Yosemite

We got a little more guidance today before departing on 80 miles of winding roads to Yosemite. The road along the Merced River was scenic and very easy on the equilibrium. The Merced runs the full length from our quarters in Merced to the Yosemite Valley. At the higher elevations the rapids change from Class 1 to life threatening. The mountain and valley vistas are incredible.

About 25 miles out from Yosemite we saw several rafts braving the rapids with tour guides. We tried to book for Sunday, but we waited too late to join the party. Since it only took mild arm twisting to persuade Pat to be my partner in a new adventure, we are going to go online to see what we can book when we are in Yellowstone or the Grand Tetons in early June. If you have suggestions please comment at the end of the blog or send us an email. Any suggestions from our son-in-law will be ignored as he is an almost world class kayaker and will surely recommend something far beyond our skill level. Actually on these raft trips little skill is required as the guides do all the work and provide all the necessary equipment.

About 15 miles from the entrance to Yosemite we were confronted with a detour (US 140). A very large landslide had covered/destroyed about 150 yards of inbound road. As the road runs very close to the river, we had to cross a temporary bridge to the other side to continue the trip. When we inquired about the circumstances later, a park ranger told us that the landslide had taken place two years ago and that the park service still did not have a firm plan in place to address the situation. Although it slowed down entrance to the park, it certainly did not diminish anyone's spirit.

The Grand Canyon is the most awesome park that we have visited so far, but Yosemite is definitely the most beautiful. Yosemite Falls is the tallest (2,435') in the US and the seventh tallest in the world. Bridalveil Falls is a photographer's delight. In both cases we visited from a distance, although a hiker can make an all day trek much closer to the falls. A great surprise to us was the abundance of Sequoias in Yosemite although they were not as large as in Sequoia National Park or Kings Canyon. Unlike other parks there is an abundance of places to eat, restrooms, parking, free shuttle buses and campsites. We ended our day in the park with a trip to the Meadows for an up close and personal view of El Capitan. On this day, as with most park days, there was someone scaling this sheer granite mountain. He had been on the mountain for several days and had one more day of climbing to reach the summit. A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do!

Our plans called for us to return to Yosemite on Sunday to spend the day in Tuolumne Meadows which Julia tells us is the most beautiful section of the park. Unfortunately a surprise snow fall has closed off Tuolumne for the next several days and we are headed out instead to Santa Cruz for new adventures.