YOSEMITE california

A passing visit through the heart of the Sierra nevada mountains

“The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness.” - John Muir.

We set off early from San Fran to make the most of our day in Yosemite. With the lack of sleep and the early mornings starting to take its toll, we knew this day was going to be a long one, but nevertheless, we had sights to see and photos to take…. and we weren’t the only ones!

The approach to Yosemite was just jaw dropping! Pulling over for photos when Half Dome appears on the horizon through the morning haze is an absolute must!.

First stop, after lunch and toilet breaks of course, was Tunnel View.

THE DRIVE TO GLACIER POINT

After I picked up my jaw up from the ground and gave the camera time to cool down a bit, we hit the road.

We have come to the park during peak season, and the amount of tourists was almost overwhelming. With the Yosemite Valley becoming pretty much a no go zone, we had to re-think on our plan. Instead of spending hours navigating our way around the valley floor and playing parking space roulette, to then join the swarms of tourists at the popular waterfall spots, we made the call to head upwards, and do the 50 minute drive to Glacier Point.

At least here we could get peace and quiet, or so I thought.

After about an hour of driving up the winding hills of Yosemite,

(which was amazing, I even saw a Grizzly Bear’s arse but wasn’t quick enough to grab the camera),

we arrived NEAR Glacier point.

The traffic here was stop-start for nearly 2 hours. We eventually made it to the carpark, only to drive straight back out the other side and right back down the hill.

Fortunately the traffic was SO bad, it gave me plenty of time to jump out every few minutes for some images.

At this point Heather took the wheel while I got some snaps through the slow moving traffic.

HOLD UP… !!

Scroll up and have a closer look! (Pinch-to-Zoom)

(Hint: Look near the summit)

MARIPOSA GROVE

We made a pit-stop by Mariposa Grove on the way back to the accommodation for the night, and couldn’t have timed it better if we tried. The golden glow of the late afternoon sun bouncing off the burnt orange exteriors of the Sequoia Trees was absolutely magical.

The road to the park was closed by this time, but the rangers kept a little shuttle bus running which was a sheer stroke of luck.

A break from driving, if only for an hour or so.