occasionally, late fall. Basically, never in summer.
At Mariposa Grove, we went off on a walk in the woods, not fast and not far, but immersed in National Park woodlands, a 150-year-old gift from governments. Marianne tired early, but found a log to sit on, while I walked just a bit farther. The slow pace allowed me to take slow pictures of little and giant trees. We enjoyed it all.
Appetites piqued, we headed over to the century-old Wawona Hotel for lunch in their grand sun room. This may be my favorite dining room in the whole world, although the food on offer is not top tier. This year, it is even less varied, reportedly because the concessioner has struggled getting staff for the hotel, restaurant, and all the necessary support. Maybe our 2023 visits will be back to expectations. I love the room, anyway.
After lunch, we wanted to take a drive up to Glacier Point, but the road was still closed as the park rangers clear out winter snow. Too bad, since that has some of the best views reachable by non-hikers and climbers like us. Instead, we descended into Yosemite Valley until we hit the standard, everyone-must-stop-and-take-pictures parking lot at Tunnel View. Other than in early light or sunset, the views change little, and I have stopped here dozens of times, but it is still inspiring.
This year, we could not find space in the Wawona Hotel, so we went back outside the park to the Narrow Gauge Inn in Fish Camp. It's only a few miles from the south entrance to the park, just past the Tesla Supercharger station at a neighboring hotel, so we could top up for the rest of our visit. The Inn was rustic, but "good enough". (Their fire engine was a highlight, but that's just me.) Our view included the sounds of a small creek, a good place to practice flowing-water pictures. Hopefully, we'll get more tomorrow.
Tuesday was an all-day visit to Yosemite National Park (YNP), a typical-tourist, traditional-for-us visit. There are about three million acres of wilderness in the Sierras in and around the park, including all but 5% of YNP. We don't really hike or climb or backpack or ride mules so, we don't go there., not unlike the vast majority of the millions of visitors each year. That's OK, because we thoroughly enjoy our standard routine: short walks, meals at the Hotel and Lodge, and waterfall or other pictures from just off the valley road.
We started with a leisurely breakfast in the sun room of Wawona Hotel. Since we would normally stay here, this is a very traditional start for us. The menu was very limited, reportedly because two years of Covid-closure has meant completely restarting, and restaffing has been particularly difficult. Oh well, we have never eaten here because of Michelin stars. Afterwards, we headed down into the valley, passing signs of fires during our two-year absence. We skipped our traditional first-stop (Tunnel View), but paused at all our other regular vistas.
While sunrise, sunset, or night photography can be hard work, on a mid-day visit to a place like YNP, I take pictures like little kids pick up shells and stones on beaches: fun to search and select, each one special at the moment. In the end, there is little to differentiate my shells and stones from thousands of others. That's OK. Here are my gatherings.
Lunch-dinner break was at The Ahwahnee (aka "The Lodge"). Again, we dine here for the destination more than the dishes, but in this case the management has done a good job in reestablishing much of traditional elegance. Besides, there are plenty of shells ans stones for me to pick up with my camera.
On our way back out, we stopped for awhile to watch far braver souls climb the granite face of El Capitan. The 3,000 foot rock loomed over our roadside vantage point and made it difficult to see the tiny specs that were moving up the face. Bottom to top, the climb takes days, so climbers bring along all the gear needed for overnight "camping".
Not far from these climbers are light scars where surfaces have sloughed off,
a reminder that these are not camping spots for the feint hearted.
For our overnight, we returned to the safer confines of the Narrow Gauge Inn and headed downhill the next morning. For breakfast, we stopped in Coarsegold at the Wild Fig Kitchen, another of our regular haunts. (Electric car detail: we used 40% of our battery on the way up, but only about 5% on the way down.)
Now we need to work on a number of chores and to-dos before we return to the road for a planned six-week trip in May and June. Stay tuned.
John and Marianne