Waterfalls, granite cliffs...and toe-dipping!

Ribbon Fall in Yosemite Valley

On Friday, we left Los Angeles and the traffic behind and headed to Central California. We set up camp at Millerton Lake State Recreation Area, where we are easily 35 miles from anything else. Nice. The lake was created in 1944 when the Friant Dam was constructed across the San Joaquin River.

Little birdie just outside the RV

The campground wraps around the picturesque lake, and our campsite looks out across it. After watching a couple of little birds flying in and around the hole in the tree next to us, we went toe-dipping in the lake for a little while. The park is also full of little animated ground squirrels who dart in and out of their extensive network of tunnels...so silly, but fun to watch.

Bridalveil Fall

On Saturday, we drove out to Yosemite National Park...not a short ride, nor a straight one. Wending our way through progressively smaller and windier roads, we finally arrived at the park. What a sight! Coming in through the west entrance, we saw a pretty waterfall, Ribbon Fall, across from the chapel. We stopped to take pictures of it with easily 2,000 of our closest friends.

El Capitan with the Merced River

As we drove on into the park, we found Bridalveil Fall, where many more thousands of our closest friends were gathered. We walked up to the viewing point where the mist from the fall cascades over everyone and everything...it was great, but hard to take pictures from there.

Yosemite Falls

We walked back down and across the park road to see El Capitan, one of two heavily photographed and beautiful granite monoliths in the park (the other is Half Dome). Fortunately, we didn't have to climb up its 7569 ft in altitude, and simply admired it from across the Merced River flowing peacefully in front of us.

Half Dome

Continuing our way into Yosemite Valley, we arrived at Yosemite Lodge where we had a quick and super tasty lunch at Degnan's Deli. After lunch we walked the Lower Yosemite Fall Trail, an easy hike to the lower fall with views of the Upper Yosemite Fall along the way. What a spectacular vista!

Yosemite Valley

We stopped by Yosemite Village where we dropped in to the Ansel Adams Gallery. Several original signed photographs were for sale there...one a mere $55,000, and you'd still have to buy the frame. Yikes. In any case, we enjoyed looking around the gallery, which was actually more of a gift shop for all things Ansel Adams/Yosemite-related.

Half Dome

Next, we popped into the Yosemite Museum and saw the movie about the park. We strolled around the valley taking in the beautiful scenery. Across a large meadow, we could see Half Dome with some cooperative clouds beyond. We walked over the Sentinel Bridge and took pictures of some rafters floating down the Merced River with Half Dome in the background. Wow!

Jeramy and Sydney

To begin our personal tour, we drove over to Curry Village farther into Yosemite Valley where our friend, Sydney and her husband, Jeramy, live. They have both worked in the park for years and gave us lots of insider information. They regaled us with tales about living through the harsh winters and occasional major Mother Nature events that take place each year. Last year, their apartment building narrowly avoided a landslide. (On our way into the park in the morning, Ken and I saw a major rockslide that had completely covered the incoming lanes of the road about 4 years before.)

On the Yosemite shuttle bus

After the dime tour of their charming and tiny apartment, we chatted for a while before heading out to dinner at the restaurant where Syd works. With the thousands of carloads of people driving through the park on such a nice weekend day, we decided to walk the mile or so across the Sentinel Bridge and over Sentinel Meadow (with Yosemite Falls to watch the whole time) to the Mountain Room Restaurant and enjoyed a wonderful meal in the beautiful restaurant.

After dinner, they toured us around the Ahwahnee Lodge where we poked our heads into the Ahwahnee Dining Room, which once hosted Queen Elizabeth for dinner. The entire lodge is decked out, with huge stone fireplaces, comfy chairs and a southwestern paint palette. It is a really beautiful lodge. We traveled back to Curry Village by way of the free park shuttle, and said our goodbyes to Syd and Jeramy. What a spectacular day and lovely evening.

Rocks near Millerton Lake

Millerton Lake

Our drive back to the RV left a bit to be desired. As pleasant as the day was, the drive out of the south entrance of the park was (almost literally) retch-inducing with all the switchbacks and hairpin turns in the pitch blackness. After an hour and a half of winding and twisting at barely more than 35 mph, we finally found the little town of Oakhurst where we bought gas and some groceries at just before midnight. Another hour or so, and we finally arrived at the RV, beaten and tired by the drive, but happy we survived. Phew.

Toe-dipping in Millerton Lake

On Sunday, not wanting to drive ANYWHERE, we opted to relax and take in Millerton Lake just beyond the RV. We swam in the cool water and soaked up the sun in the late afternoon.

Millerton Lake

After a text from Uncle Bill and a phone call from Robin, we rushed outside to see the solar eclipse in progress. To avoid blindness, we grabbed a brochure and crudely poked a small hole in it and allowed the sunlight to shine through the hole onto another sheet of paper on the ground. We watched the very beginning of the eclipse at around 5:30pm or so, then had a drink or two, and caught back up with the eclipse around 6:40pm when it had just passed its peak. It was interesting though we were both surprised at how little effect we noticed in the amount of daylight during the eclipse. After all that excitement, we dipped our toes in the lake several more times before turning in for the evening.

What a great weekend at two fun parks!