On to Yosemite National Park

Wednesday 5 September 2012 –In search of Yogi Bear

Day 146 and 12 days to go

A day of changing was in store for us today. Starting with the weather. When we woke at 8.30am it was overcast and cool. We had even spent the night under two sleeping bags for the first time this trip. That being said the day appeared fine even if we were socked in.

It was a mission to get the bed made this morning with all the extra bedding but once done I was able to get breakfast ready that we enjoyed on the bench outside.

After I returned from the shower Paul was pack and ready to head. Not bad a 9.30am start for a change. We drove to the nearby post office to buy yet another box for things to send home. This will be our last one for sure.

We then began the three hour journey to Yosemite. This is where the changes began. It wasn’t long before the sea fog was left behind and the sun was warming the earth. We went from a coastal environment to market gardens with strawberries and corn in abundance. The land here was flat very flat, ideal for farming I guessed.

We passed by the town of Hollister and then we were driving around the perimeter of a large reservoir. While there was a lot of water in it, we could see that it must have held a lot more by the markings present along the banks. Here the hills were rolling and covered in cream weeds. The landscape reminded me of the drive to Denmark, though it is a little more lumpy here. You could see why fires would take a hold so quickly. Everything is so dry and there is plenty of brush to fuel a fire.

Following the GPS we passed through the town of Los Banos. This seemed like quite a substantial town built in the middle of nowhere. There were plenty of donut shops to keep the population happy. Once out the other end the GPS took us on a shortcut down a road that had potholes that could have swallowed our poor hippo. It was a rattlely old road that shook us around for 8km before we finally reconnected with the highway. Sometimes I wonder if the GPS people program the units to catch out weary tourists.

We were now only an hour away from our campground. The rolling hills continued until we began climbing into them and more granite was exposed. The vegetation was beginning to change too with larger trees present here.

By midday we had reached Mariposa where we stopped for drinks and then continued down HWY 140 to our campground 15min away.

We pulled in and were given our spot that we went straight to. I made up lunch and then we read the pamphlets we were given to help decide what we would do. I went to reception to ask some questions about the park. With all the information sorted we figured we would head into the park to check out the Mariposa Grove at the southern end of the park so we unhitched and started the journey at 2pm.

The road in to Yosemite was a dramatic one. The rolling hills had made way for cliff faces again. Signs indicating possible rock fall were firmly in place and as we drove through Sierra National Forest we could see why. A detour was in place as a large slide had occurred devouring everything in it’s wake. There were boulders and then there were BOULDERS. It was quite a sight and one I am glad I wasn’t around for to witness first hand.

As we continued on to Yosemite we followed a river. Many times I could see rock pools that were so crystal clear they were inviting us to swim. I am sure that is what the bears think too.

The road continued to twist and turn through the forest. At many points there were large boulders jutting out above the road that made you question if you would be able to pass safely. The rock faces were so ominous. You could see the large slab like layers glittering in earthy colours. It was very impressive.

We also had wildlife to contend with as a mother mule deer attempted to lead her two calves out in front of traffic. All I could say was “Watch out for the baby! Watch out for the baby!” Thankfully they all made it safe and sound. It had my heart racing.

We made it to the park entrance by 3pm, paid $20 for a seven day pass and then drove the van between the rock arch. This did have me questioning if we would get through but we made it unscathed. We then followed the road through the park seeing many places to stop and take photos though we didn’t knowing we would complete the same route tomorrow.

We drove on to Tunnel View where there were many tourists stopped admiring the view and WOW! What an incredible view it was. From this vantage point you could see way into the distance of the park. The white granite walls reaching for the heavens, along with the alpine conifer trees. It was so spectacular.

With photos taken we were back on the road passing through a tunnel and then around the twists and turns of the mountain road. The endless views sprawled out beyond us.  I just wished, like yesterday, that I was in a glass bubble so that I could take advantage of all that Mother Nature has to offer. I feel so restricted while traveling in the van. I am sure I am missing so much more than I see.

We had another deer encounter as we travelled along. This time the lone deer was happy to stand and look at us while it stood in the middle of the road.  We were still looking for Yogi bears. There were plenty of signs saying that the bears don’t like speeding so we figured they must be out there somewhere.

By 3.20pm we had made it to the south entrance and 10min later we were at the car park of the Mariposa Grove. This area is renowned for the sequoia tree or red wood. They are supposedly the tallest trees on the planet so we were interested to compare them to the Karri trees back home.

We found somewhere to park the hippo and then it was off to wander the trails.

One thing is for sure the sequoias sure are red. They have a rippled bark that continues building each year. Some of the trees here are 1000 years old. When these trees die and fall to the forest floor they don’t decay because of their high tannin levels. So the remain hundreds of years later lying on the floor.

They have a shallow root base and like the trees at home the root base is massive 3 – 4 m diameter easily on the one we saw. The trees circumference is also like the karri’s. You would need 10 people joining hands to reach around the base of the trunk.

We wandered through the forest stopping at the Bachelor and three Graces, the Giant Grizzly and the California Tree that had a hole you could walk through. I don’t know if we saw the tallest on offer here, but the Karri’s we have at home are as big as these sequoias.

As we wandered back we could see more deer grazing, but still no bears. We made our way out of the park at 5pm completing the circle route. Leaving the park through the south entrance and driving through Oakhurst, a large town before making our way back to our camp ground in Mariposa by 6.10pm.

Once we were settled in we got dinner organised and ate while listening to the Ipod. I then loaded the pictures and blog while Paul played cards.

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