Follow the signs... Park....get out the park map....terrible...terrible.... Yet another piece of work by a graphic designer who has let their ego get in the way of the effective transmission of information.... Eventually find our way to Lodge... Book a tour for tomorrow.... Stop in the food court for coffee....Hire some bikes.... Head off... 100 metres... Have you got the camera.... Oh... Oh... Check the bike rental... Check the food court... Check the front desk... Fill out a form.... Check the tour desk.... The camera is restored to its rightful owners... Fire up the bikes.... Explore... The Falls...
Past the meadows....
Past Curry Village.... Exhaust the batteries on the camera... Exhaust the legs of penguin number one.... Rest up at Happy Isles..... Slowly back to Lodge..... Photograph.... Photograph some more....
Squirrels everywhere...
It is not only the squirrels who are active.... The woodpeckers have been at work...
The population of visitors has risen rapidly and by 12:00 has peaked... People park along roadsides.... Give up on the established car parks... We dread to think what August will be like.... If the plan was to make things difficult for cars then the plan has succeeded... The problem is that the alternative to the car is not sufficiently attractive to lure their owners away from them... The penquins think it might be time for the park service to rethink it's parking and shuttle arrangements.... It is hard to imagine that the park can sustain the automotive population...
We cut and run early.... This is a special place... Dine in the restuarant at the Yosemite View Lodge.... Surprised.... Actually ok....
Up early.... Into the ParkAnd through the portal.....
The tour starts at 8:45.... 63 year old female driver and guide.... 40 foot bus .... Roads too small for the size of the bus.. Great driver... Great guide....
Through the Yosemite Tunnel.... Upto Glacier Point.... Look in amazement down on the valley.... Look with utter respect at the hikers emerging from their climb up 4 mile trail..... 3500 feet in 4 miles... Average grade.... 17%...
Watch female after female attempt to make use of the rest rooms.... Only the most desparate among them able to persist in the presence of the foul air exhausting itself from the long drop toilets.... Again think of the chaos that must exist in the august peak
Californian poppies... Wild flowers everywhere...
On to the grove of giant sequoia at Warona.... Large... Large... Large....
Enjoyed the tour.... Enjoyed Yosemite... Wait an inordinate length of time for a shuttle to the car park.... The shuttles are caught up in the five o'clock traffic chaos.... Join the chaos ourselves....
Feel like writing to the head of the park service... Would suggest that all visitor cars be removed from the park... Shuttle services and bikes be enormously expanded.. And those toilets!!!!!!
A lasting memory...
Posted with Blogsy
What a magic place,beautiful scenery,great pics!
ReplyDeleteWow! It's just great isn't it? We have been here too - loved it!
ReplyDelete