Yosemite
We had planned to go camping somewhere this weekend. When it started raining I figured there was a good possibility of cancellations
at Yosemite so we headed up there on the chance that we could get a valley campsite (they're fully booked through the summer)
Headed down to Yosemite Valley on Hwy 120
We've been here many times but it was always a sunny day, this is the first time I've been here when it was raining
El Capitan
Yosemite Falls - really roaring this time of year
Well, the plan didn't work out perfectly. There were plenty of cancellations but the rain was more than expected
which caused flooding of the river, which in turn caused campers to get moved and so no one on the wait list got a site
So we had to head out of the park, down river to find a spot for the night
Part of the road is detoured with a couple of temporary bridges
To get around this rock slide that buried the road
Seven miles outside the park entrance we got a spot at this RV park
It was kind of like a refugee camp but we all had something in common and it started to rain pretty steady
so we just went inside and watched movies. It was already late evening.
The next morning didn't look a whole lot better but we headed back into the park figuring the worst case would be
we'd just leave in late afternoon and do the three hour drive home
Seeing all of this amoung the midst and clouds was a new experience and worth the trip just for the sights alone
Coming back into the park on Hwy 140 - yea, the camper fits through there!
Think of this - that big honkin' chunk of granite was once part of the cliff above and at sometime in the past
broke off and came tumbling down to where it lays today
Yowee!!
There are a lot more waterfalls this time of year - they're everywhere you look
Yosemite Falls emerging from the clouds
Makes a nice view out the window as we eat lunch
A marker showing the flood water level back in '97
We went to the reservations shack to get on the wait list and just as I walked up a retired couple asked if I was looking
for a campsite. They were leaving a day early but because it was past noon they couldn't get a refund out of their cancellation.
I asked the rangers if we could take over thier site and they indicated that we had to go on the list.
I told the guy I'd give him his money and the ranger suggested we go outside and settle it.
So we ended up at this site in Lower Pines Campground
Our "back yard" for the day
Just looking around
New rule I just found out about - campfires are only allowed between 5 and 10 pm
I can understand that, because of the geography the valley can easily fill up with smoke
It's one of the reasons there are a limited number of camsites available
Over the years the RV's have just gotten bigger and bigger
I noticed there were some campsites taken by people just for the purpose of parking their extra vehicles
Despite the crowds, camping in the valley is still a worthwhile experience
It's definitely a unique and inspiring place
The lack of direct sunlight and the wet granite made it look different than I've seen it in past visits
with more colors and details in the cliff faces
Half Dome - I hiked up there a few years ago
Another "must do" hike is the one to the top of Yosemite Falls
Saturday turned out pretty nice as the rain stopped around noon and we even saw a bit of sun.
The campsite was great, we BBQ'd some steaks and had a bottle of wine.
In the morning, before breakfast a big brown bear wandered through our campsite a couple of times
Welcome to Yosemite
Flashback
My first trip to Yosemite was in the summer of 1969 when I had just turned 15
My brother and I hiked to the top of Yosemite Falls in tight Levi's and Chukka Boots carrying a camera, a pair of binoculars and a canteen
Back then you just drove in and had no trouble getting a campsite, the crowds were much smaller
In fact it seemed there were almost as many bears in the valley as people
There were no bear-proof trash containers or policies either so the bears were regularly coming into
the campgrounds and pilfering our coolers
We watched from the tent as a bear ate all our bacon one night - we had oatmeal for breakfast the next morning :-(