Yosemite Is Everything They Say

Now this is one destination we have been looking forward to.

Yosemite is one of the most visited places in the USA. The park is some 768,000 acres in size and 3.7 million people a year visit it and we plan to add another 2 to that 3.7 million.

Our drive from Sequoia had us back tracking so we could get on the interstate. All the interstate highways in the USA are built to a standard, with no low bridge clearances to worry about and wider roads to accommodate trucks and big rigs like ours so we tend to travel on them wherever we can. They are usually the fastest way between two points. As usual we are too big to get into Yosemite park itself so we booked an RV park about 20 miles from the north entrance - a place called Groveland. As we neared the park we were met with a narrow, steep, uphill grade - so it was truck in tow/haul mode and we climbed, climbed and climbed. There are two roads up to Groveland, one for heavy vehicles and trucks which has a lesser gradient than the other which is for your average type vehicle. Our iPad has become invaluable on this journey - we have a number of 'apps' that provide us with information about road conditions, gradients etc however for some reason this one was not recorded so took us by surprise. However as always the Dodge handled it no problems.


Looking back down the road we came up



Each site is a little different and as mentioned in previous blogs we need to scope each one to make sure that all our slide outs etc fit. In the desert it was never an issue - no trees to contend with there! The height of a tree also needs to be considered as any low hanging branches can quite easily damage the roof which is made of rubber. It took a little longer to set up this time - in the end we settled for not being able to fully extend our awning. We set up our chairs, cracked the first beer and then realised just how dusty the roadway into the park was! Every time someone drove in or out clouds of dust floated our way - we now know why they had a 5mph speed limit through the park (not that anyone took any notice of it!). We probably could have asked for another spot but we were all set up so decided to just put up with it (not without cursing every time someone drove past though!)

We booked in for a week, which allowed us plenty of time to see the main sites and to also have a couple of 'free days' ( to catch up on washing, blogs etc. Thanks for those words of advice Bob!).

May not look it but dust central



Next day we headed into the famous Yosemite National Park and like all the other tourists couldn't pass up the opportunity to get a photo at the entrance - they even have a stand to rest your camera on.

Yosemite here we come!





As expected the road was windy but the scenery along the way was spectacular. We both agree that, as good as they are, photos don't do this area justice - nothing beats seeing it in real life.

A view of El Capitan in the distance



Our first stop was the Bridelveil Falls - unknowingly we had planned our trip perfectly as there was plenty of snow melt feeding the falls which made them all that more spectacular.

Bridelveil Falls


Water coursing from the base of Bridelveil Falls



We continued our drive to Yosemite Village which is the central hub in the Valley. The car park was filled to capacity with cars and Cruise America hire RVs - it was only spring so we could imagine it must be utter chaos in summer!

They try to keep human impact to a minimum in the park but with millions of visitors that's an ongoing challenge. There is a shuttle bus which runs from the car park to all the major highlights and they obviously encourage visitors to take advantage of not having to drive their own vehicles. A quick walk around the souvenir shop, a bit of lunch from the "grill" (fending off the very hungry and quite aggressive squirrels) we headed off to check out Yosemite falls and the surrounding meadows.

So we arrived at Yosemite falls and a quick visit to the loo (bathroom) had me chuckling - we all know what public toilets are like but I have never seen one like this!

No chance of running out



The short walk to Yosemite falls did not disappoint - the view was just amazing. We did the usual and took photos for other tourists and they reciprocated and took ours.

It does not get much better than this


I was tempted to propose again



The valley done we headed to Glacier Point. The shuttle bus doesn't venture this far as the road is really narrow and quite a distance up the mountain. Once again the view just took our breath away - of all the places we have visited in the USA Yosemite is one that we would say is a 'must do'!

Words cannot describe it


Looking down to Yosemite Village some 2000 feet below


Many photos later we headed home - we had driven about 150 miles so we were looking forward to a "day" off.

Our next big drive was to visit the Tioga pass which is closed from November to May due to the amount of snow this area receives. It sits at an altitude of 9945 feet or 3979 metres which in comparison is higher than Mt Kosciusko (the tallest mountain in Australia) which is only 7310 feet high or 2228 metres high.

The drive up to the pass was very scenic and we took the opportunity to stop at various points and see the creeks flowing with the snow melt.

The creeks were running


Now thats a lot of granite, thats me half way up



Just like a mirror





The Tioga Pass road follows the shoreline of Tenaya lake. This is the most reflective lake I have ever seen.




After many stops we arrived at the Tioga pass, which is the Eastern entrance to the park. Always up for a challenge we were determined to walk up to Gaylor lake. The information at the start of the walk had all the usual warnings about bears etc and also indicated that the trail was 3 miles long with a 600 foot elevation gain. So we set off and within what seemed like minutes we are stopped and our hearts are pounding! We acknowledge that we are not the fittest right now having been on holidays for 7 months but this is ridiculous. A rest and we set off again - the air at this altitude is thin and we are feeling it- we had quite a lot of stops on this hike. We arrived at the top, sitting at 10,000 feet looking down on a lake that is still frozen in places, yep it still has ice covering it. All the warnings say to be prepared as at this altitude the weather can change suddenly - and it did - ice rain, wind and thunder in the distance. A quick look around and we were back on the track heading down - back to the truck and its heated seats!

Half way up and time to just take in the view


This was was one steep trail



Lake Gaylor still with ice



There are many warnings about bears throughout the park but in reality they are very rarely seen. We were in luck however as on the way home we rounded a corner and encountered a number of people standing on the side of the road with cameras in hand watching a big bear feeding on berries in the meadow. So of course we stopped and joined them. All road rules are forgotten when there is a bear sighting - within minutes there was a traffic jam including a bus full of Asian tourist snapping away from their windows.

Bear country


And One Big Traffic Jam



Most tourists tend to only visit the main highlights in Yosemite National Park however there is another part that is often overlooked that is equally as beautiful -Hetch Hetchy. This is the starting point to a 5 mile hike up to the Wapama Falls. The hike begins at the very controversial O'Shaughnessy Dam (which provides San Francisco with its water supply), through a tunnel cut through the mountain which originally had a rail line running through it. It seems in the day where transport was limited the best way to build a dam was to first build a rail line to the site - this allowed supplies etc to be delivered to the dam build site. This hike was certainly not as strenuous as the day before and it was nice to be able to stroll along and take in the views without puffing and panting! The highlight was standing at the foot of the Wapama falls as they cascaded down. We even took a moment to take our shoes off and paddle in the ice cold water.

The Walk Started with a Tunnel


Looking Back Towards the O'Shaughnessy Dam


Just Taking in The View


The Falls Just Thundered Down


Taking Time Out for a Paddle



Yosemite is huge - even after covering over 400 miles we had really only scratched the surface of discovering the beauty of the area. Not sure if it is noted as one of Wonders of the World but it has certainly been a major highlight of our trip - a definite must see!

Location:Yosemite National Park CA

Trees, Trees and then there are BIG Trees

There are a number of camping grounds within Sequoia National Park however due to our size we were forced to find accommodation outside the park itself. One thing we have had to learn is to trust our GPS ( or Tom as he is affectionately known). When we first set Tom up we had to input all our (or rather our rig's) dimensions and we often question the route that he takes us on. We have also learnt that to miss a turn is not a good situation to be in, there are no three point turns in this rig. So with our faith in Tom we crawl along a very narrow, winding country road very nearly missing the entrance to our designated park. After checking in we followed the path to our site. Another thing we have learnt to do is to take our time in surveying the site - we need to make sure that all 4 slides and awning can extend without hitting trees or power boxes. This site had an added complication - the guy next door had parked his truck bordering onto our site - he must have been watching and when he saw the length of our turn out moved it very quickly!

Trees it seems so long since we saw so many



One of the first things we noticed were the number of trees..... trees with leaves! And no hot desert winds! We put the awning out and didn't have to pull it in for the entire 7 days.

The entrance to the National park was only 7 miles away from where we were staying with another 20 miles to the sequoia trees.

There are a number of stopping points along the way the first being "Tunnel Rock". This part of the original road is now by passed as most SUV's and
trucks as they don't fit under it. We stopped and just admired the beauty around us, having been in the desert for so long we were really appreciating the trees and flowing creeks.

Tunnel Rock


Snow melt filled the creeks



We were heading for the "General Sherman Tree" estimated to be about 2,200 years old and the biggest (by volume ) tree in the world. Before arriving at the General Sherman tree we stopped to marvel at the giant Sequoia trees.

We just had to stop


The drive up was just as amazing



The walk down to the General Sherman tree is an easy downhill trek however there are many warning signs to alert people that the uphill climb is much more difficult due to the high altitude. Yes we did have a couple of 'I need to take another photo' stops on the way back to the truck! We were fortunate that the park had only just opened for the season so the number of 'tourists' weren't at capacity however there was always someone to take your own very special photo in front of the General!

The General Sherman Tree, too tall to get it all in



The next day we headed to Moro Rock and Crescent Meadow for a hike. Moro Rock is a granite dome formation located in the middle of Sequoia National Park and has a stairway of 400 steps to the top which were built in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps. Bit of a breath taker but well worth the effort!

A steep walk


But well worth it


Just beautiful


Yep still snow on the peaks



The dome conquered and with bear warnings in the front of our minds we headed off for the hike around Crescent Meadow. The trail features a tree to climb in and another that has been made into a house. We were lucky to see a few deer grazing but fortunate not to run into a bear!











Of course there are plenty of photo opportunities to be had and the friendly competition between us continues, hard to get that good shot sometimes!

Get out of my photo Rose!


This place just keeps on giving



I love you this much! Yep that's the root ball of one of these trees!




The Drive Through Tree


The Drive on Tree, now only walkable



At the end of a day it is always nice to share your experiences with fellow RV ers. Pat and Glenn, a couple from Los Angeles, were camped next to us and after a quick introduction joined us for a few drinks. We loved hearing about the small town they live in - the Mc Donald's has a horse hitching rail outside its store - now that is something to write home about!

Although we are on a continual vacation / holiday we do try to have a couple of days 'off' each week. We spent our last afternoon in Sequoia down at the rivers edge behind the RV park with a champagne. Cheers!

Champagne by the Creek




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Location:Sequoia National Park CA

Camped in an Orange Grove

Our next destination was to be Sequoia National Park but due to the Memorial Day long weekend we were unable to book a site. So to mark some time we headed to a town called Bakersfield in California. The park we chose was called the Orange Grove RV Park and its name said it all - each site was surrounded by very well manicured orange trees - it appeared that they had cleared out rows of trees in an orange grove and put RV sites in the gaps. After months in the desert the trees were a welcome sight! We noticed that all the trunks of the trees were painted white which we found out later was a form of tree sunscreen! In a normal orange grove the trees are planted close together therefore protecting the trunks from the sun but when they stand alone they get burnt!! We have heard of a sunburnt country but never sunburnt trees!

Our Orange Grove site



Apart from growing oranges there is not much else that Bakersfield is famous for except that the rock band Korn originated from there - they even have a street named in their honour with the street sign on a post about 3 metres high to stop people souveniring it.

Korn Row



In addition to orange growing the Bakersfield area also produces large quantities of nuts with many road side stalls and markets selling them. As luck would have it there was a store at the back of the RV Park that sold not only nuts and dried fruits but also date shakes. We had sampled these before with our friends Andy and Jackie in Yuma so were keen to indulge in another one - we weren't disappointed!

A drive into the city and visit to the information centre confirmed that Bakersfield is a working town, not really a tourist destination. Apart from Korn Row the only other point of interest was the floating granite earth globe located at the local train station. I could not resist the temptation to change its axis and put Australia to the front.

Changing the world, well it's axis anyway



Back to the 5th wheeler we went - we have learnt that we don't have to be out and about every day - like any 'home' there is always something to fix, clean or washing to do ( and update our travel map.)

Another State goes on the map.




One of the joys of travelling is meeting new people. In the next row from our site 2 families were camping together - 2 families consisting of 5 adults and 11 children. This was quite a change of scenery for us as we have not seen many young families since arriving here. The owners of the park had allocated them 5 sites - the entire area was filled with pink bikes, scooters and toys. As is fairly common in the USA these kids are home schooled by their very competent and patient mother Kristina. To say that we enjoyed their company would be an understatement - the kids were so well mannered and all looked out for each other. We were invited to share their campfire one night and were introduced to "s'mores". A "s'more" is a toasted marshmallow topped with a piece of Hershey chocolate sandwiched between 2 Graham's biscuits (or is that a cracker!) This is obviously a common campfire treat here in the USA so much so that one of the fast food companies sells s'mores milk shakes! Back around the campfire we were even given the option of a lightly toasted or burnt marshmallow - it is all a matter of taste preference! One of the kids had marshmallow toasting duties and Kristina made them up. Delicious!

BBQ ribs are very popular throughout the USA - our first taste experience was at Bobby's Blues & BBQ in Terlingua. It must be tradition to cook ribs over the Memorial Day weekend as the meat departments in the supermarkets were full of them and the shelves stocked high with many combinations of rubs and sauces. Always willing to try something new, and after a conversation with a lady in the supermarket aisle (getting the low down on how to cook them) we loaded the trolley with a large pack of ribs, some rub and a bottle of sauce. Cooking them slowly was the secret ingredient

Ribs ready for cooking


Ribs cooked and ready for eating



People in RV Parks are always ready to share their knowledge and help their fellow campers. We have learnt more this way than we ever could have reading a book on the subject. So it was with great pride that I was able to share my knowledge and expertise with a couple who were on their 'shake down' trip in their newly purchased 5th wheeler, getting right down to the dirty end of the business - emptying their black and grey tanks! Who would have thought an Aussie would be able to give tips to a fellow RVer in the USA.

Bakersfield may not have a lot in the way of tourism but as we found out they do have good medical facilities. I had woken up one morning about 3 weeks ago with what we thought was a pinched nerve in my neck and treated it accordingly with heat packs and anti inflamatories. Rose had noticed a small blister on my shoulder but thought it was a result of the heat pack being too hot. As we were heading into the 'bush' again and the pain was not receding we decided to go and get it checked out. As specified in our travel insurance policy we contacted our travel insurance company first to let them know what the situation was. Off to the doctor we went and came out with a diagnosis of shingles! No wonder the pain had been so intense and hadn't responded to our treatments. If shingles is treated within 72 hours the recovery period is quite quick however as I wasn't treated within this time frame I have sustained considerable nerve damage which can take (sometimes) years to repair. You don't often hear good stories about insurance companies but we have nothing but praise for ours - I have received a couple of 'follow up' calls from an Australian nurse to check on my progress. Great service!

Our Monday morning departure from Bakersfield was made extra special because of the hugs we received from the 11 Stratton family kids.

Sequoia here we come.





Posted by RnR on their IPad

Location:Bakersfield CA