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Posts from the ‘California’ Category

Oct 17

Day 6: Mariposa Grove

One big tree

We ventured to the south end of the park today in search of giant Sequoia trees.  Mariposa Grove is a cluster of thee giant conifers; I stress the adjective giant.  At an average height of 250 feet, these Sequoias are related to the giant Redwoods found in northern California.  In an effort to avoid the dramatic, I’ll simply say these trees are big – REALLY big.

The “Grizzly Giant”

The giant Sequoias are old.  Many mature trees have survived just about anything Mother Nature (and Humans) could throw at them.  Over the course of 3000 years, these bad boys have seen it all – snowstorms of the century, wild fires, lightning … you name it.  Their secret weapon is the bark, which can be as thick as two feet; natural protection from the elements protecting the otherwise fragile tree core.If you’ve ever seen any of the giant Redwoods, these trees are not as tall, but their massive bulk drafts the Redwoods.  We chose to visit the largest of three groves containing about 500 of these beasts.  It isn’t uncommon at all to find mature trees with a base width between 15-25 feet.  BTW, I’m not talking circumference – these bad boys are huge.  The biggest of the all in Yosemite is the “Grizzly Giant”.  Depending upon who you believe, this Sequoia has been chilling in Mariposa Grove somewhere in the 1800-2700 years range.  Believe it or not, as big as this guy is, there are at least 25 other Sequoia which are confirmed larger.

All in all, the grove is pretty cool.  I’m not sure I’d go back, but definitely something I would recommend.  Visitors have two options in exploring the grove:  Hike the six miles of trails and really see the ins and outs of the park, or ride the open-cap trolley along the grove’s road and pass by the “celebrity” Sequoia trees – just enough to capture a few highlights for the camera.

We walked.  I’m glad we did as we saw a lot more of the grove than those who rode the trolley.

Putting these into perspective. I am 6ft, 2in tall.

Big trees come with big cones

What happens when a tree is blocking a planned road

What happens when a tree is blocking a planned road

Upon exiting the grove, we stopped for a quick lunch at the Wawona Hotel golf course clubhouse (yes, golf course).  We had hotdogs and then it was time to get back to the campsite.

Later this afternoon Chris and I paid a visit to Camp 4, a tent-only campsite that became notable after WWII as a hangout for rock climbers.  Today, I recommend you visit Camp 4 whenever you wish to hear statements like this: “Dude, that second pitch was gnarly; I got so spanked.  And those crimpers … they are stupid, I was smearing like crazy … and what about that cruz … so phat”. 

Beyond the local lingo, there is also foul wave of B.O. in the air.  Consider yourself forewarned.

Oct 16

Day 5: Vernal & Nevada Falls

Today we decided to hike up into two of the more popular falls in the Yosemite Valley.  The two falls are described as neighboring twins – both narrow in shape, pushing their water charge over broad, vertical sheer rock cliffs.  All in, the elevation change along the six-mile trail was just over 2,000 ft.

A quick stop to enjoy the views

Unfortunately, it is Fall so most of the rivers and waterways are bone dry, resulting in significantly reduced falls activity.  Nonetheless, we wanted to venture up off the Valley floor for views from high above.  About 8 miles round trip from our campsite, the distance wasn’t material; rather the elevation rise was significant.

Up, up, up

Nevada Falls

Turns out Chris developed quite a thirst on the trail.

Refreshing

Blue skies and little tree cover made for hot temperatures and loads of sweat as we ascended to the top.  The effort was totally worth the work as the views from atop the valley are quite spectacular.

Once at the top, we ate our pack lunch and made no effort to be swift in that endeavor.  The expansive views and perfect temperatures made me wish I would be spending the night at the elevation, not in the crowded valley floor.

This little guy stole my apple core

Glad to be a the top

Soon enough reality set in and it was time to get moving again.  Katie Dog and Lilly were back at the Airstream waiting our return so that they could commence with their long walk of the day.

Oct 14

Day 3: Arriving to Yosemite National Park

Our campground check-in time was 12-noon and we were only about 40 minutes away so we took our time getting moving today.  That said, we were anxious to make our way into the park, so before too long we were hitched and once again rolling.

Yosemite park entrance

I’ve seen and read a lot about this place, but nothing compared to actually seeing the park up-close.  It really is majestic.  The scale of the park is nothing I’ve ever seen before; it really is beautiful.

Arriving a bit too early to check into our site, Kelly and I killed some time exploring the area known as Yosemite Village.  Essentially, this is ground zero – the place where gift shops, restaurants, grocery stores, and campgrounds all collide.  A place that is both convenient and horrific at the same time.  Some of the Rangers tell me that the park is quite empty this time of year, particularly on weekdays.

River running through our campground

How far down is the drop …

One of many sheer rock faces in the valley

Interestingly enough, the campgrounds are all quite full.  The real crowds are those visiting the park for day visits.  I’m quite surprised at the amount of parking throughout the broader Village.  Incredibly, during summer months, what looks like ample parking today is often woefully inadequate.

Anyway, our day was mainly about getting settled, reading up on day hikes and reminding ourselves how lucky we are to be  in this majestic setting.

Tomorrow Kelly’s brother Chris arrives with his dog Katie.  Neither of us has seen Chris in a while and we are really looking forward to spending some time with him this week.

Oct 13

Day 2: Los Banos to El Portal, CA

No offense to Los Banos, but the selection of retail grocery stores sucks. I do not consider Walmart to be fit for purpose. What about Target you ask? I tried that as well. I suspected that things were not looking good when the customer service person answering the phone replies “will have to ask” when asked if this Target store carried any organic or locally grown produce.

In case you’re wondering, they do not.

Given this cruel reality, we punted on groceries in Los Banos and headed over to the town of Merced and found a decent substitute. While we were in Merced, we grabbed some lunch and did a quick load of laundry, then made our way to El Portal, our designated overnight location.

El Portal seems to be one of those towns that really isn’t a town. In fact, El Portal simply appears to be nothing more than a hodgepodge of motels, bars, and restaurants – a collection of crap on HW 140 just prior to arriving to someplace that is actually far more interesting … which in this case is Yosemite National Park.

Given that we could not check into our Yosemite camping spot until Sunday, we decided to park Mabel and overnight at Indian Flat RV park.

Welcome to Indian Flat RV Park

Indian Flat RV park is pretty much a dump. The sites are incredibly tight, the electric is on the “wrong” side of the sites, and worst of all, at night this place is lit-up bright as a Christmas tree. In fairness, the guy helping us check-in (I think the owner) was nice and let us park our truck in the neighboring (unused) RV spot for the night.

Since we’d be dry camping in the park, we needed a place to fully drain our holding tanks and top-off our fresh water. So despite certain setbacks, this place does the trick.

You can see from the two pictures below how tightly everyone is packed into this place.

Mabel and another RV – too close for comfort

Our truck is actually in the neighboring RV spot

Like the rest of El Portal, I recommend you pass on through … the Yosemite entrance gate is only another eight miles up the road. Fortunately, we are merely biding our time for the night.

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