The drive from LA up to Yosemite is quite special. We opted to take the Tioga pass route on Uncle Tom’s advice – we met him in Fiji on a beach at Nanuya Lai Lai, he’s a California resident who gave us some top advice.
A note on the photos… Yosemite is just too extensive and these are a few of 2 GB of pictures I took. Some of the shots are panoramas which I will not be able to finish until back home so I hope not to disappoint here…
Check out my flickr photostream for Yosemite National Park
Lone Pine, pretty little town under Mt Whitney
Well, I was not disappointed with Uncle Tom’s route, we took a stop in Lone Pine and had a delicious steak sandwich in Totem Pole cafe. A quick wander around the town’s main street revealed a few friendly sporting shop owners wanting a chat and a quick view of Mount Whitney before getting back on the road.
Mammoth is a hit
We continued up the valley to Mammoth, the ski resort and stopped by for a quick look around the Mammoth Ski Museum. Very nice, it focuses much more on the history of the resort and the artwork which surrounds skiing rather than a load of old ski kit which these museums usually tend towards. Refreshing and I recommend a visit to any ski buff in the area. I also really want to come and ski Mammoth now I’ve seen the resort, it’s really charming.
Tioga Pass
Olmstead Point, sunset
Next, we started our sharp ascent up Tioga pass, the most dramatic and scenic route up to Yosemite passing such treasures as Lake Mono along the way. We timed the ascent perfectly to be at Olmstead point for sunset – rated as the best view in Yosemite. It was easy to spot many of Ansel Adams’ favourite spots along the way and, naturally we tried feebly to replicate his masterpieces.
Ansel Adams would be proud
Camp Curry
We stayed at Camp Curry, the long trusted budget option. It was even opened as just that according to the Yosemite museum. Our accommodation was basic, in a canvas base camp tent but charming – especially the “Bear Safe” locker for storage of food items. A hefty fine beckoned those who shunned the safety of the bear-safe locker.
Yosemite Days
Vernal Falls and rainbow
We spent our Yosemite days touring the scenic forest passes of the narrow valley and climbing to breathtaking points such as Glacier Point to catch the good sunsets. I’ve pretty much become a sunset junkie / connoisseur on this holiday and I do hope that the austistic detail of these priceless daily 30-minutes of feeling at one with natures warm golden gamut isn’t boring you all.
Alternative Yosemite
On our second day I was getting a little tired of one
Hmmm, maybe I overcooked the polariser here?
scenic point of interest after another and persuaded Gilly that often US national parks have really good museums and galleries (Noted during time at Yellowstone). Yosemite is no exception. The Ansel Adams gallery, whilst heavy on sales has some spectacular works and good equipment. I picked up a polarising filter, it comes in so handy for eliminating reflections during those aforementioned sunset moments.
Yosemite is wonderful, make sure you visit if you’re ever nearby… though I would not recommend travelling just to see it. Yellowstone is bigger and less commercialised, but I guess that’s California vs Montana for you.
Tags: ansel adams, california, national park, nature, pacific, photography, tioga, yosemite
