Friday, October 12, 2012

Yosemite Valley Part One

 

Yosemite Sign

On Sunday I headed back into Yosemite National Park to spend five nights in the valley. Two nights with Glenn at North Pines Campground and three nights with my friend Melanie at Upper Pines Campground.

90% of the visitors to Yosemite limit their stay to the seven square miles that comprise the valley, leaving the other 90% of the park relatively uncrowded. The campgrounds were full when I was there and the place looked pretty crowded to me. I could not imagine what it must be like in the summer. I heard stories of traffic jams that rival the ones in Los Angeles. Your best bet would be take advantage of the extensive free shuttle service.

I entered heading east on the 120 and after turning right on Big Oak Flat Road I soon had my first glimpse of Half Dome.

Entering the Valley 1

You can barely see it in the middle. I got a little closer.

Entering the Valley 2

Cool. After passing through a few tunnels I emerged on the valley floor at the foot of El Capitan. But just before that was this sign.

Entering the Valley 3

El Cap 1

El Cap 2

I was not the only one who stopped to stare at this big hunk of granite rising more than 3000 feet from the valley. It actually is the largest granite monolith in the world and attracts rock climbers from all over the planet.

Crowd at El Cap

My next stop was Swinging Bridge, a day use area on the Merced River. I thought it was something else.

Swinging Bridge 1

Swinging Bridge 2

The picnic area has tables and grills as well as bathrooms. I drove to North Pines Campground and set up camp.

North Pines Sign

North Pines Campsite

The picture above was taken late in the afternoon as the sun was going down. I had arrived around noon and the campground was a whole lot less crowded so I decided to walk it then while waiting for Glenn. It has good sites and bad sites like most campgrounds. My favorites will be listed on it’s campground page on the website but if you can snag site #504 you are in for a treat. It is at the tip of the campground and is huge.

North Pines_504

The best thing about it, however, is the swimming hole right behind.

North Pines Beach

You can book five months in advance and this is a well known spot so good luck. Glenn finally arrived and we had a campfire and hit the sack. The next morning we hopped on our bikes to tour the area. We drove across the Merced River, got a glimpse of Half Dome, and wound up at the post office so he could mail a package to his mom (how sweet).

Merced River

Hallf Dome Shade

Yosemite Post Office

The post office is located in Yosemite Village which is the hub of the valley. Let me take you on a tour of it.

Yosemite Village Sign

To the left of the post office is the Wilderness Center where you can pick up backcountry and climbing permits.

Yosemite Wilderness Center

Next to that is the Ansel Adams Gallery, the Visitor Center (which also houses a theater and bookstore), and the Yosemite Museum.

Yosemite Ansel Adams Gallery

Yosemite Visitor Center

Yosemite Museum

Glenn and I just walked past all these places but a few days later Melanie dragged me into each of them and I highly recommend that you take the time to do so. Fascinating stuff. Next to the Museum is the old cemetery.

Yosemite Cemetery

This tombstone caught my eye.

Yosemite Tombstone 2

The little guy was less than four when he passed away. Sad. Looping back towards the post office we found the courthouse.

Yosemite Courthouse

The marshal came out to say hello and pointed out a rock formation above us called Lost Arrow.

Yosemite Lost Arrow

He told us that crazy people climb to the tip and throw a rope across to their buddies on the main rock. They tighten the rope up and take turns tight roping across the chasm. I told you they were crazy. Back at the main part of Yosemite Village we find Degnan’s Deli and the Village Store.

Yosemite Degnan's Deli

Yosemite Village Store

The store has pretty much everything thing you need but bear in mind that a seven pound bag of ice costs $4.50. They also have a nice selection of micro-brews. At least that is what I heard.

Yosemite Village Store Inside

Rounding out the amenities here is the Grill, Sport Shop, and Art Activity Center.

Yosemite Village Grill

Yosemite Village Sport Shop

Yosemite Village Activity Center

Near Yosemite Village is the Yosemite Lodge.

Yosemite Village Lodge Entrance

Yosemite Village Lodge Sign

As you can see from the sign above, this lodge has pretty much all the fixin’s.

Yosemite Village Restaurant

Yosemite Village Food Court

But if you need a little pomp to go with your circumstance (or your million dollar Mercedes 300 SL Gullwing) do not fret. Yosemite has you covered with the Ahwahnee Hotel (or Lodge or whatever they call it).

Glenn and I hopped on our bikes to check it out.

Ahwahnee Sign

We followed the bike path through the trees.

Ahwahnee Bike Path

For some reason they wouldn’t valet park our rides next to the 300 SL.

Ahwahnee Entrance

I put on my shades and my Brad Pitt smile and walked in like I owned the place.

Ahwahnee Hotel 1

First stop was the lounge where I had a vodka martini, shaken, not stirred.

Ahwahnee Lounge

Then I walked out back where the light was better to take another photo of the building.

Ahwahnee Hotel 2

Heading back inside I passed through the Great Room and lobby.

Ahwahnee Great Room

Ahwahnee Lobby

With a wink and a nod to the paparazzi, Glenn and I left for our campsite with another look at Half Dome on the way.

Hallf Dome Shade 3

After a big taco feast and campfire, we retired for the night. Our plan for Tuesday was to check in to my spot in Upper Pines and then drive to Glacier Point before Glenn has to leave. We did that and it will be in the next (and last) post from this trip. But fear not, I will leave you with a couple of teaser photos.

This is what The Ahwahnee looks like from 3000 feet up at full lens zoom.

Ahwahnee View from Glacier Point

And our boy Glenn discovers an interesting rock…

Glacier View 1

Regards,

Greg

2 comments:

  1. Looks wonderful! Thanks for sharing your photos and story.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for sharing!

    Là đơn vị mua hộ - vận chuyển hàng hóa từ khắp nơi trên thế giới về Việt Nam. Từ các nước Châu Mỹ, Châu Âu cho đến Châu Á… chúng tôi đều nhận mua hộ và vận chuyển hàng về nước an toàn, đảm bảo nhanh chóng với chi phí tiết kiệm nhất. Hơn 10 năm trong nghề, nhân viên của công ty chúng tôi luôn mang đến cho khách hàng những đơn hàng tốt nhất, với “giá hời” nhất. Khi sử dụng dịch vụ của công ty, mọi khách hàng đều nhận được những lợi ích tuyệt vời sau:


    Mua hàng trên Amazon Nhật Bản

    nhận order hàng nhật giá rẻ

    Order hàng Hàn Quốc nhanh chóng giá rẽ

    Các trang web mua hàng Hàn Quốc như Style Korean , tại đây có rất nhiều thương hiệu mỹ phẩm quen thuộc tại thị trường Việt Nam như 3CE, Skinfood, The Face Shop, Espoir, Innisfree, Hera, Tonymoly, Etude House, Laneige, IOPE, The Saem, Nature Republic,...

    vận chuyển hàng trung quốc về Việt Nam

    Gửi hàng đi Mỹ

    ReplyDelete