Modesto to Big Oak Flats (just outside Yosemite)
Had a terrible night’s sleep the room was about 29-30 degrees C all night, had to open the door around 4am to help it cool down and there was a huge bunch of people leaving Denny’s Diner so it was also quite noisy with the door open, so consequently did not get the crack of dawn leave that we had planned but that happens. We popped into Denny’s Diner to get some authentic American diner food, we both got all you can eat pancakes ($4) and a bottomless coffee ($1.95) easy to see how people can get ultra large in America, first lot of pancakes come out as 3 and then you get 2 more at a time until you are done. I only had 3 Lewie had 5 (well 4 and a bit) as we were just going to have a light lunch. Grabbed some GAS (petrol) and headed, got a smidge lost but nothing we could not handle as we rock and headed to Yosemite, got a little lost again and had to back track for 15 minutes or so but all good. Then passed a sign saying turn air con off for next 5 mile (or something like that) so we were thinking what is coming ie car needs the power etc it was steepish and windy but nothing crazy, it was also interesting noting that the other drivers were more timid than Lew even though he was driving normally they just must not be used to curves???
So had a debate as to the colour of the purple/pink flowers beside the road, Lewis swears they are pink but his is wrong, although I will admit to lilac rather than purple – regardless they were pretty. Found our accommodation and managed to book in early (score) it is really nice there is a glacier stream bubbling away and a nice sitting / picnic area with swinging chairs overlooking it – and there were a heap of butterflies hanging out in the mud (and lots of people trying to photograph them – me included) which were cool. So we ate our lunch (apple for me and bran and apple muffin for Lewis) see we were allowed to have pancakes for breakfast! And then headed into Yosemite.
On the way in we hear on the radio that they have free entry into Yosemite this weekend for whatever reason so it was very packed but we didn’t have to pay (we will tomorrow) there are just people and cars everywhere but we don’t really know where we want to go or see and we are just so busy looking at the massive mountains and awesome view really cool. At the entrance you got some info and in it they said if there is a sign on the side of a road with a red bear picture that a bear had recently been killed here and please DO NOT SPEED so last year there were 27 bears killed on the road and 19 a year is average… not cool so then Lewis instructed me to find him a bear… and we did see one! It was chilling in a meadow really cool we pulled over (with a million other excited people) and took some photos yay. Just before the bear we saw snow – Lewis did not believe me until he could see it too, it was patchy, covered in leaves and dirt etc. but it was snow… so there was Lewis in his Hawaiian shirt and sandals in snow… fairly cool. So to the visitors centre and get some hiking maps etc., went through the display history of Yosemite – interesting that Roosevelt was significantly involved in the declaration of Yosemite and John Muir was again substantially involved. Yosemite was originally declared to protect the sequoias from logging and ended up protecting the whole ecosystem and area which was cool.
We walked to mirror lake which was a little less mirror as the moment as the water is quite high (one of the bus ladies said as high as it has been in 25 years due to snow melt) but also they are letting it go back to its natural state which is a developing meadow that forms a pool in high snow melt times so it was cool to see. In the late 1800s they put in a toll way, a lodge that had boats on the lake and also put a dancing floor over the lake (for visitors pleasure) thank goodness they no longer have these “comforts” and it has just gone back to the original natural way. We saw a little snake on the way back, and saw a deer beside the road, completely not fussed by the cars or people, lots of naughty squirrels (and not naughty ones, that were actually hunting their own food). You do get a sore neck from consistently looking up it was just gorgeous. On the way out of the park we saw the same bear in the same place (very cool, and some very dumb people walking closer to it to get photos) and then Lewis saw another in the woods not far so quickly pulled over and ducked out to get a few photos on my camera – very very cool as this one was quite close and no one else was there so Lewis spotted it all himself. We had dinner at a restaurant just up the road which was a normal American small town restaurant but around us were a table of Germans, a table of Italians, French, Japanese, us and we think a table of Americans but unusual that for such a small town feel that there was just a international flavour.. crazy then back to plan tomorrow and get an early night back again tomorrow
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