So, back in February (Brrrrr ) I tried to ride to the valley floor, but ran out of time here. We've had 23 days of rain so far this month, and tomorrow is to be 24, and rain through the weekend. So I took today off, and JC and I rode to Yosemite for lunch. Okay - Feb 13th Today (spring)
chicken with gravy and rice, broccoli... So anyways, we rode through the mess in the Central Valley Past the signs warning of chain controls in Yosemite, through the gate... As the elevation increased, the temps went down - it was about 65f in the Central Valley, 38f at Crane Flat (~6200 ft) No ice - lotsa wet sand It was drier on the Valley side, and not much snow on the valley floor
Yosemite falls - it was pretty cool. The mist from the falls turned to snow by the time it hit the bottom. The big white at the bottom is a large mound of snow, with what looks almost like a trickle of water continuing down the rock face. We stopped in the cafeteria at the Yosemite Lodge for lunch, and ran into my wife's uncle,cousin and her 4 kids (they are on their way to see us, and the kids have never seen snow). If you order an espresso drink at the cafeteria, make sure the gal doesn't charge you $12.00 for 2 drinks :eek1 Girl at counter - "let's see, a mocha is $2.50, a latte is $2.50, you wanted 4 shots total at $1.00 a shot, that's $4 more on the latte, plus $3 extra for the mocha with 3 shots" JC - "umm, don't they already come with a shot or two??? Aren't you only supposed to charge for EXTRA shots??:huh " Girl at counter - "Ooops - my bad" All in all, a nice day off - left my house at ~10:15, back home at 5:30, not a drop of rain
I love Yosemite, what a great place! The scenary is truly spectacular... please tell me you've stopped by the tunnel to enjoy the view into the valley?! My favorite time of the year to visit is around mid to late April... still some significant snow on the high peaks... all the waterfalls are gushing, clear skies with no summer haze...and less crowds! Thanks for sharing the adventure and the great pics....rekindled some fond memories. The following pic was taken by the Tunnel looking down at Yosemite Valley:
Nice pic!!! I ALWAYS stop at the two pullouts - the first with the half dome view (both pics from Feb) - I still want to stop and take the path that's in the longest tunnel that goes out to the edge and the valley view I was too early in the day to get the good lighting like you had
