Yosemite National Park, California

 Yosemite National Park, California   April 3-8, 2022

Larry and I enjoyed our drove up Route 41 in California turning  right at Oakhurst on to  Route 49 and connecting on Route 140 heading to El Portal.

We really enjoyed driving on Route 140 that paralleled the Merced River!

It was gorgeous!

                                   The Merced River was running wild from the snow melt.

We actually spotted a man in a wet suit that was riding the river on his boogie board...

now that is daring!

We spent three nights  at the Yosemite View Lodge. It had a deck with the river right off the back. 

Larry and I could just sit there and not go out exploring!

 Yosemite View Lodge had an impressive collection  of British Cigarette Cards in a large room off the lobby. I had never heard of these. 

Apparently between 1890 and 1939 one card was given with  each pack of cigarettes in hopes that folks would buy more smokes to collect the cards. The pictures on the cards were exquisitely drawn and they were completed in a theme collections...such as old cars, butterflies, wild animals, birds, etc. 

Generally there are 25 to 50 cards in a series. Each year there could be anywhere from 10 to 100  in a series. Each British Tobacco Company vied with one another to provide interesting quality sets. On the reverse side of each card is information about the picture.

These cards show interesting insight into the early years of the twentieth century of Great Britain. There are still collectors who trade or purchase these cards from other collectors. The collection filled the walls of the lounge in the lodge.

Spring was in full bloom around the lodge with wisteria,

redbud, and

Spider Lupine

This entrance sign is actually on the northern part of the park.

Today we made plans to go to the  south end of the park to the Mariposa Grove down Route 41.

Oh my...this rock is so cool!

It is called Arch Rock.

Scooter riding through the park was FANTASTIC!

WOW!

This looks like the Prudential Insurance ad...."Want a piece of the rock!"

The waterfalls  in this area are known as the Cascades.  

and streams were roaring tremendously with the snow and ice melt.

Almost as nice as our river view out our back door at the lodge.

My man sure knows how to pick a fantastic spot to stop.

The park was full of twisty curves

and so many waterfalls!

We enjoyed going through the tunnels in the mountains.

1857....WOW!

Some well preserved antiques from the past!

I thought this was a snow plow...it was actually a horse drawn road grader.

Clark's Station

The Ranger's Patrol Cabin

The Stage Coach Office

The Powder House/Jail

Our next stop was the Wawona Visitor Center (closed due to Covid) for a hike in the Mariposa Forest.

We spotted a couple of deer while hiking.

These trees just grew together forming one huge trunk at the bottom.

After somehow being topped, this tree just didn't give up...it sprouted new growth on the side. 

The path was up a mountainside of destruction. 

Large trees fell across the path. Brush, fallen trees, and limbs  lay everywhere.

A huge destructive wind storm blew through here in January, even causing the closure of the restroom at the end of the path due to damage.

The Sequoias were just magnificent!

The small pinecone is from the Sequoia. The large one is from a pine tree. 

Hard to believe that this slice of a sequoia is 805 years old...beginning life in 1149. WOW!

AMAZING!

The shear size of the granite rocks was just astounding!

Half Dome
The ride back ,going north, was just plan spectacular!

Our second day we headed north on Oak Flat Road turning right at Mather  and going to Hetch Hetchy.

Route 120 or the Tioga Road that goes over the mountain to the other side of the park is closed due to snow from November through May.

Looking down in the valley was as spectacular as looking up at the granite rocks.

More curves.

 We passed through numerous tunnels

We did see snow in several locations.

Snow machines

What a huge snow blower!

The moss was beautiful growing on the north sides of the trees.

The trees near Crane Flat were so tall and majestic.

Yosemite is known for its waterfalls, giant granite cliffs and stunning sequoias.

We have been so fortunate to see them all.

The views just don't stop in this incredible park.

It is hard to believe that President Lincoln designated Yosemite as a forest  reserve back in 1864. 

It has grown into an American icon of wilderness...all 759,620 acres.

We enjoyed our little cabin in Yosemite Village. It was quiet and had a comfortable bed...all the creature comforts...like a private bathroom. NICE!

There were also other options. 

Yosemite offers over 12 miles of paved bike paths and bikers can also use regular roads. The sights are so spread apart that biking was a great option for us. We did all 12 miles of the bike paths and lots of road riding as well. They also offer a bus service in the park.

Our first day of staying inside of Yosemite Park we biked to the Ahwahnee Lodge.

 

What scenic surroundings!

Each room had a gigantic fire place. With the high ceiling I can only imagine that it took several full time employees to keep the hotel temperature comfortable.

I fell in love with this copper fireplace in the Mural Room.

This hand painted mural showed some of the 400 species  of animals in Yosemite.

Large windows opened up to the fabulous natural scenery outside of the hotel.

Meet Yosemite  National Park's Superintendent. Larry and I found an interesting display of "Women Who Made Their Careers in Yosemite" dating back to the beginning of the park upstairs.

Upper Bridal Veil Falls

Our final day we rode bikes up to Mirror Lake....

On the way to Mirror Lake we followed this absolutely gorgeous stream!

Such a peaceful place...just the roaring river.

It really was a mirror!

We met a sweet couple, two high school widowers who had found each other again....David and Suzie, who were from San Francisco. They told us  that you normally can't walk out to the rock that we are poised on. In other words the water level was way down.

Ahwtyah Point and Half Dome are behind me.

Mt. Watkins is behind Larry.

Folks have been coming here for a long time...don't you just love that turn stile entrance!

Larry and I were a little underdressed  compared to that time period.

From Mirror Lake we biked to the Yosemite Village and then walked to the Lower Bridle Veil Falls.

Although the Valley Visitor Center Exhibit Hall and the Yosemite Museum were closed due to Covid,
we enjoyed going in Ansel Adams Gallery. Larry's stepfather, Darrel, was quite a fan of his photography. Adams was big on black and white photos.

Larry took this photo outside in the Yosemite Village. I think it is as good as Adam's photos.

How in the world did he get it to look mostly black and white?

We rode our bikes as far as we could toward the Lower Bridle Vail Falls and then hiked the rest of the way.

It was magnificent!

How fortunate we were to spend our last day in one of the most beautiful areas of 

Yosemite National Park!

Located in the heart of the Sierra Nevada mountains, Yosemite National Park was established by an act of Congress on October 1, 1890.

Yosemite was a down right AWESOME place to visit.