On towards Yosemite and a problem. Where to stay? Our app had no suggestions of free campsites. The options in the park itself are expensive – and fill up very quickly. We asked at the Visitor Information in Oakhurst. The news was not good. The campgrounds were full and freedom campers received tickets from the local cops. “You could try High Sierra. They might not be full.” The lady obligingly picked up the 'phone and made the enquiry for us. Yes, they had one site. We'd better be quick.
“Why are all the campgrounds so full this early in the year?” “It's a holiday weekend. Easter.” Doh. Travelling all the time we even lose track of which day of the week it is and hadn't given a thought to holidays.
We were in time to secure the last site at the High Sierra RV Park, and they also had one for the next night. Whew. It was a pleasant campground and the ladies in the office were charming.
When you, the reader, are planning a visit to Yosemite you will do well to avoid Easter. Especially if the weather is fine. The valley was very crowded and nearly all the license plates were from California. The locals were out in force.
To get into the valley we had to drive through a long tunnel. There was enough space in the centre, but Bill was a bit nervous about scraping our roof if we moved too far towards the edge. However, we went through every time without incident.
Just beyond the tunnel there is a viewing area with large parking lots, but they weren't large enough at Easter. Luckily the road was wide enough for parallel parking and someone left at just the right moment to leave a space large enough for us. We walked back to see what the attraction was.
Our first view of the valley. Bridalveil Fall is in the centre of the picture.
A close up of the fall.
There was only one parking lot available to RVs in the centre of the valley. It was about three-quarters of the way round the extensive one-way system. There were no signs directing us to specific RV spaces, so we carefully backed into a vacancy next to another RV. At least there was enough room for other vehicles to get past. As we walked to a shuttle stop we espied a long row of huge parking spaces. A few of them were occupied by buses, but that looked like a better place.
The Yosemite Valley lies between two lines of very imposing mountains and boasts some very tall waterfalls. Unfortunately the names of the individual rocks and cascades have not taken firm root in our memories so we haven't labelled many of the photographs. Just enjoy the beauty of the valley.
Mirror lake. As you can see there is a clear reflection in the water. But the classic view is from the other side of the lake. It was a long walk to the nearest bridge and back up the other side of the river. We didn't bother. This was gorgeous enough.
We allowed ourselves two days, but for those who are fit there are many days' worth of hiking trails in the park. There are some steep climbs amongst the network. It would pay to study carefully any proposed route.
For the second day we grabbed one of the really big parking spaces, amongst the buses. There is a good shuttle service around the paved roads, with a stop adjacent to the parking lot. Getting around was not a problem.
One of the shuttle buses. Note that it is a hybrid vehicle. The National Park Service certainly does its bit for the environment. It provides recycling bins in every park, and even sometimes compost bins for your food scraps.
On day 2 one of our buses found a truck/trailer unit stopped in an intersection. It was an extra long trailer and the driver had not taken the turn wide enough. Was there enough room to get through? The driver inched forward staring intently at the obstacle and his mirrors. Stop. Check mirrors again. Pull very slowly forward, and crunch! The horrible sound of metal buckling as the rear door scraped against a tree. We felt sorry for the driver because he had taken such care but still misjudged the lines.
This is a Common Raven, probably assessing us for the likelihood of a handout. There were more colourful birds in the park but they absolutely refused to pose nicely. The Steller's Jays would hide their intense blue plumage in the deepest shadow, or perch with the sun highlighting the blue on their backs but with their head behind another branch. The Brown-headed Cowbirds showed off their glossy feathers but only with their tails towards the lens.
Evening shadows come early in such a deep valley.
Looking up the Merced River valley back towards Yosemite after we had left the park.
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