This morning we popped out of bed and took off for Yosemite Valley. From TT Yosemite Lakes, we drove east for about 8 or 10 miles through the Stanislaus National Forest until we crossed into Yosemite National Park. There are a couple of 6000 foot ridges we crossed before coming around a corner to be dazzled by a spectacular view of Yosemite Valley.
We visited Yosemite back in October 2014 and, at that time, there were no waterfalls, the Merced River was just a trickle and vast tracts of mountain bushes, trees and grasses were dying from drought. Fortunately, this year California received ample rain and, more importantly, snow. The snowpacks are melting now so the Merced River is swollen right up over the valley floor roads in a few spots. The waterfalls are open for business and they are magnificent. El Capitan’s 4000 foot tall rock monolith and the giant granite hemisphere of Half Dome are truly extraordinary scenes, visible from lots of locations on the valley floor. Peggy had pre-assembled a terrific lunch and we stopped at a picnic area to eat while gazing at the awe-inspiring scenery all around us. I have never eaten in a better spot.
It was considerably more crowded today than it was in 2014. With the increase in crowds, more idiot drivers are available to foul up the ordinarily quite orderly traffic and they were busy today. It is probably wise to figure that when the crowds swell, you are not going anywhere quickly. We took a route up all the valley floor roads and were amply rewarded with visions of astoundingly beautiful territory, pounding waterfalls, and glacial geology that is unmistakable coupled with a massive torrent of water headed down the Merced which bisects the valley floor. This is certainly another bucket list trip.
There are a few pix if you click here