Blogs from Yosemite National Park, California, United States, North America - page 5

When we embarked on a year of travelling, we expected to have some unusual accommodation. We were fully prepared for sleeping in tents and caravans, hotels and youth hostels. We expected some really comfortable places and some places less so. We were grateful for all of the friends, family and friends of friends and family who had offered us a place to stay. What we didn't expect was to stay in a retirement community. However, we were profoundly grateful when Mike and Kathy, who we had first met in San Francisco, offered us their late mother's home in Mariposa for a few nights. We didn't really know what to expect but we though it would be sedate and gentle. You can imagine our surprise when we were woken in the early morning by loud punk music ... read more

Up early again to finish off the last few hotels and then drive to Yosemite. We head to a supermarket at around midday for some supplies then set off. The sat nav says 10 hours which is a lot longer than Googled maps had told us of under 7 hours, so we panic slightly at the long-ass drive ahead. We keep stopping off along the way to ask if the Tioga Pass is closed because the sat nav is taing us all the way north and around rather than through Yosemite Valley. No-one seems to know, but a stop-off in Beatty – a tiny town where nobody seems to have any teeth, and Hannah and I decide to keep our gaze down and catch no-ones eye – sets us on the right path. Thankfully the lovely ... read more

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Last week I was able to spend several days with other students in the Eastern Sierras learning about the local ecology, going on a few hikes and adventures and working on sage grouse related habitat projects. What a beautiful place to be! We camped just outside of Bridgeport, CA which is close to Yosemite, Mammoth Lake, June Lake, Mono Lake, Twin Lakes and so much beauty my brain is filled nearly to capacity with sights of lush green meadows (Tuoloumne), beautiful wooded areas (everywhere) and a green sagebrush steppe as this is on the Western side of the Great Basin (and also thanks to the recent rains). The program was put on by the Bodie Hills Conservation Partnership and I feel lucky to have been able to join them. We pulled invasive weeds, learned about stream ... read more

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