Whirlwind Yosemite Trip: Part 2

In the morning the boys and I explored the area. We had found our tents at night, so we took the opportunity to enjoy the surroundings. Before we headed off, Mum wanted pictures of each party in front of their respective tents. Mum and I were a bit boring, but the boys, realizing that they were in tent 747, laughed about how it was the "airplane" tent.

We drove to Olmstead Point, where we took yet another jumping picture. It was quite windy and hot that day. The fire behind us was a controlled burn, or so they said.

Here's Mum pointing to Cloud's Rest, which we had hiked to a little over two months ago. It was during that last trip that I made more solid plans to go to New Zealand.

After stopping in Tuolumne Meadows for a snack, we drove down Tioga Pass to Mono Lake. Connor wore his loud shirt that day so he wouldn't get lost. Somehow, he still managed to wander off without us seeing where he was going. The conversation would go something like...
"Where did Connor go?"-Mum
"I'll go look for the highlighter" - Me

After eating lunch at the Whoa Nellie Deli, we drove back up Tioga Pass where we started to suspect that the "controlled burn" might not be so controlled after all. As we passed Olmstead Point again we saw a helicopter go by. Later on we learned that they had been evacuating people off of Half Dome. I was a little disappointed to not have been one of them. Imagine walking to Half Dome and getting a free helicopter ride back!

After Olmstead Point, Jason chose the music: the Guardians of the Galaxy soundtrack. The first song, Hooked On A Feeling, came on and Mum exclaimed, "I know this one!" Then she and Jason proceeded to sing. Connor leaned over to me and whispered, "This just got awesome!" It was then that we all learned that Jason has an amazing voice.

Jason had the honors of cleaning the windscreen since he had shotgun. 

As evening crept in, we stopped by Knight's Ferry and got the last jumping shot of the trip.

On the way home Connor and I passed out. Mum leaned over to Jason and asked if we were awake. He replied that Sparky (me) and Highlighter (Connor) had burnt themselves out.

Clouds Rest And Mono Lake: ERP2014 Day 2

On Day 2 of the Epic Road Trip of 2014 Mum and I hiked Clouds Rest in Yosemite. This was the primary purpose of the road trip. I think at one point this was all we had planned to do until I said something like, "Could we see (insert point of interest) too" a couple of times. 

It's 7 miles (11km) up and 7 back. Most of the trail is well marked, but once you get to the peak, it looks like this. It really doesn't look like you should be scrambling up those rocks just past the sign. On either side are very steep drops. The hike even warns you not to do it if you have a "heights thing".

I think the guide was a little lax in explaining how narrow a piece of rock you are crossing over. Everyone had problems going over the last bit of rock. When we reached the last part of the trail I found my heart racing, so I just looked at my feet as I went up and over. (Actually, if you don't have a "heights thing" while doing the last bit, your sense of self preservation simply doesn't exist and you might have bigger issues in life to contend with.) If you go up and over, you get the best view in Yosemite. Just to my right is Half Dome. And the deep valley to the right of Half Dome, that is Yosemite Valley. You are above it all. Clouds Rest lives up to its name.

After finishing that hike, Mum and I got ice cream and then drove to Lee Vining via Tioga Pass. This pass is a sight to behold. It always closes for winter because of the snow. This year was a low snow year, so I believe it opened earlier than usual. If ever you get a chance to travel to this part of the world, drive down this pass. I would recommend doing it in the late afternoon when the shadows start creeping in. You start believing you are in a movie because everything is so grand that it almost seems fake.

The pass opens up to a view of Mono Lake, a neat place in of its own right. Mono Lake is a saline lake with no outlet. And on a day when the clouds roll through, it is particularly spectacular.

The lake has Tufa formations, which are mineral deposits. There are many places around the lake to see them, but the South Tufas are particularly stunning. 

We were lucky to get a view of Lenticular clouds and a flower I had never seen before called the Giant Blazing Star. The flowers were approaching the size of my hand. I didn't even know that size of flower could exist somewhere like the East Sierras.

As the sun set, Mum and I drove to the Whoa Nellie Deli and had a tasty meal. She had the fish tacos, I had the meatloaf. When we got back to the hotel, I hobbled to bed and passed out after having such a great day.

Knight's Ferry And Yosemite: ERT2014 Day1

It's been a week since I've been back from Mum and my epic road trip of 2014 (or ERT2014). We drove over 1,300 miles (2,092 km) and hiked over 27 miles (43 km) in a week. I came back with enough bug bites, bruises, blisters, and sunburn to know that I had a fantastic time! Over the next few days I thought I'd share this week with you all.

Day 1

Have you ever passed a place so many times and said, "One day we'll stop to have a look." On our road trip, Mum and I finally stopped at Knight's Ferry; the site of the longest covered bridge west of the Mississippi. We didn't realize that the bridge was still there. Although it is now closed to cars, people can still cross it. They have a great visitor center as well. It's completely worth a visit.

After our little detour, we continued onwards to Yosemite. As we neared our destination of Tuolumne Meadows Lodge, we took a moment at Olmsted Point to have a look at the beast we were going to conquer the next day: Cloud's Rest. Of course when I took this picture, I didn't see those two girls photobombing us. As we had a look at the surrounding view of Cloud's Rest and Half Dome, we heard our names being called. It sure is a small world. A minute difference, and we wouldn't have run into our friends. They were on their way to Tuolumne Meadows and had stopped at the point to have a look.

We drove past Tuolumne Meadows on our way to the lodge. And by lodge, I mean canvas tents that are at the mercy of the outdoor temperature. There were wood burning stoves in each tent. Mum told me that she "preferred the smell of the air as is" so I didn't light it. We obviously have different body temperatures. Mum slept without socks. I slept in a thick wool sweater. The next morning at breakfast, the workers commented on how cold it was that night. (There was thick frost covering the car, so it was pretty cold.) And the people we ate breakfast with (meals are communal there) said that the best part of the tents is the fire. Next time it will happen! 

Western Blue Flag flowers in front of our tent