KOA, Coarsegold, CA:  After spending most of the day in the truck yesterday, we decided to just go get some groceries and take care of a few things before we leave for Lake Tahoe tomorrow morning.  After getting our groceries and gassing up the truck, we went to a movie in Oakhurst.  We saw “The Help” which was a great movie.  Came back and relaxed and started putting some stuff together before we leave tomorrow morning.  Hopefully we’ll get out of here early.

Boulder jutting out over the road--Yosemite

Hetch Hetchy Reseroir--Yosemite.

KOA, Coarsegold,CA:  Drove up to Hetch Hetchy Reservoir today.  Back to Mariposa and then took Rt. 140 along the Merced River down through a canyon with steep, forest-covered mountains on each side.  Had to make a detour because the road was buried by a rock slide, along with part of the Merced.  Followed the Merced all the way into the west entrance of the park.  Then the steep, forest-covered mountains were replaced by sheer granite cliffs.  And the Merced was tumbling down through the canyon amid huge boulders.  Lots of glacial erratics in the park, but more so coming in from the west. A much prettier drive coming in this way.  Took the turnoff for Rt. 120 and finally the turnoff for Hetch Hetchy.  Stopped at a little picnic area and had the lunch we packed and then continued on.  The road here wasn’t so great—especially as we dropped down to the reservoir, with steep drop-offs and no guard rails in places.  Parked by the dam and walked around, taking in the stunning views.  An amazing place.  John Muir fought the building of this dam to protect the beautiful Hetch Hetchy valley, but to no avail.  After the 1906 earthquake in San Francisco that destroyed most of their water system, it was decided they had to do something.  And so they won.  This reservoir supplies 85% of the power and water to the SF environs and beyond.  Walked around the dam for a while and then headed back.  I drove up here, so Mike drove back.  Just as beautiful going back.  Took a little over 3 hours each way.  Stopped in Mariposa for some dinner and then back home.  A beautiful place.  I’m so glad we went.

Pretty little farm up in a high valley.

Hetch Hetchy Reservoir--Wapama Falls

Hetch Hetchy Reservoir

View of Half Dome in the haze/smoke from the west entrance.

KOA, Coarsegold, CA:  Did the laundry this morning.  Then came back, had lunch and relaxed outside reading for a while.  In the afternoon we headed over to the casino.  Had a couple of drinks at the bar and gambled a little.  Then had a great meal at a really nice restaurant at the casino and then gambled some more.  As usual, Mike won.  Back home and watched the DVD I bought at Yosemite about rock climbing.  John Muir climbed Cathedral Peak alone with no rope.  Wow!

Those are not clouds, but smoke from the forest fire.

Outflow from Vernal Falls

KOA, Coarsegold, CA:  Didn’t do much today.  We both slept in a little.  Drove through the Sierras to the little town of Mariposa and had lunch.  This little town is really quaint, with buildings dating back to the late 1800s.  Any drive around here is quite pretty with the mountains all around.  After lunch we drove back to our park and then sat outside in the shade and read for a while.  A nice relaxing day.  Oh, and something we haven't seen in a while.  Clouds!  High wispy clouds.  Very strange.

Ahwahnee Lodge--Yosemite

The Merced River flowing through Yosemite Valley.  Yosemite Valley and Mariposa Grove were protected by Abraham Lincoln in 1864 when he signed the Yosemite grant.  Had no idea!

Dining Room at Ahwahnee Lodge--Yosemite

Thu, 8/12/11
KOA, Coarsegold, CA:  Made another foray into Yosemite today.  Only this time we parked in the lot by the old chapel and then took the free shuttle around the valley.  The forest fire that’s going on seemed worse today.  More smoke.  The shuttle worked out very well.  We saw a lot more than we did when we tried to drive around and find places to park.  Stopped at the Ahwahnee Lodge for lunch.  A beautiful stone and cedar lodge at the end of the valley surrounded by granite spires. After lunch I bought a DVD on rock climbing at the gift shop and we continued on the shuttle to the trail head for Vernal Falls. My hiking boots were in the truck and I only had my Keds on, plus I was carrying my camera and the DVD I just bought.  Mike was carrying his camera also.  The trail to the bridge is only a mile.  We had planned on going that far where the falls come into view and then come back.  But it got steeper and steeper.  And a lot of people.  So I turned around but Mike went on.  I went back down and sat talking to a guy who teaches archeology at Vassar.  He was waiting for his wife and others to come back down.  Mike came back and we headed for the shuttle back to our parking space.  It’s around 5:30 by now and the traffic was bumper-to-bumper heading out of the park.  By the time we drove back to the entrance it was 7:30 and the road was open to the Mariposa Grove, so we drove up there.  We thought the redwoods were big?  The Sequoias are much bigger.  I don’t think they’re taller, but bigger around.  Walked around there for a while, awed by the size of these trees.  Then drove back to our park.  A pretty drive with the almost-full moon out.  It must be beautiful in Yosemite valley with the moonlight washing over everything. 

Mike and John Muir

The fireplace in the Ahwahnee Lodge

The other side of the fireplace shown above--huge!

Beautiful Yosemite Valley

KOA Coarsegold, CA:  Drove up near the Yosemite National Park entrance to take the historic old logging train.  Boarded at 12:30 and wound through the Sierra National Forest amid the fragrant pines.  A beautiful day for it—mid-80s up in the mountains.  The steam engine was very unusual in that it had worm gears or something to turn the wheels.  Very different.  It looked like a corkscrew or something.  Back in the logging days, they ran a flume from up in the mountains all the way down to Madera.  54 miles!  Some of the workers used to ride down this flume in little boats at speeds of over 50 mph.  I’m sure they had to change their underwear after that ride!  After that we drove up over the mountains to Bass Lake.  A beautiful blue lake surrounded by pine forested mountains.  Drove around this pretty lake checking out some of the homes and little cottages clustered around the shore.  On the way home we stopped at a fruit stand and bought some sweet corn, cherries, plums, and peaches.  Back home and had steaks and sweet corn for dinner.  92 down here. 

The Sugar Pine Railroad

Pretty Bass Lake 

KOA, Coarsegold, CA:  Decided to just kick back today after the hoards of people yesterday.  So, after relaxing for most of the day I thought, we ought to at least clean the mini-blinds in the bedroom.  So, we did.  And after much angst and teeth gnashing we got the job done.  They’re hard to get down, and even harder to put back up.  After finishing this lovely job, Mike suggested “…wanna go get a drink?”  Sounded really good, so we drove a couple of miles to the casino and had a couple of drinks and gambled a little.  Had dinner at a little seafood restaurant in Oakhurst and then came back.  95 today under a pristine cerulean sky.

Merced River--Yosemite Valley

Yosemite National Park