Yosemite National Park

One of our last touristic forays of this trip was to Yosemite National Park. This trip was a bit touch and go up until the evening before our departure due to reports we heard of bad snow on the higher elevations of the park. There was some concern as to whether the car could make it and if such adverse weather conditions would be bad for me.

In the end, after some Internet searching and investigating, we decided it was not expected to be so bad so we set off on the 4 hour drive from San Francisco to Yosemite.

Our first port of call was meant to be Oakhurst, a small town some 14 miles before the entrance to the park. Armed with our trusted Google Maps directions, we did not think we would get lost, but somehow it did not work out that way and after a wrong turning (or what is a missed turning or maybe no turning at all, who knows?) we found ourselves driving through woodland and forgotten old towns and villages that we thought only existed in horror movies. In the end, we stopped off at a small rest stop to try to ask for directions and use the restrooms. This turned out to be a blessing as we stumbled upon one of those typical in-the-middle-of-nowhere type of diners complete with a Sheriffs truck outside and two Sheriffs perched on their seats inside drinking their coffees. A timeless American image...only slightly distorted by the fact that the Sheriffs had laptops in front of them and were actually working rather than chatting inanely with the waitress. A reminder that even old-time America has made it into the 21st Century.

The waitress was just as one would expect, very friendly, overly chatty and coming frequently to fill up our coffees. The food was surprisingly good, or maybe we were too hungry from not eating all day. Either way it was one of the best chilli's I have ever had, apart from my own of course!!

During the course of our meal, we were informed that we were indeed going the wrong way and had to drive another 17 miles in the opposite direction in order to reach Oakhurst. This meant driving through the same horror inspired towns and villages as before, and dusk was fast approaching...judiciously we paid our bill and took our leave in a rather urgent manner.

We made it to Oakhurst and found our motel, whilst in the process coming up with ideas of horror movies that would fit in perfectly with the places we were speeding through.

After a short rest, we took a short drive through Oakhurst (short because it was a small place with nothing to offer) and eventually discovered a small restaurant that was in the middle of closing for the night but still happily let us sit if it was just for desert. Over coffee and cheesecake we perfected and completed our horror stories.


The following day required an early start. We were going to drive into the park, spend the day there, before heading back to San Francisco. The first drive started well. As we drove higher and higher into the mountains, the scenery became more and more breathtaking. As the elevation increased the hilly and wooded landscape of the area became increasingly laden with snow and every corner we turned was met with four gasps of wonder and lots of photos.

This continued until we reached the entrance of the park and were told by the park rangers we could not enter unless we had tyre chains. So we had to drive back about 15 minutes, buy the snow chains and return to the park again. This delay was not helpful. In the end the snow chains were only needed for a short patch of the road, but were essential nevertheless.

Yosemite itself is magnificent. The landscape was at times awe-inspiring. Frankly, no amount of words or photos can do justice to the majesty and beauty of the place. The most famous landmark of the park is 'El Capitan', which is a granite rock of monstrous proportions and 300 feet high, but everything else also seemed just as striking, from the waterfalls (mostly frozen at this time), to the mountains and hills and to the small streams flowing by...and everywhere covered with snow-white pine trees. Perhaps with it being winter and with snow everywhere it added a certain charm, although I imagine it could be spectacular in any season. From my perspective the only thing missing were bears but this was obviously the wrong time of year for that.

For Diana the contrast of being on the mountains and volanoes of the more tropical climes of central America just a month before to being on the snowy and winter atmosphere of Yosemite was very sharp and quite profound.

Many people go to Yosemite for hiking and even at this time of year there were hikers around. I was not in a any position to walk for very long so we stayed mostly in the car but stopped frequently to get out for photos, of which we have many. This was my first time in a long time being able to wear shoes and socks on both feet (what a novelty!) but I did feel pain in my ankle and staying upright for pro-longed periods did not help.

We were very lucky with the weather. Although there had been recent snow before we arrived, we were blessed with bright blue skies and a strong sun. I had worn about three layers as a precaution, but felt quite warm and comfortable for most of the day, until the afternoon when the weather started turning cold and muggy and I had to wear my coat. The cold really gets to my bones with the pain sometimes difficult to bear. I felt lucky that for most of the day I could enjoy the sun and feel so conformtable. By the late afternoon, however, as the rest of the car still went out to take photos, I preferred the warmth and comfort of the car.

Diana and I would love to return to Yosemite again to experience it in a different season but for now this remains one of the highlights of our trip here.