Skiergirl: Calistoga to Yosemite

Another driving day, which shouldn't be too surprising given that I've already driven 3400 kms since the trip began. And I'm only 9 days in! Good thing I didn't use a rental car, the best deal I could find only included 3000 kms, 15 cents/km after that! Whew! I know that was a lot of exclamation marks, but, hey, I'm an excitable person!

I started my morning pretty early again and headed in to Calistoga for some breakfast and to do some quick internetting (I just made a word.) The posting seems to be taking a lot longer than I'd like it to, especially when Blogger is acting up and the wireless connection is bad. So the new plan is to write my posts on my laptop each night, then just copy and paste it onto the site the next time I get connected. As such, I am now sitting under the stars In Yosemite National Park, loving life.
It was about a 5 hour drive from Calistoga to Yosemite, with some stops along the way. I took the scenic route through the Napa Valley, which was beautiful. I can't believe how many vineyards there are. At one point the vines were so dense it was all I could see. The whole area is geared towards relaxation and indulgence. If I ever get married, I could see it being a very nice place to honeymoon.

The rest of the drive was pretty boring until I hit Sonora, a cute little town just coming into the mountains. Unfortunately I didn't have any reason to stop, and I was eager to get to Yosemite and get a campsite, so I had to keep on trucking. But if I am ever back this way I'd like to check it out.

The next highlight was coming over the pass into the Sierra Nevadas. As I came up to the bottom of the pass there was a gigantic sign telling motorists to turn off air conditioning for the next 5 miles, and another sign indicated a twisting road for the next 8 miles... I knew I was in for something good!

I couldn't believe how high the road climbed. I kept passing elevation signs: 1000 ft, 2000 ft, 3000 ft. All of this on a winding 2 lane road with no shoulders or guard rails. At least they put a bit of a curb on the really bad turns, unlike on Highway 1.

I'm not sure what the temperature was before I hit the pass, but it was damned hot. So hot that even the locals were complaining. On the other side of the pass it was much more comfortable, I stopped sweating immediately. It has been really neat observing the climate changes from region to region. The mountain ranges have a huge effect on the weather.

The road wound along for another 40 miles or so before reaching the gates of Yosemite. There I purchased my US National Parks annual pass, which I will be able to use at a number of other places along my trip. I talked to the campground information girl and she told me there were still lots of spaces left at Camp 4 in the valley. I headed out immediately, hoping to get one. The Yosemite Valley, the heart of the park, was another 25 miles or so down a very slow road, so I knew it was going to take me a while to get there. The road kept climbing for a long time, before finally dropping into the valley. Suddenly the trees opened up and there before me was Bridalveil Falls, El Capitan, and Half Dome! I recognized them immediately and it took my breath away. I was giddy with excitement so I only took a couple of pictures before hurrying on down the road again.

I eventually made it to the valley, which is dominated by El Capitan. It is tall and foreboding, standing majestically over everything. I couldn't believe how close the roads and the community were to these legendary features. No matter where I looked I could see Ansel Adams' shots. I am going to try in vain to capture some of these images myself, but I haven't much hope of doing them justice.

The other thing I couldn't believe in the Valley was the throngs of people! I had been warned a number of times, but I guess I didn't picture everybody being in one place. Since the major famous parts of the park are in the center of the valley, that's where almost everyone is. And they weren't the climbers and adventure-seekers that I was expecting... it was girls in bikinis flaunting themselves, lazy people who very likely will not venture farther than 50 ft from their cars, people tubing down the river, and rich people staying at the fancy resorts. Not the hard-core that I had anticipated. It's actually kinda nice that something so beautiful can be appreciated by anyone, but a little frustrating at the same time that something so natural can be used so commercially.

So I finally found Camp Four. It is a walk-in campground, where you share your site with other people. Each site holds up to 6 people, whether they know each other or not. I was actually looking forward to that, figured it would be a good way to meet some interesting people. When I got there, though, it was full. This meant that every campsite in the valley was full, and I ended up having to drive back up and out of the valley to a gigantic campground about 20 miles away. It's a bit of a pain in the ass, and I have the family from hell next to me (fighting, yelling, spankings), but the plan is to get up early and try to get a site at the other campground in the morning.

Tomorrow's agenda: Hike a few of the shorter scenic trails in the valley, take lots of pictures, take in the Ansel Adams gallery, and do some much-needed laundry.