Day 4, Saturday, July 24, 2010

A tour bus full of people was also staying at our hotel, and there was a huge line for breakfast, so we got a later start than we had intended. First stop, the Tunnel View vista area (it is right by Wawona tunnel). From that point, you can look straight down the valley, including Bridalveil Falls. My cell phone camera really doesn’t do it justice. After taking some photos of the kids perched on the rock wall, we backtracked up to Tioga Road, across the park to Tuolumne Meadows. It is a 39 mile drive, and some parts are very scenic. In places, I could have opened my window and touched the rocks as we drove by. Some areas had been burned. Charred trees haunted the landscape and tiny green sprinkles of plants stretched up for the sun. We stopped at White Wolf for a drink and to stretch our legs. There was a beautiful alpine meadow. I half expected to see Heidi and her little white goat coming out of the forest. A bit further along, the terrain became more rocky and less foresty, although there were still trees. We stopped at Olmsted Point for a look around and a leg stretch. Then we made the final push past Tenaya Lake and out of the park. I was surprised to see seagulls at the edge of Yosemite. As we went down the mountain, we came to Mono Lake and all was explained. California Gulls fly in during the spring to nest and raise their chicks. Mono Lake is fed by twelve mountain springs, but it has no outlet, making it a salt lake. Odd stalagmite formations called tufas appear in and around the lake. At the visitor’s center, the kids got “Adventurer Tools,” which have a neck cords and came in one piece that could be broken down into a compass, a mirror, a magnifying glass, and a small storage compartment. They are also very effective for hitting parents and other people in line.

Saw a huge fire on the way to Bodie. Hoped it wasn’t Bodie that’s on fire!

As it turned out, Bodie was not on fire. But we did have a bit of a kerfuffle. The entry gate was cash only and we had a dollar and some change between us. We had to give the park ranger our contact info and get a special envelope to mail in our fee. I asked if they took Paypal, so I could send it from my phone, but they didn’t. Just as well. I couldn’t get a signal in Bodie anyway. We had just under an hour before the park closed. The old buildings were creepy and sinister. The whole place just had a bad juju. I thought the old buildings and the history was interesting, but I didn’t like the feel of it. The park was crawling with friendly, helpful rangers. Actually, they live there. Which made it seem almost like going to a stranger’s house and wandering around in their back yard. While they’re watching you.

On the way out, we could see the fire had gotten much bigger. The baleful red sun glared out from behind billows of charcoal smoke, a single malevolent eye. The trip to Carson City was uneventful. Poor Alex fell asleep in the car and it was hard to wake him up when we stopped in Gardenville for Thai food. I had to try the house special – “Evil Jungle.” It was quite good. Carson City was a mix of charming, old-fahioned town and garish casinos. Andrew couldn’t remember the name of our hotel, so we just followed the navigator. It was a little bit like a blind date. “In 800 feet, your destination will be on the right.” We were relieved to find a Hampton Inn. The kids didn’t like the smell of Nevada. It was kind of sage-bushy and dusty. Reminded me a little bit of incense or smudge sticks. I had a terrible time going to sleep. Residue from Bodie, I suppose.

Andrew’s highlights: Death drive Yosemite II, Mono Lake, brushfire, Bodie, ghost pics, Nevada, breakfast line, death drive, super explorer tools, death drive, Tuolumne Meadows, Thai food, East Sierra, death drive.