The Road to Paradise

We left Bishop this morning, and I think we were both sorry to leave. The Creekside hotel was simple but very comfy, the staff was extremely pleasant, and the buffet just what we wanted. But greater wonders await us - today we head to Yosemite.

The trip takes us past Mono Lake, where the drop in water levels starting 70 years ago as Los Angeles started drinking it exposed the phenomena know as "tufa". They were originally formed by mineral-rich underground springs raising through the lake bed, but were submerged until the water level dropped.

Mono Lake in the Wind, June 2012

After lunch at the Mobil station in Lee Vining, we took off over the Tioga Pass to Yosemite. But not before a bit of a scare. There was a storm in the region last night which dropped snow in the higher elevations, and which resulted in the Tioga Pass - which crosses the Sierra Nevadas from the Owens Valley into Yosemite - being closed most of the morning. It was opened by the time we got there, but we were already thinking about the extra miles needed to drive up and around the mountains via Tahoe.

Yosemite is just awesome. Here's our first look down the Valley from Olmstead Point:

The back of Half Dome, June 2012

(Note to the photogs reading: the last image is straight out of the camera.)

Olmstead looks west down to the Valley from its Eastern end. To actually get into the Valley, you have to either hike down from Olmstead (maybe 10 miles) or drive around to the west end and enter the Valley on the only road in (perhaps 50 miles). We opted for the latter due to the amount of luggage we had. And the 10 mile hike down 4,000 feet.

Yosemite Falls and the Merced River, June 2012

After checking into the Ahwahnee, we went for a stroll up to the viewpoint at the bottom of Lower Yosemite Falls. Along the way we saw both Upper Yosemite and both Falls. These images are cliches, but still just get me. We stopped in the Ansel Adams gallery, where I am always reminded that I am an amateur who can't hold a candle to the master.

Tomorrow morning I plan to hike up to Vernal Falls. Can't wait.