One plus about staying in hotels, free breakfast comes with the room. One negative is that anyone who wants to sleep in can no longer crawl on Mom & Dad's comfy bed [think 4" memory foam] in the back and keep sleeping while we drive. We took some time to organize our luggage so that we could each grab 1 bag to take into the motel each night. Not only did this save ourselves the embarrassment of toting a laundry basket suitcase, it improved my general state of mind by clearing up some of the chaos.
We had a wee bit of an intro to CA. Figuring out the strange nozzle on the gas pump (fume containment is our guess) and witnessing a group marching past wearing strange hats -including watermelons- and chanting. It seems they were being initiated into a club of some sort. This is definitely not the Midwest! R was not enthused about traveling in CA and would have voted to skip it all together, but he was won over by the beautiful scenery.
We drove up Tioga Pass and entered Yosemite from the back entrance. This would've been a nightmare in a 32' RV, but was no problem for a minivan. We pulled over several times to snap numerous calendar-worthy shots before we even entered the park. So much beauty!
Having a national park pass got us in Yosemite via the express lane- a sweet little bonus. There were all these magnificent streams & lakes so we stopped at the first welcome center to inquire about a fishing license. I waited in a long line to be told by the park rangers that unfortunately they don't sell them in the park anymore- we would have to backtrack to Lee Downing 30 min. back to buy one. They gave me a copy of the regulations and when we discovered JS didn't have the right gear along (or snips to adapt the hooks he had- the snips were back in NV in the RV) we decided to forgo the fishing. However, the time standing in the information line was not wasted because I had the privilege of overhearing a conversation that brought us no small amount of mirth. Some Asian tourists inquired where they could see deer in the park. The park ranger pointed out a meadow on the map where they might see some, to which the women asked "Are you hiding them?" The park ranger struggled to hide her amusement as she explained the concept of wildlife, and I was grinning broadly behind them. We "chewed" that line to shreds for the rest of our trip. Sorry, city slickers, we just couldn't help ourselves on this one!
So, they are not kidding when they say it takes 2 hours to drive the length of the park. That would not have been a problem, but when we were 4 miles from the main visitors center we hit the grandfather of all traffic jams. In fact, it took us an additional 2 hours to go those 4 miles. All the travel guides encourage you to park & walk because it's a faster way to navigate the park. However, this was utterly impossible! There were 0 empty parking spaces. Even the teeniest space beside the road where you might consider making your own parking spot was claimed by someone who got there before you. And no one was leaving. We were utterly & completely stuck.
Now here's the thing- we were hungry and thirsty. We had planned to stop at a Walmart and stock up on snacks & drinks before we entered the park, but towns were few & far between on the route we took. There was one town in bold black on the map, but when we got to that point there was nothing there. Literally. We rolled right through where that alleged town was without even realizing it -not a single building in sight. So we were stuck in Yosemite without supplies, headaches from the altitude, and going nowhere fast. We thought the park did a horrible job of marking their roads & concessions. We had plenty of time to read signs as we inched along, but there were no signs telling us where we might find food & water. The GPS and the park map did not jive (yes, we have Garmin, and yes, we updated it right before the trip). It was all very frustrating. You couldn't do anything but inch along with all the other vehicles and hope they were going where you needed to go.
We got to see Sequoia trees. A good, long look.
I resurrected a couple bruised apples and some trail mix that once-upon-a-time had chocolate in it but was now a melted mess from the insulated cooler of spoiling food. JS had his box of snacks from his fiancé in the backseat, but without water to quench one's thirst and ease the altitude headache, none of it was very appealing. A & I had our heart set on hiking to the falls, but now we decided to leave the park and find food. The majestic beauty lost it appeal about an hour ago...
We drove to where the park map had a food symbol just outside the park. It was a gas station and a picnic table. NOOOO! GPS was telling us there was food a couple miles away, so onward ho. As fate would have it, these little dining establishments were closed between lunch & dinner till 5pm. You have GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!!! I mean who does this? Who closes their restaurant when you are the only food for miles around? One even had a flashing OPEN sign but locked doors. I am not making this up.
GPS told us there is another restaurant 3 miles farther. Ok, we can do this. We can live for another 3 miles. But when we head that direction Ms. GPS changed her mind and said "Umm, actually it's 21 miles farther. That mountain over there is blocking the satellite and had me confused for a minute. Sorry, about that." AARRGGGGHHHHH! Those 21 miles were like a trip to hell -it didn't end! The road was hilly, winding, and went on 'forever' with absolutely nothing. JS said we are going to die and I started to agree. 5 years from now someone will happen along this remote stretch of road and find a Kia full of bones; our remains will be identified by our dental records. Everyone will say "I wonder what happened to the Millers. They never did return from that trip they took, come to think of it."
Oh, and along about that time we came across this little delight, adding to our sense of 40 years wandering in the wilderness...
The picture isn't very clear, but we're detouring around a rockslide that completely covered/closed the road. Yup, we're gonna die out here.
We were all "hangry" [the kids informed us this is what its called now days] and snapping at each other. Remember we waited to take this trip till we were all old enough to get along in a confined space, but Yosemite was the one exception we allowed ourselves. But at last -at looooong last- we came to a tiny country store, and yes it was open! Miracle of miracles. R purchased 2 bottles of high-dollar water and we were saved from total dehydration. My hero! Remembering that drinking too much too fast can make one sick, we sipped slowly (and still have those precious water bottles as souvenirs) as we rolled on a bit farther into Mariposa at 5:30pm. You get that? 5:30... this was supposed to be lunch...!
We actually had several options, but R misinterpreted our feeble, near-starvation finger-pointing at a diner as pointing at a steakhouse next door. The rustic exterior disguised an exotic menu & prices.
That there is a $15 burger-
And that's fry bread with chicken...
JS ordered catfish which was topped with something orange & really spicy, which he couldn't eat. We spent nearly $100 on that meal. But the funny thing was the waiter soon caught on that we were thirsty and brought us ice water by the carafe full. I think we drank 3. The sweet tea was served in quart canning jars and JR drained 2. I bet they never seen anything like it.
By the time we left the restaurant, everyone's mood had improved dramatically! Even JS agreed we should go back and finish Yosemite. R "put it in the wind" through all the switchbacks and we made it back in a record 45 minutes. The crowds had thinned considerably, but we still got into some traffic. Like 2 miles instead of 4. The kids & I jumped out and started walking toward the falls while R found a parking spot. We hustled up there before it got dark.
Oh look, this is where they are hiding the deer! hehe
The falls were amazing! We only had time to hike to the lower falls because it was getting dark but it was so worth our time to return to Yosemite. A couple of us could sit here for hours just soaking it in. And it wasn't as crowded as it would've been in the afternoon.
We had a little hiccup getting back to the van. In his haste to catch up to us and not miss the falls, someone hadn't paid attention to where he parked. We took the scenic route till we found it. We saw the part of Yosemite we missed earlier -now in the dark. lol. We decided to swing by the gift shop on the off chance they might still be open. Sure enough, they were open till 10.
You will never guess what they had in the gift shop. Food! Drinks! Sandwiches, fresh fruit, snacks. All kinds of wonderful things we needed so desperately in the afternoon.
It was late till we selected -and played with- souvenirs and got out of there, then we still had to drive to our motel. The 2nd never-ending drive of the day. We drove through miles & miles of the worst switchbacks I have ever seen. Unbelievable! Some of us were actually getting dizzy, and some carsick. Nothing creates warm fuzzy feelings for your family like being carsick. It was midnight till we got to the motel. What a day! We have had ENOUGH adventure for one day.
to be continued...
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