Yosemite National Park

We left Three Rivers behind on May 3d and traveled to Oakhurst, California. Our jumping-off point for visiting Yosemite National Park was the High Sierra RV and Mobile Park. The park was a bit odd in that most of the sites were set up in pairs, with two rigs parked parallel to each other and two picnic tables squeezed between them, forming an "H" with two cross-bars. We had neighbors for only one night of our stay, so it worked out fine. Our site backed up to the (seasonal in these parts) Fresno River, which was more like what we'd call a creek back home in PA. Actually, almost every "river" we've seen looks more like a creek to us, but they're still great and we're still thankful to be out of the desert. Two little waterfalls lead to a swimming hole and a bend in the Fresno River, just a few sites down from ours.


California Poppies and lupines behind our site:




An Acorn Woodpecker peeking out of an oak tree (click on this picture to enlarge it, and then click again to see his black mask and a little of the red on his head):


They are really cool birds. We saw them in Three Rivers, too. In both places, they flew and worked in groups. There were six woodpeckers storing long, narrow acorns in this telephone pole. They make a hole and hammer the acorn in until it's so tight a squirrel can't get it out!


A Western Jay on our picnic table:


Rosemary is perennial in this area and makes wonderfully fragrant shrubs. More California Poppies and a rosemary bush in Oakhurst:




Yosemite is another fantastic National Park. Access to the mountains is still closed because of snow, but the valley is beautiful. Finding and getting around the visitors center is not the easiest thing to do, but it's not necessary to an enjoyable visit. Yosemite has a great variety of trees, with sequoias sprinkled among several types of pines.

Our first glimpse of El Capitan and Half Dome:


Like Sequoia National Park, Yosemite's informational signs include those that explain the benefits of fire for large trees. These signs make seeing the results of occasional forest fires a little less sad. Burned trees in the left background:


The Tunnel View parking area is a popular spot for viewing waterfalls and granite formations. About to emerge from the tunnel just before the Tunnel View parking area (on the left):


A squirrel (we can't remember what kind) at the Tunnel View parking area:


From left to right, El Capitan with Horsetail Fall (which the signs state is only there in the Spring) on the far right edge, Clouds Rest, Half Dome, and Sentinel Rock:


From left to right, El Capitan, Clouds Rest, Half Dome, Sentinel Rock, Bridalveil Falls, and Cathedral Rocks (above the falls):


We walked the 1/4-mile trail to Bridalveil Falls, and started feeling its mist almost immediately. The closer we got, the wetter we got, until it was like walking in pouring rain! A nice lady offered us her umbrella, but it was no use. We were soaked and cold, but happy! The falls were also very loud, sometimes sounding like thunder. The closest picture we could take, without fearing for our lens (and even then, it was misty):


White water rushing from Bridalveil Falls:


A Steller's Jay looking to the right, with his bushy crest to the left:


Mule Deer and visitors:


Karen saw two or three black bears ambling along in a meadow, but we were unable to get a photo because a large open-air tractor loaded with park visitors got between us and the bears. Awesome for Karen, sad for Bill, but he was still riding high from seeing the bear in Sequoia National Park.

Two views of Yosemite Falls:




The Merced River and Half Dome: