Rain and cloudy in the morning, but we could see the very large Mono Lake across from the campground. We'll explore its shore tomorrow, but today we left the trailer at the campground, gassed up ($4.99/gal.!) and headed up the Sierras toward Yosemite National Park. Good thing we weren't towing; first 12 miles, to a 10,000' pass marking the beginning of the Park, would have given the Suburban a good workout. We were quickly above the level of snow remnants and were treated to one stunning view after another. And the weather cleared up for us. The road into Yosemite valley is 60 miles (24 as the crow flies). We stopped for views and pictures a few times, but it took us three hours. No complaints, it was a spectacular drive. The road was busy but not crowded. We knew the Park is super popular and expected that the small Yosemite Valley would be crowded. We did not expect almost complete gridlock. No place to park and traffic moved only occasionally. Recognizing our mistake we turned tail, but it took 20 minutes to go the first mile of our escape. We did see the iconic Half Dome, El Capitan and the waterfalls, from the car. There are actually three campgrounds in the valley, booked up within seconds of the 6-month reservation window, but I don't know why anyone would want to be there. Once clear of the crowd, it was beautiful and fun again, retracing our route back to camp. A long day on the road, but well worth it.
No comments:
Post a Comment