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We left our hotel on Union Square and got a taxi to Beach Road to collect our new ‘home sweet home’ for the next 57 days to travel around some of the Western National Parks.
To hire our home we chose to use a company called Escape Campervans as their vans were not too big and therefore would allow us to get off the beaten track and into places unreachable in the larger Motorhomes or Recreational Vehicles (RV’s) as they are known and which are more popular than smaller vehicles.
Our two person vehicle was a converted Dodge Van, resprayed and everyone one of the company’s small fleet was unique. They have been hand painted by local artists in an array of colourful designs and fitted out with everything we should need for our long two month journey……… We filled in all the necessary paperwork and one of the guys took us out to to show us around the van. Well it was a sight for sore eyes for they had selected a nice ‘Eye-piercing’ design which would bring many comments from everyone we met - see for yourselves from the photographs. Most
people thought that we had painted it ourselves and thought for some reason that we were Australian - not sure where that came from perhaps we have picked up the accent after all our travels there!
Once we checked over the van the guys were great and offered us extras and even included a free skybox as we were hiring the vehicle for such a long time and they though we would be more comfortable with some of our luggage on the roof rather within our sleeping, driving and eating compartment!!!!……
So we set off out of San Francisco - and only went wrong once - we are still talking………. We did have a Satnav but could not hear or understand the young lady that wanted to help us out of the city………..After we crossed over the Bay Bridge we soon stopped and changed her voice as well as turned up the volume………………The Bay Bridge as it is know is really a complex of several bridges spanning San Francisco Bay and actually has two decks, it has one of the longest spans in the USA and is the longest bridge that we
have ever crossed.
We stopped just outside of SF at one of the many farmer owned/operated produce stalls to buy some fresh fruit and vegetables. The Californian Central Valley produces a large portion of fruit and vegetables that graces North American supper tables every day. The fruit was extremely fresh and tasty and you were able to try before you bought. Our camper van had a small fridge which ran off a separate battery (so no risk of running the van battery down) and would last for a couple of days when the van was parked up. There was ample space for a couple of days worth of food and drinks which was great.
As we travelled along we were following the Satnav but it gave up and did not seem to recognise our final destination. We thought there would be tourist information stops so that we could pick up some local maps/brochures but we did not see any. We continued along some very bendy roads for a few hours without seeing anyone or anything until we finally reached a small town and stopped when we saw a
‘Tourist Information Sign’.
We walked into a room but no-one was around until a chap appeared and once we said what we wanted he rushed off to find someone to help. It turned out that the lady who ran the small bar next door could help. She was very friendly and said that if we kept going along a lot more ‘bendy roads’ then we would end up in Wawona after maybe a few hours………… She did let us use her loo though which was just as well if we had another few hours on these bumpy roads……… We had not appreciated that it takes such a long time to travel as the roads were not as we imagined most roads in the States would be (long and straight). You get quite ‘seasick’ on these switchback roads - which is the name they use over here……..
YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK We did finally arrive at the south entrance to
Yosemite National Park and showed our National Park Pass that we had purchased in San Francisco for $80 and proceeded into the park. This National Pass should enable us
to get into all the NP whilst we are travelling around Western USA and is a much more economical option than purchasing separate passes. Luckily Wawona Campsite, our final destination for the day was only a short distance inside the park and at the top of the steep valley and we were soon parked up, settled in and having coffee from the back of our van on our little two burner stove. We also had a small storage area and a tiny sink.
At the campsite we were allocated a huge space all to ourselves which was great and we had our own fire pit and a ‘bear proof’ metal food container. We were required by federal regulations to store all our ‘food’ properly throughout Yosemite National Park. Apparently we must have our food stored unless it's within arm's reach of an ‘awake person’ (so we have been told not to go for a swim or take a nap while leaving food out……..). It’s not just food though as it is also drinks, regardless of packaging, along with any trash, toiletries, toothpaste etc and other scented items including perfumes…….
After supper it
took us only a few minutes to make up our bed in the van and we were soon asleep in our new home - really snug after our long journey and being lulled to sleep by the fast flowering river just yards away…………
First protected in 1864,
Yosemite National Park is best known for its waterfalls, but within its nearly 1,200 square miles, you can find deep valleys, grand meadows, ancient giant sequoias (trees) and a vast wilderness area set in the tranquility of the High Sierra Nevada - so much to see and do here.
On our first day in the NP we drove down the valley to see Yosemite Village which is nestled in between the huge mountains. We made our first stop just after we passed through a tunnel cut into the mountainside, known as ‘Tunnel View’ and we pulled into a lay-by which overlooked the Valley. We were rewarded with an awesome, iconic view of Yosemite Valley spread out below us with the Bridalveil Falls tumbling over the edge of a precipice and cascading 620 feet to the valley floor (just like a brides veil - hence its
name). We could also see El Capitan a large granite monolith - the largest in the world - towering above the valley floor, and Half Dome an equally outstanding monolith nearby - both shining brightly in the sunlight. It was such a scenic overlook and we loved the view, so did various artists as there were several with their easels painting this glorious scene. It was a great place to take photos - I think there must be hundreds of photos of this stunning view as everyone was trying to get the best shot possible from a variety of angles…….
We continued down the mountain and stopped and took a small hike, with the help of a long branch for my ankles - not sure that we should pick up wood from the NP but needs must…….. Luckily it was an easy walk of about 20 minutes with minimal elevation gain and a paved trail and Paul did manage to walk slowly……..… The Yosemite Bridalveil Fall was named Pohono by the Ahwahneechee Indian tribe, as that word means ‘spirit of the puffing wind’. Sometimes the wind was so brisk that the waterfall appeared to fall sideways and
indeed and we viewed it from many different angles as we wandered around the village.
We took a couple of short walks along the valley, everywhere you looked there were glorious views. We parked up and caught the free shuttle bus which takes visitors around the various trail heads as well as the village centre where I purchased a hiking stick which came in handy - much better than using a branch………
By using the shuttle we were able to get to see so much of the valley as well as the massive Yosemite Falls. This falls has an incredible 2,425 foot drop from the top of the upper falls to the base of the lower falls, cascading over three sections. The waterfall merges with the Merced River in Yosemite Valley, the river then makes its way through the Sierra Nevada Mountains and into the Central Valley of California.
We strolled around the village and stopped at the ideally situated Ahwahnee which is Yosemite’s legendary hotelbefore heading back up the mountain and back to our peaceful campsite at Wawona.
The next day
we drove to Wawona village and caught the free shuttle bus to visit
Mariposa Grove to see giant Sequoais trees. The Mariposa Grove contains about 500 mature trees that are amongst the largest living things on Earth - the tallest trees are the giant sequoia's cousin, the Coast Redwood which we had seen in San Francisco.
Giant sequoias are a fire adapted species as their bark is fire resistant and fire helps open the sequoia’s cone and scatter their tiny seeds. Fire also clears forest debris from the mineral soil and provides a nutrient rich seed bed as well as clearing competing species. So for these trees fire is important to maintain healthy growth.
As we wandered along the trails our necks ached as we tried to see to the top of the trees. Yosemite Mariposa Grove was first discovered by Galen Clark, a homesteader in Wawona, when he happened upon these Giant Sequoias - you could not miss them really! Some of the trees here had names like the
‘Grizzly Giant’, which is estimated at being about 2,700 years old, the oldest tree in the grove measuring 30 feet
in diameter at its base and over 90 feet in circumference - it was huge. A little further along the track the
California Tunnel Tree was the only living tree in Yosemite with a tunnel drilled through it. We walked through the trunk of course for a photo shot but in this position you could really appreciate how small you were in comparison to these giants. Another tree was called
‘The Fallen Monach’ which was of course felled on the ground but since Giant Sequoias don’t decay rapidly, you can still see it even though it fell over three hundred years ago - just amazing.
On the way back from the Grove we stopped at
Wawona Pioneer Village where we met someone who wanted to chat about our brightly painted van, it really was a talking point to everyone we met - we just said we hired it from San Francisco - need we say more…………….
The Pioneer Village was a well preserved village including a 150 year old covered bridge, a blacksmith shop, pioneer cabins, bakery and small jail. It had a trail ride down an old wagon road that used to ferry
visitors arriving by stagecoach. Whilst we were there local children had arrived for a fun day dressed in costumes of the past and enjoying the ambience of this historic site. Nearby the village was the delightful Wawona Hotel a national historic landmark built in 1876 that featured deep verandas and Victorian interiors - bygone Wawona of yesteryear.
We were hoping to see our first
black bears in Yosemite but were disappointed and the only mammals that we saw were squirrels, which were in their element here with all these trees. The first bird we spotted was an American Robin - quite apt really but sadly there was not much other wildlife around.
The campsite was idyllic in a lovely setting but did not have much by way of amenities, just a couple of loos and cold water but no hot water or showers. So one day we decided to soak our feet in the fast flowing river which was blissful, especially on my sore ankles and we were getting rather smelly….… Whilst we were lazing by the riverside looking for birds and bears all we saw were several swallowtail butterflies not quite the same
but they were beautiful nonetheless and the spot was so therapeutic we could have stayed forever.
We have noticed that campsites in the States are not quite the same as in New Zealand and Australia. Everyone seems to have extremely large RV’s with everything they need on board so do not need extra facilities like, hot water, showers and camp kitchens. etc. Although most of the campsites have pit fires with a grill so that you can cook outside which was great.
We have so enjoyed our first National Park in the USA and are looking forward to seeing many more and hopefully have some closer encounters with more wildlife - tomorrow we head off to see another Californian National Park at Death Valley - see you there.
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Alexis M Spencer
Love Yosemite!
The photos look amazing and you picked a great time of year to visit. I hope Death Valley is/was not too hot for you and maybe the flowers were still in bloom? Your blog was very interesting. It makes me nostalgic and miss home. Regarding the campsites - I think it depends on where you go. If you are going to a lot of the huge tourist areas, then yeah, they mostly cater to big RV's, but there are usually smaller campgrounds around those areas that are a bit more rustic, but then they probably still would not have shower facilities all the time. I look forward to reading more of your travels!