Finishing up the Road Trip

The Sierra Mountains and Yosemite played a big part in my childhood.  Both my parents enjoyed the High Sierra; my dad a climber and my mom a backpacker.  Childhood vacations most always involved a drive across "the valley", and a climb through the foothills to a trail head.  While we mostly sought less crowded spots at higher elevation, many a trip involved at least a stop over in Yosemite. 

Much is the same in Yosemite Valley today; Curry Village is still a busy hub of families with kids, presenting a myriad of activities, and always feeling a bit hotter than other spots.  The grocery store at Yosemite Village is still abustle of back country folk stocking up, or treating themselves to something cold after a long trip, combined with campers getting a few supplies (hot dogs, s'mores etc) and others grabbing a few souvenirs and a cold bottle of water.  A few steps away, the Ansel Adams Gallery is still a quiet, cool and soothing spot to take in some aesthetics, see Yosemite through the eyes of world class photographers and contemplate a purchase or two.  The Ahwahnee   remains a classic jewel, tucked away from it all in the woods, with that huge quiet "lobby" for relaxing, a delicious dining room and of course historic rooms (in which I have never stayed).  The Yosemite Valley of the Ahwahnee always seems much cooler than other parts of the valley.

But much has changed, and in general, I think, for the better.  Back in the day, we did see the iconic dumping of fireworks off Glacier Point at night.  Wow!  What a show, but probably not the best for the environment.  The valley shuttles, when first introduced, were open air trams, with an optional shed roof in inclement weather.  I really liked those old trams as you got wonderful views and fresh air while scooting from one place to another.  On the other hand, I'll admit the air conditioned coaches of today were pretty comfy.  In years passed, there was an informal spot in the meadow by El Capitan where folks would gather to get a glimpse of climbers on the rock face.  Today, the air conditioned El Capitan shuttle, takes folks to said meadow where most days a climber/docent is posted with a telescope to pinpoint climbers and lend some reality to the view.  I like this, as many folks who wouldn't have stopped, or even known what all those folks were looking at, get some exposure to the climbers and the idea of spending three to five days on a rock face.

Favorites from this year's trip included lunch at The Ahwahnee Hotel, floating the Merced and watching the climbers on El Capitan.  We had made reservations at the Ahwahnee as I was sure we would need them, but in the end, they didn't seem necessary.  While dinner at the Ahwahnee is a formal affair, dress code and all, lunch was nicely informal and relaxed (you know me).  I had, most likely, the best rainbow trout I have ever had, and the girls seemed to like the special Ahwahnee ketchup; some sort of BBQ sauce and ketchup mixture.  We all enjoyed the soaring ceilings of that dining room, "lodge" decor and beautiful views.  My niece loved the look of meadow and want to frolic in it.

Our float on the Merced was also quite a treat.  The recreational rentals (bikes and rafts) are at Curry Village.  Depending on the timing, especially for rafts, there can be quite a wait, about an hour for us.  The place though, is quite well organized, and has a good system for forms, equipment and explanations.  Four people to a raft (though I saw some exceptions with kids) and rafters much be a minimum of 50 lbs.  We felt bad for the 47 lb. girl who hung out with her Mom while her brother and Dad got to raft.  We were actually lucky to be able to raft in mid-August as the river is usually too low by then.  The late wet season had the river higher than usual.  It was quite a leisurely float, with a wee bit of directional paddling (don't hit the bridge pilings) and some paddling required to get through slow spots.  The float itself took about an hour and a half, maybe two.  With another half hour added on for the shuttle back to Curry Village.  I highly recommend this float if you have a chance, but it is spendy.

On our last day, in the late evening, I snapped this photo from Curry Village:

One of the great things about Yosemite, is views like this, ALL THE TIME.  While it had been several years since either my sister or I had been to Yosemite, we vowed to return, and a bit sooner this time.

I won't bore you with the drive back from Yosemite to Portland.  It was long and pretty boring.  The fruit stand we stopped at outside of Merced had to much schlocky stuff and fruit inferior to what I can get at the Hawthorne Fred Meyer.  We got tired of our CD collection that had been so inspiring that first day, and grew a bit weary of each other's company.  It is always nice to be home.