Yosemite Valley

Today started out not so much as I didn't sleep well in my tent cabin last night. The temps got into the 30s and my little space heater could only keep it around 45. Note to self: You do not sleep well if your head is cold. I finally got the extra blanket I had brought and used it to cover my head and slept or rested a little better for the last couple of hours of the night. I got up just after 6 am, and read my daily devotional and eventually got dressed and headed to the cafe for breakfast. After breakfast I got my stuff together and headed toward Yosemite National Park, specifically Yosemite Valley, the main draw for the park. I was actually feeling pretty good considering the restless night.

I took me a little over 90 minutes to drive the 45 miles to the park. Some due to slow going on the roads and some due to stopping to take pictures at scenic spots like El Capitan, etc. The drive was enjoyable as the Merced river parallels the road for over thirty miles leading into the park and is the main stream running through the valley. At one point the road detours to a one lane road for about a 1/2 mile where the main road has been wiped out by a rock slide covering several hundred feet of the original road.

I arrived at the main park ammenities and parked the car and caught the shuttle to the Visitor Center. The temp. at the park that morning was below freezing but by 10 am it was in the 50s and headed toward a high in the 60s. I dressed in layer so I could adjust as the temps climbed. At the Visitor Center I talked with a ranger about things to do for the day, got my passport book stamped and then headed out to the Lower and Upper Yosemite Falls. I read in one of the brochures that Yosemite has the highest concentration of water falls of any of the parks and that ain't no brag, just fact from what I observed. On the way I met a couple from Nicaragua who were headed to the lower falls. I walked down to the bottom of the lower falls and then headed toward Yosemite lodge. I decided I  did not want to trek the 3+ miles to the top of the upper falls. At the lodge I caught the shuttle back to where I could return to my car since I had left some items I needed for some of the afteroon adventures.

I ate lunch at the Village Grill and then caught the shuttle to the trail head for Vestal Falls. I hiked the 3/4 miles up the mountain (400 ft. rise) to the Vernal Falls bridge and then returned to the shuttle stop, the whole trip taking almost 90 minutes.

I caught the shuttle to the trail head for Mirror Lake and headed down there, which was a mostly flat 1 mile trip. I returned and caught the shuttle back to the Visitor Center, then to the Village store where I bought some gel inserts for my hiking boots and then heade for the car and the trip back to the Yosemite Bug camp.

I showered, dressed and went to the cafe where I dined on BBQ chicken, pork ribs, corn on the cob, salad, roll and lemonaide. I am tired and as soon as I fit my gel inserts into my hiking boots, I am going to bed. It should not be near as cold as last night, but this time I have my "blanky". Tomorrow I venture to Hetch Hetchy on the north end of the park. I hope my feet feel better in the morning!

See you down the road!