The Grandeur of Yosemite

El Capitan is one of the iconic images of Yosemite

Going to Yosemite reminds me of the unseen force that swings the compass needle to True North.  We also seem to be pulled north to this magnificent land.  So  this morning we again drove north to Yosemite and we plan to go back tomorrow and several times after that.

It is a 30 mile drive from Park of the Sierras, where we are camped, to the South Entrance of Yosemite and another 35 miles into the area around Yosemite Village, just one of a few major areas inside the park that offer lodging and other facilities -- including medical/dental emergencies services.  We actually made the drive Saturday morning to see how much time we need to allow to arrive Sunday for a Ranger guilded tour at 10:00.  We'll be leaving early.

Ofcourse we took a few "snapshots" along the way. The above was taken at "Tunnel View". El Capitan is on the left and the small beak-shaped mountaintop just right of center is Half Dome. You might want to click on this one for a larger view.

Another famous feature of the park is Bridal Veil Falls.  Waterfalls in the park are now at their peak flow due to spring melt of winter snows. There is still snow on the ground at 5,000 feet and above.  And some roads in the park won't open until mid-May or early June. 

On the way out of Yosemite, I had to stop and take a photos of this beautiful river.

The Wawona opened in 1879

We decided to stop for lunch in the park and chose the Wawona Hotel dining room.    Real white linen table cloths, a great waiter and easily 3-star food (4 star dessert).

The dining room is charming and the multi-paned windows

 lend a distinct charm

The wall sconces are, unfortunately,

replicas of the hand-painted originals

that were replaced in the 1980s.  But
they are nonetheless very unique.

(L-R) Greg and Jan, George and Sandy

We ended the day on a high note by having dinner with new friends Greg and Jan White.  We first met Greg and Jan at the Gypsy Journal rally in Yuma in March.  They started thinking about full-time RV living in the summer of 2006, but got on the road a lot sooner than we did.  They are now well into their third year.  They are staying in our campground and discovered from our blog that we are here, too.  Small world.

Stay tuned.