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.