The National Park tour begins

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Our first stop in our national park adventure was not actually a park, but the town of Pleasanton, CA. We needed to meet up with a friend of mine who was coming to Yosemite with us, so we picked this town off the map since it sounded pleasant. And it was! It had a lovely main street lined with big trees, fun cafes and funky shops.

I hadn't seen Sarah since the wedding, so we were looking forward to going camping in such an iconic place together. Once we had our supplies and had checked our route on the maps, we set off towards the mountains.

We drove through some of the driest areas I had ever seen, even drier than where we live in Australia. There were rolling hills of brown dirt, dust and long-dead grasses. Occasionally on the sides of these hills you could see a hint of green in the rain "shadows". We could not believe that people lived out here. California was indeed in a drought, and it was such a contrast from where we had come and to where we would end up.

As we approached the mountains, the scenery became much greener and the roads windy and steep. We were lucky for the long hours of daylight as we left Pleasanton rather late. We arrived Yosemite National Park just at sunset to an amazing view of Half Dome.

We drove into Yosemite Valley in search of a campsite, and promptly got lost. We realised Sarah was no longer behind us and we had no reception to call her. We drove around for a little bit, searching for her car, and finally pulled into the visitor's center parking lot. We were discouraged and not at all sure how we would find Sarah in this national park as it was quickly getting dark. Luckily Sarah had figured out that the visitor center was probably a good spot to find us, and pulled in after a few minutes to our great relief.

Together again, we set off to find a campground, but were quickly discouraged. Full! The main campgrounds were full (it was a Monday night in early spring!), and the information sheet posted on the ranger kiosk suggested campsites outside the valley, or to check Camp 4. As it was dark, we decided to try Camp 4 first before leaving the valley. At Camp 4, we had to walk our gear in from the parking lot, so first we set off on foot to see if we could find a spot to squeeze our tent in. Luckily we found a site with two out of the four bear boxes empty, and enough room for our two small tents. After a few trips back and forth to the car, we were finally set up and made ourselves some dinner. We were still jetlagged so it seemed obvious to make dinner, even though it was actually nearly 10pm. Finally after a round of smores and hot chocolates, and ensuring that we had closed the bear box properly, we decided to get to bed.

The next morning we woke up to a loud voice, as another camper had arrived at our campsite and decided to set up. We weren't sure what time it was, but judging by the sunlight, it was still fairly early in the morning. This new arrival proceeded to share her life story while setting up her tent, and from inside the tent we tried to guess what she looked like. She was quite chatty and poor Sarah couldn't get a word in. Finally the new lady set off to go exploring and the campground was quiet again. But we couldn't go back to sleep - there was a national park to explore!

After some breakfast, we set off on our first stop: the visitor's center, to get maps and check out the photography gallery. At the visitor's centre, an enthusiastic ranger gave us a few suggestions for hikes and suggestions for sunrise and sunset spots. Bolstered by her enthusiasm, we were eager to explore the park. Next we checked out the photography gallery. What I hadn't realised is that this was the Ansel Adams Gallery, and I walked around this gallery with my jaw gaping at the spectacular magical photographs on the walls. I noticed on the activities board at the vistor's centre that there was a photography walk that afternoon, so I inquired and found out that it was called "In the Footsteps of Ansel Adams". Extremely excited, I was completely torn. I wanted to go hiking with Sarah, as I hadn't been able to spend quality time with her in years, but I also desperately wanted to walk in the footsteps of a photography legend. I expressed my dilemma to Sarah and she encouraged me to do the tour, pointing out that we had plenty of daylight hours after the tour to spend time together. So I signed up for the tour. We spent a bit more time in the gallery, then went back to camp to have lunch and get ready for our afternoons. Dave and Sarah would go hiking together while I was on the tour.

Dave and Sarah visited Lower Yosemite Falls, Vernal Falls and Nevada Falls during the course of the afternoon, while my photography guide led us to various spots around the valley floor. At each spot, she showed us the famous photograph out of her well-loved book of photos, and explained to us the exposures he would have used to get the shot. She took the time to ensure we all set our cameras to manual to capture some of the scenes ourselves. She also shared stories of the famous photographer, as well as her experiences growing up in and around Yosemite. As a little bonus, we were graced by the presence of a member of the Adams family - Jeanne Falk Adams, former curator of the Adams Gallery. Our guide was very excited by our guest, and Jeanne contributed to the tour by offering personal memories of Ansel and Yosemite. I noticed one of the guys on the tour was annoyed by all the stories and chit chat, presumably having wanted a more instructive photographic tour, but I appreciated the personal touch to a tour titled "In the Footsteps of Ansel Adams".

After the tour, I collapsed on a bench near the gallery and waited for the others. We had discussed the possibility of doing a hike together, but it was clear we were all too tired. Instead we did a scenic drive ending at Tunnel View for sunset. That night after another late dinner, we swapped stories and plans for the future around the campfire.

The next morning, we bid adieu to Sarah, who had to return to Monterey. Dave and I then set out on an all-day adventure with a hike up to the top of Upper Yosemite Falls. It was fantastic, but it was on this hike that I decided hiking poles were a good idea. Dave agreed, saying that I should buy my own hiking poles instead of using his. That evening, we enjoyed a view of Half Dome for sunset from the valley floor.

On our last morning in Yosemite, I managed to awake before sunrise. I drove out to near El Capitan and set off on a hike, hoping I wouldn't encounter any bears in the pre-dawn mist. No bears, but I did manage to locate the source of some "yippees" and "wooo-hooo's" that were echoing through the valley. About half-way up El Capitan a group of climbers had spent the night on the sheer cliff face and were calling out in fun, amused by the acoustic qualities of the valley. After nearly filing up a memory card, I began driving back towards camp. I made several stops along the way, as I marvelled at the beautiful light that filled the valley floor that morning. By the time I made it back to camp, Dave had already packed up and was chatting with the odd lady who hadn't been heard of since she first set up camp on our first morning. She was a photographer that everyone called Cedar, apparently due to the cedar oil she wore to avoid bears and mountain lions from picking up her scent. She was certainly a character, but also a talented photographer.

Before leaving Yosemite, we attempted to visit Mariposa Grove, where I hoped to glimpse the white dogwood blossoms against a backdrop of red giant sequoia trees. We had no such luck however - the parking lot was full despite the early hour. We did a few laps of the parking lot, hoping to find a spot, but it just wasn't meant to be. Luckily, we knew we would be seeing many more sequoias at our next destination, even if the dogwoods weren't in bloom yet in Kings Canyon & Sequoia National Parks due to the higher altitudes.

After a snack and the purchase of the America the Beautiful parks pass, we left Yosemite National Park towards our next destination. Yosemite was amazing, and we agreed that this was a special place. We also agreed that even though Yosemite Valley is overrun with tourists, it isn't necessarily that bad - the National Parks system was designed to preserve special places but also to allow the public to experience these special places. Yosemite was spectacular, and although some may denounce the lodges, tour buses, and crowds, the services allow everyone to enjoy a glimpse of Nature. If true wilderness is what you crave, go on a hike. It's actually that simple. There are sections of each national park that have services, but equally there are sections of many parks for those who enjoy backcountry hiking in the wilderness. I think that while accessibility can be a decisive issue (especially regarding environmental impacts), if it is managed appropriately, it is a wonderful way for locals and tourists to appreciate the beauty of these special places. This line of thinking would be both confirmed and challenged as we continued our national park tour.

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Photos

Yosemite Valley
A view along the hike to Upper Yosemite Falls

Along the drive to Yosemite
As we came into the Sierra Nevada, the scenery along the drive was beautiful!

First Glimpse
We arrived in Yosemite National Park to this view

Upper Falls & Apple Trees
One of the photos taken on the Adams Gallery photography tour

Pink Dogwood Blossoms
Usually dogwood flowers are white, but this lovely version can be found growing in a garden within the valley.

The Full Falls
The Upper and Lower Yosemite Falls