After a day of rest, or relative rest, it was time to get back on the road. Dexy was packed with the appropriate items, including Steph, and a few lessons learned on the finer points of camping in a Dodge Caravan were taken into consideration.
Heading due south out of Gardnerville, we passed more epic scenery. First up was Topaz Lake, which straddles the NV / CA line.
Far off in the distance we could start to make out the mountains of Yosemite.
Mono Lake was the next big attraction. When you first see Mono, it is from a turnout high above. The guard-rail at this pull out is covered with stickers from all over the place. Steph and I took a few minutes to look at them.
And amazingly enough, we found one from Rhode Island! It was cool to see a Nice Slice Pizza (on the East Side) even if I am a Fellini's man myself. Even though I'm not from Rhode Island originally, I take great pride when I see something from my adopted home in a far flung place.
Mono Lake itself is a relatively large, flat high sodium content body of water. Because it has no natural outlet, the salt accumulates over time, making any new runoff water highly salty.
They have a nice visitors center, with some interesting displays on the history of the lake itself.
After stopping in the little town of Lee Vining for provisions, we made the turn due west for the ascent into Yosemite. The road is fairly steep and littered with switchbacks, but it is nothing compared to the Kingsbury Grade.
The first large body of water you see upon heading up Rt. 120 is Ellery Lake. It is very pretty, very deep, and very cold.
Even though it seems like you're far into Yosemite itself, you don't actually come across the eastern entrance for quite some time. It's a typically pretty Civilian Conservation Corp design "rustic" design that I favor.
Thankfully, Steph had purchased a National Parks pass, so we got in for "free", otherwise it's a $20 charge. This would come in handy again and again on the rest of the trip.
The next big body of water is Tioga Lake, which is a popular lunch spot.
We headed further into the park to find a quieter spot for lunch. We found it at Yosemite Creek Picnic area, a secluded little spot with great views, gentle breezes and picnic tables.
Steph went off climbing down the creek bed, over rocks and fallen trees while I wrote some postcards.
Eventually we made our way around the northern route into the park to the heart of Yosemite, where you see the staggeringly beautiful sites of Half Dome and El Capitan.
It's been 30 years since I was in this part of the park, and I found El Capitan a much more staggeringly awesome site. A sheer wall of rock 3,000 feet tall, it just feels incomprehensibly big.
Since the is hard against El Capitan, it feels that much more imposing. Half Dome is seen from a great distance, and while beautiful it lacks the closeness the other pile of rocks.
Even after Labor Day, the park was still crowded, so we didn't actually stop anywhere. The one-way loop took us back out of the park and much closer to El Capitan, almost at the foot of it.
Running in this little valley is a medium sized creek. I had been eyeing this creek the entire drive, and finally, before making our turn south, I stopped to dip my feet in. It was refreshingly good.
Driving out of the park on Rt. 140, you can stop for one last look at the valley itself. Even though I still find Lassen more fascinating, it's not hard to see why Yosemite is as popular as it is.
When my parents and I visited Yosemite in 1984, we stayed at the Wawona Hotel. I have vivid memories of this place, and I would like to go back and stay some day. From Wikipedia:
The Wawona Hotel is one of the oldest mountain resort hotels in California, and a classic of Victorian era resort design. The Victorian style hotel was built in 1876 to serve tourists visiting the nearbyMariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias.
Heading out of the park into Eastern California, once again it's easy to be stunned by the varied topography. Flatlands full of ranches and orchards abound, and the heat was oppressive. Of course it would be nothing like the forthcoming Death Valley, but 95 degrees is still 95 degrees.
Dusk was approaching fast as we finally hit the western edge of the Giant Sequoia National Monument, and it wouldn't be until dark that we actually made came. Hot dogs and baked beans for dinner, but when you're camping there isn't anything wrong with that!
Tomorrow it was off to actually see the Sequoias. It wasn't until leaving Yosemite that I realized I had never actually been to this park - what I had visited before with my parents was the Mariposa Grove that was further to the North, close to Yosemite, so I was excited to be going into unchartered territory!
