Yosemite National Park

Before I start with the commentary, I need to let you know that I am burning out. I am laying over in Lake Tahoe for an extra day or two just to catch my breath, catch up on my sleep, and relax. I got in to Lake Tahoe late Saturday night, wired on caffeine, and emotionally spent. After sleeping poorly Saturday night I decided to just lay around for a day or two. Also, a light on the
dashboard of my car has been coming on indicating a problem with the brakes. With more mountains ahead I have decided to get the brakes checked out before going much further.

On Friday I left San Francisco via the Golden Gate Bridge. It wasn't the most expedient way to go but I wanted to cross the bridge.
I drove over towards Yosemite park, passed through the little town of Groveland, and saw a hotel with a vacancy. I abandoned the idea of sleeping in the car and instead stayed at an overpriced B&B. I slept in an overstuffed bed with doilies, teddy bears, antiques, and throw pillows all around me. The next day I got a very early start as I planned to see all of Yosemite in one day.

Below is Yosemite Valley

Bridalveil Falls

Some average humongous rock

Another rock

A view

I drove to the south end of the park to a grove of giant redwood trees. The one below is in the parking area. I also hiked 3.5 miles to see the upper Mariposa grove of sequoias. The hike up the mountain was difficult because the air was thin and I am not. These trees are interspersed with the other trees. To replicate the typical environmental conditions the Park Service conducts periodic organised burns of the forest. You see the effects in some of the photos below.

I like this picture because I look a whole lot thinner than I really am with the tree as a background.

A nut in a tree.

I didn't have the trail all to myself.

A natural split in a sequoia tree.

A view of the same tree from the other side.

Another ho-hum view. (yawn).

A waterfall off in the distance. The picture is hazy because they were doing a burn that day and the smoke, while thinning, still hung in the air,

I have nothing glib to say about this picture.

A view from Glacier Point.

The rock in the picture is called Half Dome.

The picture below was taken from the side of the road as I drove the entire width of the park to the eastern exit.

Tomorrow (Tuesday) I will be driving about 10 hours up to Jackson, Wyoming (assuming they can fix my brakes today). I will stay there four or five nights while I explore Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks. I gotta tell ya, this savoring all this natural beauty is hard work. I am going to try to slow down for the balance of the trip.