Yosemite National Park II

We loved Yosemite NP. What a treasure! It was our first time there and it was incredible. We instantly came to know and love the many granite peaks in Yosemite. Our campsite was next to the Merced River with great views of Half Dome, Sentinel Rock, and Cathedral Rocks. We ate at the Ahwahnee Hotel , a beautiful setting. What a work of art that building is. These great old National Park Lodges(Grand Canyon, Old Faithful, the Ahwahnee) are attractions all by themselves. The Ansel Adams Gallery held great interest for Ger as she walked with a photographer who worked for the grandson of Ansel. The group went out to a meadow where Ansel took his famous photo of Half Dome and the Sierra peaks. It was amazing to stand in the same area and view what he viewed almost 50 years ago. In many spots in the valley, we photographed other places that Ansel loved, such as Tunnel View, where all the peaks are visible in a 360 panoramic view. One evening, a ranger performed a one man play of " Yosemite thru the Eyes of a Buffalo Soldier " which will soon be published as a book and made into a movie. Buffalo Soldiers were Black regiments of the U.S. Army who were the 1st guardians of the park in the late 1800's. Hiking and biking are the best modes of transportation at Yosemite. We could bike anywhere in the Valley and took numerous hikes. We took the shuttle bus to Glacier Point and hiked down 3200 feet. The sights were spectacular. Yosemite Falls were dry for lack of rain and snow but we hiked up to Bridal Veil and Vernal Falls. The higher you climbed the more beautiful the falls. At Bridal Veil,we had an encounter with a rattle snake. It was laying on a rock right next to our path. Luckily, he was not in the mood to strike anyone as tourists just walked by him as though he was harmless. Mirror Lake was another hiking destination. The lake used to mirror the peaks of Yosemite but is slowly turning into a meadow as it fills in and dries out. What a huge lake it was but the view of the peaks was fantastic. Yosemite is the destination of climbers from all over the world who come to climb El Capitan and Half Dome. There were as many as 10 groups of climbers at a time on El Capitan with one to three in each group. We were mesmerized by the tiny dots on the sheer granite face and used the spotting scope to see the climbers more clearly. They took 3-7 days or longer to climb the wall using advanced climbing equipment. It was hard to imagine climbing El Capitan but even harder to imagine sleeping on the face in a hanging hammock. One evening, we went out to watch the climbers turn on their headlamps while eating their evening meal on the wall. Little white dots of light sparkled from high above us. We left Yosemite vowing to return again as we both were mesmerized by our experience. We drove out of Yosemite on scenic Route 140 which followed the Merced River for many miles.

Yosemite National Park,CA

Before coming here, we visited Angel's Camp, the Gold Country and the Calaveras Big Trees State Park. The size of the Sequoias is unbelievable. After a very exciting drive on Route 20 Oak Flat Road, we arrived Sunday morning in Yosemite with Geri's sister, Marge. The road was anything but flat with lots of hairpin turns as we climbed in elevation. Marge only had 1 day, so we went up to Tioga Pass. The vistas of the high Sierras were magnificent. The lakes reflected the mountains and vistas. We could walk to the edges of glacier granite. Yesterday we took a ranger-guided tour of the Valley. The sights are breathtaking. We now have 3 days(not enough) to tour and hike on our own. Our internet is spotty, so no new pictures until we leave here on Friday.

Napa Valley California

Lassen NP proved to be unique, vast, and eerie. We were surprised to see it was last active in 1915. Point Reyes NP was our next adventure. With my sister, Marge, in tow, we spent 2 days exploring the coast and its natural beauty. Elk were visible at Point Reyes in a large herd with a large female population and 4 males looking for action. The historic lighthouse at Point Reyes was 300 steps down from a high cliff. It had been in operation for 105 years and replaced by a beacon in 1975. It was illuminated by an Order I Fresnel lens. We imagined being the lightkeeper and his family stranded at this barrier point with only fog and the ships as a companion. Bodega Bay and the Sonoma State park went for miles along the cliff filled coast. The scenery from the tops of the cliffs and the Pacific Ocean were spectacular. Climbing sand dunes reminded us of Indiana. We were lucky to spot a couple of seals sunning themselves on the rocks. Lots of seagulls, white and brown pelicans, and herons were in every low tidal area. The next two days were spent in the wine country. Miles of winding roads led us to some of Napa and Sonoma Valley finest wineries. Our nephew Dan was our tour leader. Dan is a sommolier for the Aqua Restaurant in San Francisco. His proud mom Marge (my sister) accompanied us. Imagine our delight as we drove up to our first winery Far Niente, established in 1885. A private tour of the operations of the winery amazed us all. We were taken down two levels into the cave where they stored the wine in Oak Barrels.Then we were served several wines including a very expensive 1996 Cabernet Sauvignon in the" library". What a taste sensation! Imagine how much it hurt us to spit out the wines or even leave some in the glass! If you are visiting many wineries, it's a tactical necessity to avoid getting trashed. Lastly, we sampled a dessert wine named Dolce which we all agreed was outstanding. At each winery, we were given the VIP treatment, three of the owners met with us personally. They enjoyed explaining their wine making process and what made their wine so distinctive and unique. Dan relayed stories of his restaurant guests' reaction to their wine. Each winery added to our knowledge of vineyards,grape handling, and climate. Most of our tastings were bottles which were in the $50-100/ bottle range with a few even higher! All wanted to be part of Aqua's wine list since it is a high-end restaurant. Dan had sold a $2000. bottle of French wine last Saturday. We enjoyed two gourmet's delight, California-style meals at Marge's favorite haunts. We have one more day in wine heaven (our liver can only take so much) and then we head to Yosemite NP.

Mt. Lassen National Park CA

Before leaving Yellowstone, Geri had to make one last sunrise to see what animals might appear. The early AM is the best time to see the sun's colors on the mountains, streams and animals. A herd of elk could be seen by a lake and then crossed the road causing an Elk Jam. We travelled Tuesday from West Yellowstone to Boise Idaho with a stop at Craters of the Moon Natl Monument. It seemed like we stepped on another planet! The volcanic lava extended for miles. Near Boise, Idaho, we visited the World Center for Birds of Prey. They breed falcons of all types and California condors who have a wingspan of 10 feet. We learned so much about falcons and raptors and saw the injured ones. We then drove thru the National Wildlife Refuge along the Snake River to find birds of prey. Unfortunately, we were there at the wrong season and the birds were migrating. Remote and wild, we could imagine the raptors and falcons roosting there. Thursday we travelled from Boise to the Lassen Volcano area with many scenic roads and no expressways at all. We travelled thru rural Oregon and were very excited to see the "Welcome to California" sign. We are staying at a ranch/ campground. Very remote, with no TV or cell phones. Just tons of stars in the sky to entertain us. Tomorrow we will visit the National Park.

West Yellowstone,Montana

After 6 days at Fishing Bridge CG in Yellowstone NP, we are thrust back into civilization at West Yellowstone, MT. Yellowstone has only a few spots with cell phone service and virtually no internet or TV. We had a great time without them. Gorgeous scenery and incredible encounters with animals.Yellowstone is the oldest NP and it remains very close to its natural state. We met our nurse friends from Chicago, Debbie Connor and her friends Kathy and Luanne and traveled with them for 4 days. Luanne who is a nurse at the Old Faithful Clinic gave us a "locals" wildlife tour. By driving and hiking in the park since May, she knew where each type of animal might appear. Each day was an adventure. We would start out early in the AM to hunt for big game.We saw wolves,bear,elk,coyotes,eagles,and bison. One morning, we watched 4 river otters catch and eat a trout and have a standoff with a coyote. The otters won! The common term here is " bison jam" or " bear jam" instead of traffic jam. The geysers,hot springs,mudpots,etc are everywhere. Their shimmering colors astounded us. Yellowstone Lake and Yellowstone River wound thru the park with waterfalls, canyons, and beautiful sunsets. We even were able to wade in the Firehole River. The water was warmer than the air and the canyon spectacular. We enjoyed trusty Old Faithful and its historic log built lodge. Our week at Yellowstone was exhilarating and we would recommend it highly.

Grand Teton National Park

We had an eventful trip from South Dakota. We stopped 1 night in Thermopolis,WY for a soak in the world's largest hot spring. Very cool! On our way into Grand Teton we hit a deer. Only have minor damage to the coach; major damage to the deer.
What a great place Grand Teton is. So much scenery and lots of wildlife. So far we've seen grizzlies,elk,and 1 moose. We did a great hike up above Jenny Lake to Inspiration Point. The temperature has been getting down in the 20's at night.Brrr.
People here do a lot of driving around looking for wildlife. If you stop along the road, cars will begin stopping to see what you are looking at. At one spot there were 20 cars stopped to take pictures of a grizzly up on a hill.
Well it's on to Yellowstone to meet up with Debbie and Kathy and hopefully no more deer.