Haunted hostels and a lovely lake

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After our whistlestop trip back up to San Fran for the Alcatraz tour we headed to Sacramento for a night, choosing this as a stop on our way to Yosemite.

We arrived at the YHA late in the evening and the hostel was amazing. It is in a huge old mansion building and decorated with antique-looking pieces like huge gold edged mirrors, kitsch sofas and other things. Very atmospheric. The hostel wasn't very busy and Leanne ended up being the last one up so it was up to her to turn off the lights. It was really spooky and there were shadows everywhere that looked like people. As I walked up the grand staircase I felt like I was being watched. Then I had to find my bed in the female dorm. All sorts of things were going through my head - what if a serial killer had come in and murdered the other girls in their beds? I've seen far too many horror films. Anyway the next morning we read about the history of the house - turns out it was not only moved three times before coming back to its original site but had once been a funeral home! No wonder I felt spooked.

Next day we headed off into the hills making for Bishop, a small town south of Yosemite but we decided to check out Lake Tahoe on the way. A couple of hours from Sacramento and we were sat on a beach beside the lake having our lunch among thousands of people doing likewise although but most had bought boats, and jet skis. It must be amazing to have such a serene location so close by. I don’t think either of us wanted to leave and I think we were both trying to work out how we could live there. Surrounded by mountains providing skiing, but with a hot summer climate it’s just about perfect. My only complaint? The water is bloody cold… But at least I was brave enough to dunk myself in it.

The rest of the journey to Bishop took far longer than expected as the straight road on the map was actually a constantly winding mountain road, most of which was over 7000ft up and with the views requiring frequent stops it was late when we arrived at the motel so we went straight to bed to make sure we were ready for Yosemite.

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Photos

On the road
Simon's beloved Dodge