scenic drives in california Archives - ETB Travel Photography

Day 289 – Yosemite and Beyond (Part 5)

Day 289 – Yosemite and Beyond

Well, I survived the forest fires, fear of active bears, and
camping roadside last night, though VANilla reeks of smoke and dead animal
smell. Whew, I hope it goes away
soon. I returned to Yosemite for one
final visit. First I swung through the
valley to take advantage of the only shower facilities in the enormous
park. I couldn’t believe how low the
Merced River was flowing. In May, it was
swelling out of its banks. Today,
sandbars were poking up in the middle of the river. Many of the waterfalls appear to be seasonal
as well, as I didn’t notice some of them today.
For a waterfall lover, the best time to visit Yosemite would be as soon
as all the roads open. I believe this is
generally in May, though this year due to the heavy winter, I believe it was
later.

After my shower, I headed toward the southern portion of the
park where we followed Glacier Point Road 17 miles to Glacier Point parking lot. A four-mile, round trip trail that changes
over 3,000 feet in elevation each direction leads to Glacier Point. Under different circumstances, I would have
opted in, but with a late start, Petey in VANilla, and a wound that still needs
more time to heal, I chose to enjoy the vista just fifty yards from the parking
lot. The overlook provided a remarkable
panorama of Half Dome, Nevada Falls, and Vernal Falls even on this smoky day.

Just as I was preparing to leave the parking lot, a Ferrari
Club pulled in. At least ten different
Ferrari’s hummed to the end of the parking lot.
I hope they didn’t have to follow an RV up the winding road. That wouldn’t have been any fun for the
drivers! On our way back down, we made a
final stop at Washburn Point before making our way to Fresno for the evening.

I see why Yosemite is always full. It isn’t very far from large California
cities and frankly its commanding and unique landscape is inspiring. In Fresno, VANilla is going in for some TLC
before we make two unscheduled visits to Sequoia and Kings Canyon as we depart
the Golden State. Technically, I have
completed all the scenic road trips listed in my Reader’s Digest book with the
exception of the ones in Alaska and Hawaii.
My blog and adventures will be coming to an end within the week…ETB

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Day 163 – Travel Day

Day 163 of Year Long Road Trip Along America’s Scenic Byways

Petey and I took an early morning walk in a light drizzle across Stoneman Bridge, past The Ahwahnee Hotel, and to the Royal Arch Cascade and Royal Arches. It was nice, but quick as we had a long day of travel ahead of us. Three of the roads to 395, including Tioga Road through the park, were closed for the winter. We had to exit via the Northwest entry point on 120, turn north up 49, then take 88 and 89 over two passes to finally hit 50 in South Lake Tahoe.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN!

Day 162 – Yosemite and Beyond – Part 3

Day 162 of Year Long Road Trip Along America’s Scenic Byways

Wow, what a day! A cool front, light rain or perhaps mist, and low clouds blew into the valley. I crossed my fingers and hoped the overcast skies would offer some good photo opportunities and not interfere with my sightseeing for the day. It was amazing how different the park looked with just a change of weather. Yesterday, El Capitan was gleaming in the sunlight, today it was barely poking up above the clouds.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN!

Day 161 – Yosemite and Beyond – Part 2

Day 161 of Year Long Road Trip Along America’s Scenic Byways

Yosemite Valley has so much to offer. It is definitely the place that all visitors should stay when visiting the park. May I also suggest that tourists visit the park with their bike in tow during the week and during off peak times if possible, or at least not during the summer. I can’t imagine what the mobs of people or traffic would be like on a summer weekend. This weekend the weather was beautiful, but due to the heavy snow, many of the campgrounds were still closed, and the park was packed. I’m so glad I began my day early.

I was on the trail by 8:30. Given it takes an hour to get to the valley from the Wawona Campground, I felt like I got a good jump on the day. On our way to the trailhead, we made a short stop at Tunnel View which provides a panoramic picture of the valley including three of its famous landmarks: El Capitan, Half Dome, and Bridalveil Fall. After admiring the view, I drove VANilla a few more miles into the valley, parked beneath some tall trees, pulled the shades, and left Petey to fend for himself for a few hours while I took a four mile roundtrip hike to the top of Vernal Fall.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN!

Day 160 – Yosemite and Beyond

Day 160 of Year Long Road Trip Along America’s Scenic Byways

I awoke at 6am, just before the ten teenage girls’ shrill laughs started back up this morning! I planned for an early rise, so I could get to a few of the hot spots before the crowds. Also, I knew at times I was going to have to leave Petey in VANilla, so I wanted to make sure it was cool for him.

After loading up VANilla and boiling some water for coffee and oatmeal, we made our way toward the valley around 7 am. I didn’t plan to be in the northwest corner of the park again, so I stopped off at the other end of Tuolumne Grove Road as we didn’t complete the eight mile roundtrip last night.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN!

Day 159 – Travel Day

Day 159 of Year Long Road Trip Along America’s Scenic Byways

Last night, while I said I camped at the Turtle Bay Park, to be more specific, I camped in the Convention Center parking lot which shares the same main entry and exit point. Wal-Mart and K-mart did not allow overnight parking, so when I noticed three tractor trailers and two campers in the lot across from the Turtle Bay Park parking area, I figured it was a safe place for some shut eye.

The Circus Is In Town

I awoke this morning to a bunch of racket. I pulled my shade up to see what all the commotion was and literally the circus had come to town. Tractor trailers and campers filled the parking lot as workers were hammering down stakes to set up some of their tents behind the convention center. While it probably would have been interesting to talk with some of the folks, my first instinct was to get the heck out of there.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN!

Day 158 – Mount Shasta – Cascade Loop Part 4

Day 158 of Year Long Road Trip Along America’s Scenic Byways

So I really couldn’t get enough of Burney Falls. It’s one of the few places where I could have sat all day just to find the best time to photograph it. It seems it affected others the same way. To the Pit River Indians, Burney Falls is a sacred place. Theodore Roosevelt called it the eighth wonder of the world. The McArthur family believed so strongly that the falls should be protected, that they purchased the land and sold it to the state. Thus the McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park, established in 1922, became the second oldest park in the state.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN!

Day 157 – Mount Shasta – Cascade Loop Part 3

Day 157 of Year Long Road Trip Along America’s Scenic Byways

I watched the sunset from VANilla last night. It was very nice and a little bit of a surprise. I kept trying to catch an amazing sunset shot on the coast, but the colorful sky over the lava fields proved to be a better place for a picture. But more importantly…on to the morning.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN!

Day 156 – Mount Shasta – Cascade Loop Part 2

Day 156 of Year Long Road Trip Along America’s Scenic Byways

We began the day driving Northeast on 97 through Klamath National Forest. Unbeknownst to me there was a war veterans memorial wall and sculpture garden roadside within the forest. In light of recent events, I decided to stop. After stopping at the wall honoring area California veterans who fought in a variety of wars, I wandered through the sculpture garden. The sculptures were large, modern pieces made of metal resembling different wartime scenes including a POW, a wounded soldier, a soldier coming home to his loved one, a nurse caring for the wounded, and more. It was a nice place to pay respects to all of those who have fought for our safety.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN!

Day 155 – Mount Shasta – Cascade Loop

Day 155 of Year Long Road Trip Along America’s Scenic Byways

Mount Shasta Cascade Loop

Petey and I awoke to another glorious day! My weather app on my iPhone forecasts wonderful weather all week. I hope it is right! We began the morning driving A10 toward Mount Shasta. It makes a relatively easy climb nearly half-way to the glacier-clad summit where it dead ends. Many winter enthusiasts were strapping on cross-country skies while I simply turned VANilla around and headed back down the mountain. The drive afforded some fantastic views, but it was so nice outside, I would have rather just found a trailhead leading into Shasta-Trinity National Forest.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN!