Yosemite National Park

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One of the major reasons that we chose to drive to the west coast was to visit our two sons who live in Berkeley, CA and Portland, Oregon. We spent several weeks in the San Francisco-Berkeley area at a regional park between Oakland and Castro Valley. This park and some of our adventures in the area will be the subject of another blog. Instead of doing a lot of “city” stuff in the area, we and Nick spent five wonderful days in Yosemite National Park.

March is a wonderful time to go to Yosemite. There are not huge crowds. In the valley, flowers are blooming; at higher elevations, there was plenty of snow for skiing. Downhill and cross country skiing were both in full swing at Badger Pass while cross country skiing was available elsewhere also. We spent two wonderful afternoons on the snow cross country skiing. The other days were spent exploring and hiking some of the country’s most beautiful terrain. We hope you enjoy the following small sampling of the many photos we took.

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Photos

Approaching Yosemite
Approaching the Sierras. Due to a mixup in reservations at campgrounds within the park, we stayed at an RV park just beyond Mariposa.

Wildflowers
Route 140 provides a wonderfully scenic approach to the the western edge of the park at El Portal, mostly following the dramatic Merced River.

Foothills
Grazing cattle, foothills and Sierras in the distance.

Merced River
The Merced River, runs through the Yosemite Valley and is a thing of beauty.
There are abundant riffles, runs, and pools with cobble, boulders (some as large as a fire engine), and gravel. We saw some large salmonids from a distance. Lynn and Jon were not tempted to try kayaking in the Merced River.

Landslide
This is a major landslide that eliminated a section of one of the major routes into the park. There are now tons of debris for hundreds of feet above the former roadway extending into the beautiful Merced River below. Any dislodging of debris would greatly affect the river and whole valley. Two bridges have rerouted traffic to the other side of the river where there is a one-lane road only. Quite a quandary!

Yosemite Valley
The Yosemite Valley contains the "post card" peaks, waterfalls, and tourist attractions. Free shuttle buses are available from central parking areas in the valley.

Granite Monuments
These huge granite cliffs are the icons of Yosemite.

Merced River Pool
The river flows through the valley as a pool. Children must throw stones into water everywhere!

Son Nick
Our son Nick--architects always dress in black.

Mule Deer
Mule deer feeding by the path.

Family Shot
Nick, Lynn, and Moxie in the Yosemite Valley. Note Bridalveil Falls to the right of Nick's shoulder; El Capitan is to the left of Lynn's head. Moxie is more interested in the ground squirrels.

Yosemite Falls
Upper Yosemite falls seen from the Yosemite Falls trail. This is the tallest free-falling waterfall in the continental US.

El Capitan
El Capitan from the Yosemite Valley.

Family Shot
Yosemite Falls as a back drop from the Swinging bridge.

The Ahwahnee
The Ahwahnee--a historic hotel. We had dinner there one evening. Very memorable, but also memorably expensive.

View of Yosemite Valley
View from the road to Glacier Point and Wawona.

Valley View Road Below
View from the road to Glacier Point and Wawona.

Lickens
This particular licken was abundant on the trunks and branches of trees along the Glacier Point road.

Snowpack
Snowpack on the road to the ski area at Badger Pass.

Nick and Lynn Ski
On the trail! Badger Pass provides numerous cross-country ski trails including the road to Glacier Point.

Lunch Break
Lunch Break along the Glacier Point road. Moxie stayed at home in the trailer. Temperature was in the low 50's (°F).

Comments

[nick]

great photos
miss it already, nick

[Leila]

Spring is here..for now
Looks like you had a wonderful trip to Yosemite, but we cant wait for you to get here! Looks like spring is back after a disastrous "Ithacalike" late march. Snow in Portland in late March? I never! Its close to 60 today though...Hope your trip up the coast is glorious - the pacific coast is one of my favorite trips Rob and I ever took. Wish Nick could come too!!! Leo is looking forward to spending some QT with Moxie and we will be sure to show you a great time on the coast as well as introducing you to the vast natural areas within our amazing city! Most of which you can get to by bike or train. See you in two weeks! Loves!