We were going there at the right time:
- we saw on the Weather Channel that floods had hit Phoenix
- talk in the hotel was of whether or not the Tioga Pass would be open
- Glacier Point was closed to tourists in November
- even the shuttle bus was close on October 15th
YOSEMITE:
'Yosemite Valley to me, is always a sunrise, a glitter of green and golden wonder in a vast edifice of stone and space' : Ansel Adams, photographer.
One of the most visited places on California, visitors come from all over the world. Yosemite became a national park in 1864, Abraham Lincoln taking time out from the Civil War.
Getting there via TIOGA PASS
We left Mammoth Lakes and drove to California State Road 120 to Tioga Pass (9,945 feet above sea level), having checked the pass was open: a two and a half hour drive becomes an 8 hour one otherwise. There were stunning sights long the way and we weren't even in the Park yet!
- Ellery Lake
- Olmstead Point
- Tioga Lake
Tolumne Meadows
Once inside the Park (only $20 for a week's pass) after miles of soaring, rugged mountains , it was a surprise to come upon serene grassy High Sierra alpine meadows.
Tenaya Lake
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| We walked along the sandy beach even though it was still only 55 degrees F. |
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| How on earth did this car get here from Switzerland? |
- Yosemite Valley
As usual, we headed for the Visitors' Centre where we found the Park Ranger to be a bit flummoxed by our request for an itinerary that enabled us to see everything, involving no lengthy walks and all in a few hours!
In the end we made it up for ourselves and just about ticked all the boxes.
- The Recreated Miwok Native American Village
This was just behind the Visitors' Centre. We both felt it was a bit disappointing, but maybe that was because of what we had already seen about the Navajo on the bus trip.
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| Acorn Granary |
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| Hogan |
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| Chief's House |
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| Ceremonial Round House |
- Granite Cliffs
- American Indians tell the story of a woman and her husband who quarrelled. The displeased spirits turned them into stone, half Dome and North Dome, forever to face one another across the valley.
- Geologists think the granite of Yosemite's walls solidified over 5 million years underground. As the overlying rock eroded away, the granites rose to their current exposed level.
EL CAPITAN
The 3,000 foot craggy rock is the first natural stone monument seen after entering the Park. It is possible to hike around it (too far for us) and even to climb it (heaven forbid!).Lots of people were looking at something through binoculars but we couldn't see any climbers.
HALF DOME
Visible from all the Valley floor, this rock is the most recognisable feature of Yosemite. Scientists believe it was never a whole dome. What we see today is its original formation and it was 'polished' to its smooth dome shape by glaciers tens of millions of years ago.
- Cook'sMeadow Loop
This part of the Park is an ecotone, where 2 habitats meet. We walked the beautiful mile-long trail through the meadow.
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| Some of the trail was on a boardwalk so the delicate plants would not be trampled. |
- Sentinel Bridge
There are 6 bridges over the river and this one affords among the best views.
- Yosemite Falls
This is actually 2 separate waterfalls which together create one of the highest waterfalls in the world. BUT this year as there has been a virtual drought, the water was reduced to a mere trickle. Definitely not worth walking up to see. But we did get some pictures of it, albeit dry.
- Old Yosemite Village
It's hard to believe there was once a thriving village in the valley in the late 1890s. Nothing remains beyond the Chapel.
- Glacier Point
Last stop of day 1 was the hour-long white-knuckle drive up Glacier Point Rd. for what are said to be the best views in the Park. It was cold when we got to the top (56F) but 'stunning' doesn't begin to describe the view once you get to the top.
On our way back down a coyote ran out in the road in front of us. It didn't seem too bothered about us but we were so shocked we didn't get the camera out in time.
- Wawona
Our 2nd day in the Park, and we decided to go to what in the 1800s had been the largest stage-coach stop in Yosemite. Stages stopped for the night at the Wawona Hotel before making the 8 hour trip to Yosemite Valley.
Pioneer Yosemite History Centre
This is a 'Living History'site and we arrived to find a party of local History teachers on the first of a two-weekend training session so they could recreate life (in costume) for visiting school children.
The buildings here were moved in the 1950s and 1960s from other locations in the Park. We both thought the exhibits, and their explanations, were excellent. Not least this group of wagons.
- The Covered Bridge
Built in 1857, all Yosemite - bound traffic crossed it.
- The Artist's Cabin
- Anderson Cabin
In the 1850s, once visitors brought home stories of the beauty of the Yosemite Valley, artists flocked there.
George Anderson was a miner and blacksmith who worked aas a guide in the late 1800s.
- Wells Fargo Office
- Cavalry Office
In 1890 there were no park rangers so the US Army managed the Park, sending out 200 soldiers (mostly cavalry) each summer.
- Homestead Cabin
Most of the high country around Yosemite Valley had been claimed by individuals in the late 1880s.
- Powderhouse and Jail
Dynamite used to blast out the new roads was stored here.
- Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias
This is one of 3 groves of giant sequoia trees in Yosemite.
We knew the trees were going to be big but if they were this tall in the car park what were the 'Big' ones going to be like?
We knew the trees were going to be big but if they were this tall in the car park what were the 'Big' ones going to be like?
- Fallen Monarch
This tree is believed to have been down for centuries.The decay of fallen sequoias is arrested by tannic acid in the wood.
Sequoia roots do not grow deep: the tap root being only about 2 metres underground, The roots spread for about 45 metres near the surface for water.
- Grizzly Giant
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| Can't have been referring to Steve: he's not tall enough. |
This tree is 1,800 years old. Just the huge limb on its side is almost 2 metres in diameter.
They grow very close together protecting each other.....
Regular burning of the trees and undergrowth is necessary for survival of the trees. Forest fires are a natural and essential phenomenon but early settlers tried to put all the fires out, probably to protect their wooden dwellings. It was not until the 1960s that the Park adopted an official policy of organised specific burnings so that the pines could be stopped from overwhelming the sequoia and the light could get to the remaining trees.
Other beautiful sights in the Park:
1 comment:
Incredible photos again. What Dad isn't a grizzly giant??
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