Yosemite National Park

Having left Canada, we flew to San Francisco, to meet up with my brother Andy and his wife Helen. They had been in Canada for a wedding; were having a few days with us, then driving from San Fran down to Los Angeles on their own. We were all very excited about seeing them after nearly 7 months!

Plans started going wonky when we (Gemma) nearly stuffed up our flight time. The flight had been moved earlier but I don’t recall receiving the email. Luckily, we had arrived at the airport earlier than necessary; however instead of cruising through the system we were in a mild state of panic. We arrived at our gate 5 mins prior to boarding - having run from the immigration gates. From Canada, entry into the US and the associated Customs procedures happens on Canadian soil, so that once you land in the US, you simply go to collect luggage - usually handy, but a time-consumer when you are rushed!

Then we hear from Andy and Helen that they can’t board; then that there is a delay …. then their flight is cancelled. They are in a hotel in Calgary for the night. We had a room booked for them in San Fran that they couldn’t use. Such disappointment. Instead of driving to Yosemite together (two cars, but together) we went on our own and they followed much, much later in the day, after they finally arrived at San Fran around 4pm. About 20 hours late!

So Yosemite … it is stunning. It is a long way from San Fran; about 4 hours. Driving west through California reminded us of Australia. It was so dry, paddocks were filled with yellow grass. As well as eucalyptus trees, there were rolling hills, just like the Riverina, then it flattened out and we drove through a huge fruit growing area - oranges, grapes, strawberries, olives, peaches, almonds … so many fruits. The land was flat and dry, with canals running through them. It reminded us of the Griffith area of NSW. We then started to climb, right up to 6000 feet above sea level. The roads were narrow and windy and we were so glad we were in a car and not an RV this time!

Yosemite National Park is rather unassuming until you turn a corner and you are instantly staring at massive granite rock faces that tower halfway to heaven. The road descends to the floor of the valley, which only makes the rock faces seem even higher! We are here in peak time, so there are people everywhere, and it is hot. Yosemite is full of towering cliffs, which are perfect for rock climbing and hiking; then there is the valley floor, where much of the accommodation and buildings are. The valley floor is large and the road works on a one-way system. There is some accommodation on the valley floor, from hotel lodging to camping, but this books out very quickly - it was full back in February. We did manage to find some accommodation up in Yosemite West, which meant driving into Yosemite, then 30 mins down to the valley floor, then part of the one-way loop, then 30 mins back up the western side of the valley. Thankfully, the accommodation was beautiful with a stunning view over the woods. We were on constant bear watch, but no luck unfortunately. We were grateful we weren’t in the RV as the roads are twisty and narrow. I would have been a little nervous driving around. 

The sensible team photo ....

our favourite team photo!

We got to the top of these falls!

The main attraction in Yosemite is Half Dome, which we didn’t climb. Half Dome is a 10 hour hike, for which you need a permit. Only 300 per day are issued and there is a ballot to ensure it is fair. It is also a challenging walk, so perhaps not suitable for us. Instead we went out to Glacier Point, which gives an overview of 1/4 of the park: which gives an inkling as to how big the park is! In the afternoon, we walked to the top of Vernal Falls (the waterfall in the photo here), which was probably a little steeper than we expected! We read it was 5km round trip and thought we could manage that …. it was just the 1000 ft elevation that was a little tough! Three quarters of the way up, you are covered with mist from the waterfall, which was a blessing as it was so hot! We all enjoyed getting wet. We made it up, with hundreds of steps at the end and enjoyed some chilling at the top. Down was a breeze and much, much quicker. 

The following day, Andy and Helen took off back to San Francisco (unfortunately). We did a short walk to Bridalveil Falls, which was rather insignificant as it had hardly any water flowing over. We also enjoyed a swim in the afternoon. 

The view from top of Vernal Falls was
pretty impressive.

Official Junior Ranger

Our final day had many plans but none seemed to come to fruition. It was a Saturday and the park was just packed, as well as being so hot, no-one was interested in big long hikes. The kids participated in a Junior Ranger led hike (free), which they loved. We then went along to an art and craft activity (because we knew the room would be air conditioned) but it was a flop. We then ended up watching a children’s theatre show on the history of Yosemite (again - free), which was probably the highlight for the kids. While we watched this, a storm moved over the park; temps dropped dramatically and everyone scurried for cars. Tony took the opportunity to get some photos of the storm moving in. That one-way road system around the Valley floor was in grid-lock … so we stayed where we were. Next activity was a free drawing lesson for children, so we stayed and did that too!

Plans for bike riding and a couple more hikes didn’t quite occur!

The root system of one tree

On our way out of the park, we stopped in to see the Giant Sequoias. Yosemite is known for these enormous pine trees, which date to about 3 300 years old. Their diameter is enormous and the tower into the sky. For such tall trees, they have extremely shallow root systems, so you can’t actually approach the trees. As we were walking up the path, we stumbled along a ranger hike, so we joined that. We love hearing the stories from the rangers and we learn so much more about what we were looking at. So many free things in these national parks - they are so accessible and interested in educating the public. 

Halfway to heaven!

Back into the car and we headed to San Francisco. Don’t let anyone tell you Yosemite is 3-4 hours from San Fran … it is much closer to 5-6 hours! A long afternoon of driving and very heavy traffic coming into the city. 

The tree known as Grizzly Giant

A tree so large, it has a tunnel through it.