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| Mono Lake, CA |
South from Reno first thing, phew, we're out of here until Ann has to be back in a week to catch her flight home.
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| Tioga Pass |
Driving down the dry side of base of the Sierras, we are still in the Great Basin. We stop at Mono Lake, an ancient saline lake of volcanic origin with a surprising black cinder cone rising like a prehistoric sea creature from its surface. Volcanoes are fast becoming the unifying theme of this trip. But we know this is just a prelude to our entry into Yosemite, and much of our stop is to gather information at the visitor center for our entry into Yosemite.
Here we turn west and head up Tioga Pass. The trip to 9,900 feet becomes pretty tortuous near the top, with precipitous drops and no guard rails (which makes the scenery so much easier to see, and a bit more exciting). You could still see the streams running directly from snow piles across the valley.
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| Ellery Lake, CA |
Nearer the pass Ellery Lake provided an amazing reflecting pool for the surrounding peaks and acted as a scenic gateway to the park.
But the real revelation was crossing the pass into the park and coming upon the the high green meadows and blue lakes of Tuolumne Meadows at 8,500 feet. The grey granite domes that make Yosemite a World Heritage Site rising out of the green wetlands are a different world from the east side with its barren, sharp, broken red rocks.
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| Tuolumne Meadows, Yosemite NP |
We spent some time stopping along the highway soaking in the sites of the high meadows. But eventually we needed to find a place to stay that night. I was concerned about crowding in Yosemite (4 million visitors a year), especially during July, but Ann had never been, so we came and took our chances. We were travelling freestyle, with no reservations, since we wanted to keep flexible. We wanted to see the historic Ahwahnee Hotel, but it is usually booked years in advance and runs $400 a night. Ann checked for cancellations, which happen sometimes, but instead found one of their permanent tents in Curry Village ($100 a night for a tent with bunks and linens!).
So off we went to find ground zero, Yosemite Valley, where so many come from so far come to spend time with thousands of others viewing one of our national natural wonders.
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