After the peace and solitude of Kings canyon and Sequoia park we were traumatized by what seemed like huge crowds at Yosemite. It probably wasn't that bad, but it was certainly a shock after what we were used to.
On our last night in Sequoia National Park we had moved to a campsite at 7,000 feet. It was here that we discovered that cheap Walmart sleeping bags are not 7,000 feet friendly. We had a very cold night! At Yosemite we find that the only campsites with space are at 7,000 feet or higher
We make a new plan and stay at a lovely motel in a funky little town just outside Yosemite, Mariposa. It's an hours drive from the park, but we are in the downtown section, walking distance from lots of lovely restaurants and there are free music concerts on in the park in the evenings! We'll just have to adapt and cope with a little relative luxury!
First day in Yosemite we spend in the valley. We see Bridalveil falls, Mirror Lake and crowds.
Day two we head up to the South Side of the valley hoping to find some quieter sites - as does everybody else!
We do a short sharp hike up Sentinel dome to see some amazing views and get an idea of why Yosemite is so popular.
Stuart is close to the edge, as ever.
We are missing our camping, so stop at one of the sites at lunch time to cook up some blueberry pancakes. I make the classic deer/bear misunderstanding, and am about to hurl the half cooked pancakes in the bear proof locker, before I realise that a gentle deer is strolling by.
I don't need a mirror to know that I am having a bad hair day!
Finally, we head to Glacier Point to see the iconic view of half dome rock.
and views of the valley.
You see, no-one is down there anymore, they are all up here!
Queues and chaos of Yosemite
No comments:
Post a Comment