Yosemite Valley part Two

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Blog 10-10-17 Yosemite part Two

It was the usual routine this morning getting a good walk for the dogs and tireing them out for a day in the camper. It was 37 again this morning so we waited a little for the sun to warm things up before heading out. We had to leave here about 10:30 to make our tram ride at 1. There were sightseeing stops we had maped out the day before and we wanted to stop at the range station at the entrance to see how the roads were for leaving the park. We have had conflicting reports about which of the 3 roads is the lesser of evils. Our aim is to go south and a little east and the recommended road goes north and west and is the same horror that we experienced coming here.

The stop at the ranger station was very informative and we found that the tunnels were perfectly safe to go through in the motor home if we kept to the middle. We kept seeing trucks and other motorhomes in the valley and wondered how they got there so that was the trick. Then we talked to the bus driver of the tram and he said definitely take Rt 41 through the park then south. So that is the plan tomorrow and we are thrilled not to have to navigate the 9 mile serpentine hill.

That out of the way we made it to Yosemite Lodge and found a parking place and went and picked up our tickets for the tram ride at 1 pm. There was a little time before we left so we perused the gift shop then got in line for boarding. The tram was an open air trailer with lots of bench seats pulled by a propane/hybred truck. The narrator sat way up high in the front facing the people and told us all about the park, it's inhabitants and a little history. He was very good and we enjoyed the tour very much. The biggest event in the park this year was a piece of rock ( 30,000 tons) fell off of El Capitain and killed one tourist and injured another. It just happened Sept 27 this year and left a scar on the wall. He did say that the park is always changing because of earth quakes, fire, rock slides and floods. There were a lot of trees that died from the past 7 yr drought and they are in the process of thinning them out. It seems that when a tree is trying to suck water from the earth and it's dry there is a high pitched sound it emits that alerts the bark beetle and a female comes along and drills a hole through the bark and lays it's eggs. In the process it emits a smell that alerts other female beetles to do the same and before long the tree is dead.

This past winter CA had 200 % snow pack and it really helped to relieve the drought but they are hopeing the snow will continue.

We got out at 3 stops and we all snapped hundreds of pictures. The scenery is so beautiful you can't take a bad picture. Along the way we saw 3 deer, about 10 climbers on the wall of El Capitain and thousands of tourists along with their crazy driving.

Some facts we learned about Yosemite: The valley was formed by a glacier that carved a big V out of the rock. Half done was formed when the underlaying rock was carved away and part of the done slide off with nothing to support it. It is claimed to be the first national park but was actually a state park first before CA was a state that putting it in federal jurisdiction. Abraham Lincoln declared it a park in 1864 but it was actually the 2nd national park after Yellowstone.

I've included lots of pictures so make sure you scroll all the way down to the end. I'll let the pictures tell the story.

When we got back to the Lodge it was time to head back home. It takes an hour to go one way so it was after 4 when we finally released the dogs to the outside world. We took them for another walk then settled into our evening routine. Andrea joined us and we enjoyed her company and her tales about what she did today.

It was getting dark and cold again so we said good bye and headed inside to our nice warm dinner. We had made a crock pot meal in the morning and it was ready to go.

I have to add a note about the mountain climbers. El Capitan is a sheer rock cliff that towers 3,000 ft above the valley floor. It takes the average climber 5 days to climb to the top, which means they have to sleep overnight on the wall. They have slings or hammocks they suspend from the wall and just hang there all night. There are no qualifications to climb, just show up and go for it. Sure blows my mind.

Tomorrow we are heading to Sequoia Nat'l Park with no reservations for the night to come. We have a place in mind but they don't take reservations so hopefully we can get in without a problem. They hopefully will have internet and cell phone coverage. We feel so out of tough being isolated for the last 3 nights.

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Comments

[Mary Ellen Rosencrance]

Yosemite
Enjoyed the pictures. We have some from our trip that are of the same scenes. Brought back memories!