Bye Bye Bakersfield, Hello Yosemite National Park

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We had such a great time with Pat and Jim that we really hated to leave. Thanks again, you guys. We sure do love you.

We left Bakersfield and drove north on Hwy 99 through the Joaquin Valley and its acres and acres of trees bearing unknown fruit. I think there were a lot of olives, oranges and walnuts, but I couldn’t swear to any of them except the ones that had signs identifying them. At Fresno we got on Hwy 41 to Yosemite. The road ran right through the middle of town, but being a freeway, the traffic was not bad. Besides, it was midday, not rush hour. The road began climbing around Coarsegold and got pretty steep around Oakhurst. Luckily there were pullouts and passing lanes so we didn’t hold up traffic too much.

We were excited about finally getting to Yosemite and we were not disappointed. The drive in was beautiful, but the Yosemite Valley with its iconic mountains and waterfalls really thrilled us. We stopped several times on the way to the campground to take pictures. What a place! Once we got to our campsite and got set up, we visited a little while with Bob and Gena, who had arrived earlier. Gena and I drove to the village to go to the visitor center for stamps, patches and postcards. The parking area was at least half a mile from the visitor center, and by the time we got there, it was closed. Oh well, we checked out the village market, very pricey. So we enjoyed our drive back to the campground and decided the free shuttle bus was the way to get around the canyon.

I’m going to post a separate blog for each day we were at Yosemite because I took so many pictures and don’t want to overwhelm anyone with too many on any one blog. So that’s day 1 in Yosemite. Day 2 to follow.

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Photos

Dogwoods Blooming
These are the largest dogwood blooms I have ever seen. They are as big as my hand. Spring is still underway here.

First Views
El Capitan and Half Dome in Yosemite NP

Tunnel Entrance
Yosemite NP

View from tunnel overlook
El Capitan, Half Dome and Bridalveil Fall, Yosemite NP

Bridalveil Fall
Yosemite NP

Upper Yosemite Fall
Yosemite NP

North Dome and Royal Arches
our campground was at the base of these.

Upper Yosemite Fall
as seen from the valley village

Comments

[Peggy]

really loved the pics of El Capitan. I've read about them a lot in the Nat'l Geo mags. How (for you) wonderful to actually see them!!! love ya

[Pat]

Miss you
You all coming to Bakersfield on your trips West is priceless to us. We love spending time with you! Your visit was too short, but the memories we have are wonderful. Be safe on the road in your travels and we will see what you are going in your blog! Love you lots!!!