So we get picked up round 6.30am from the Handlery Hotel in San Francisco to go to Yosemite National Park - a 4 1/2 hour drive unless you're travelling on a big bus packed with bleary-eyed tourists who haven't had breakfast yet.
Leo, our bus driver/ tour guide, starts off with a jovial aspect but reveals his true fascist tendencies when articulating how critical it is NOT to use his 'restroom' for anything more substantial than a sprinkle. Basically a bullshit artist, he didn't shut up for most of the trip. Fortunately he dropped us at the Lodge at 12.45pm and we said our cheerios with a 2 buck tip. He would be driving the same-day travellers back but we were staying on overnight to chance it with the next driver. (He had his 'issues' too.)
I found the Park overwhelmingly spectacular and grand inspite of the crowds and cars. There are 2 one-way roads along the valley floor and the shuttle bus is free and regular - thereby encouraging the masses to crowd on rather than fill the valley with car fumes.
We took one tip from our mate, Leo, which was to not waste time queuing in the caf for lunch but to head straight for Bus stop 16 or 17 and do a shortish stroll to either some waterfalls or the Mirror lake. We opted for the latter, the easier of the two - and it was brilliant, though there was hardly any water so, for mirror image reflections, we'll have to make do with Dad's pics taken circa 1964(?)
On our return we took a wrong path and suddenly we were quite alone - thinking about those Brown bears that Leo had mentioned (never walk alone...). It was sheer serendipidous (sic?) adventuring that we happened upon the Ahwahnee Hotel and parked ourselves at their delightful bar for sunset drinks and snacks.
The next day I jumped on the bus up to Glacier Point (2,200 feet directly above the Lodge) and my travel partner opted for the less vertigo-inducing open train valley floor tour.
At least 19 of the 30 passengers on the bus were planning to walk down either the long (7 hour) or the shorter route into the valley so I decided to do so too. Most of the pics are from that slip-sliding descent to the valley floor and my calf muscles have taken 4-5 days to recover enough to stop limping when going down stairs. It wasn't really steep but still dangerously slippery as some considerate fellow had paved the path all the way down (probably about 60 years ago) and now it's covered with a fine layer of gravel all the way.
The bus finally left the valley round 4.15pm and we arrived back at our hotel well after the kitchen had closed. I'd gladly return for more - and camp too, except for the bears (they hang around the happy campers looking for ways to get at the food.)
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