Yosemite Trip Day 3
Third day was all about less hiking and more driving. Our first destination was Hetch Hetchy where the O’Shaughnessy Dam is located. We drove down the valley through Bridalveil Fall (yah, yah, it’s totally empty), passed El Capitan and Cathedral Rocks.
Numerous debates have been made whether the dam should have been built in the first place. O’Shaughnessy Dam was built in 1919-1923 which was the only time the government allowed such construction in a national park. It was created because of water inadequacy in San Francisco after a major earthquake. Personally I think it really disrupted the ecosystem and is absolutely out of place but there’s no point in arguing though since it’s already here. If this was a current project then this would’ve been major issue. Still, the dam was interesting to look at although manmade.
We went through the tunnel and didn’t have time to take the full hike because of other plans. The other side was nice and relaxing although I did get some mosquito bites when we walked through the tunnel. I can just sit there and daydream all day or perhaps even create a story out of the blue. Not that I’m short in stories or ideas. It’s just a matter of finalizing them and having the motivation in turning them into mangas is what I really need to work on.
After O’Shaughnessy Dam, we headed off to Tuolumne Meadows. It was very scenic route since there were fewer tall trees and we were out in the open. This was basically another gorgeous side of Yosemite.
Yup, it’s definitely more open compared to where we were yesterday.
On the way to Tuolumne Meadows, we passed a lake called Tenaya Lake. From a distance it looked very small but it was really majestic up close. I seriously was not expecting it to be this beautiful. Despite how we couldn’t stop and take pictures because of the full parking spaces, I did manage to take pictures on the road.
We found only one parking space at the crowded visitor center by Tuolumne Meadows only to find out that the parking lot is strictly for guests visiting the visitor center and not for hikers. We might as well go to the visitor center before the hike. There I bought some special souvenirs for myself and Hiroshi: a water bottle I can use for my boot camp and a bear sign magnet that says “Speeding Kills Bears” for Hiroshi. He found it hilarious and was happy I got him one, haha! What a good sport!
After the souvenir shop we had to move and park our car on the side of the road for our hike along with the other tourists. Luckily for us we immediately found an open spot close to the trail. It was just across the street from the Tuolumne Meadows too. The trail was two miles on flat land (yay!). We took the central trail, walked along the Tuolumne River and crossed the Tuolumne River Bridge.
While we rested by the river, we came across a family that was ridiculously having the worst vacation trip. Both father and daughter were fishing and criticizing each other’s method while the mom were glaring and yelled at both of them and went back to their camp. Their other daughter the whole time was busy on her phone… Geez. Even Hiroshi was taken aback by them.
Ah well despite the unpleasant family close by, at least we could enjoy ourselves with the view of Lembert Dome and a bit of the Cathedral Peak by the river.
We went further down the trail to check out a place where Hiroshi was most curious in: Soda Springs. There were puddles of carbonated water coming out of the ground and apparently it’s safe to drink mainly in the log enclosed area. Most of the tourist actually brought cups and drank some but Hiroshi and I had to pass on this one. Keep in mind this is out in the wild with animals stepping, peeing, pooping, and whatever other business they’re doing near or even on the springs. And I’m sure tourists have stepped on these puddles or walked bare feet (no idea how some people can walk bare feet outdoors) in these like this one guy we saw earlier. So yeah, no way we were going to drink that stuff.
It was late afternoon when we started heading back to the car and my hunger kicked in. I don’t think my stomach could pull off another round of healthy bars for lunch like the previous day and since we couldn’t find parking anywhere in the restaurants, we had no choice but to drive outside the park. Plus we were low on gas.
As we exited Yosemite to get gas, we finally found the where the thunders were coming from. Along the way we drove through the dark cloudy and even hit hard rain. I was amazed with the huge difference in weather. This morning it was nice and sunny at our camp, then a little cloudy in Tuolumne Meadows, and now hard rain outside of Yosemite. On the brightside, we don’t have to put up with groups of tourists for lunch at the diner nearby.
My stomach was growling inside the diner and I ordered BBQ ribs while Hiroshi ordered tacos. Oh man, I underestimated my hunger and overwhelmed my stomach from eating too fast. Hiroshi helped me with my remaining ribs while I carefully ate some of the light veggies he had on his plate. Still, it was better than just having healthy bars.
On the way back I was sure the rain would follow us but the weather stayed in their designated location. Although it got a little darker in Tuolumne Meadows, it was still bright and sunny up in the valley.
When we’ve reached a more sunny side, we made a quick stop at Olmsted Point. We drove by it earlier when we were heading to the meadows and the rock formation really caught my attention. Now that we’re heading back and light on schedule, I asked Hiroshi if we could make a quick stop. I’m so glad we did because it was another breathtaking view. We could see everything from where we were so we didn’t even bother with the trail. Plus we were too tired to go for another hike. Standing from the highest point of the stop was the other side of Half Dome.
Since we will be leaving tomorrow and this was the last time we’ll be down in the valley, Hiroshi asked me if I wanted to do anything else. I told him I want to dip my feet in the river and my relaxation trip would be complete. I pointed to Hiroshi a rest area by the river that was in an open field. However, Hiroshi wanted to go somewhere with a better view rather than just an open field. After a few turns here and there and just when I was starting to doubt him because he seems to be unsure of where he was going; we found a perfect spot. Not only did I get to dip my feet in a nice, cold river, we also got a memorable sight of the Three Brothers.
This also means this will be the last day I’ll see El Capital, Half Dome, and Three Brothers in this unbelievable view.
That night after we had our fill with dinner and glorious sweet potato, we decided to go to Glacier Point so Hiroshi could take night shots. The drive was so dark and freaky that I had to look down on my lap. He was really nervous too because of all the sharp turns, hardly any cars in front or back to light up the road, and me not saying anything at all until I brought up the possibility of seeing a ghost of a little girl out in the woods. Haha, that didn’t help either of us at all. Once we got there, he was thoroughly disappointment because of the full moon. He actually wanted to take pictures of the stars and decided to take pictures of other things.Me on the otherhand, can’t take any pictures at all. Down below from where we were, we could actually see the campfire from the campground. That was something to look at.
And just as I was admiring the cute campgrounds, Moron-of-the-Day went over the rails by the cliff to show off to his friends. They weren’t impressed and brought his idiotic back in. Yeesh… At least it’ll be too dark to see him actually fall off. Natural selection.
That guy’s stupidity was all forgotten thanks to the freaky drive back. At least the people on our campground were not as loud as the night before and I got a proper amount of sleep. Either they were super quiet or I was sleeping like the dead. Regardless my last sleep in Yosemite was a good one.
Numerous debates have been made whether the dam should have been built in the first place. O’Shaughnessy Dam was built in 1919-1923 which was the only time the government allowed such construction in a national park. It was created because of water inadequacy in San Francisco after a major earthquake. Personally I think it really disrupted the ecosystem and is absolutely out of place but there’s no point in arguing though since it’s already here. If this was a current project then this would’ve been major issue. Still, the dam was interesting to look at although manmade.
We went through the tunnel and didn’t have time to take the full hike because of other plans. The other side was nice and relaxing although I did get some mosquito bites when we walked through the tunnel. I can just sit there and daydream all day or perhaps even create a story out of the blue. Not that I’m short in stories or ideas. It’s just a matter of finalizing them and having the motivation in turning them into mangas is what I really need to work on.
After O’Shaughnessy Dam, we headed off to Tuolumne Meadows. It was very scenic route since there were fewer tall trees and we were out in the open. This was basically another gorgeous side of Yosemite.
Yup, it’s definitely more open compared to where we were yesterday.
On the way to Tuolumne Meadows, we passed a lake called Tenaya Lake. From a distance it looked very small but it was really majestic up close. I seriously was not expecting it to be this beautiful. Despite how we couldn’t stop and take pictures because of the full parking spaces, I did manage to take pictures on the road.
We found only one parking space at the crowded visitor center by Tuolumne Meadows only to find out that the parking lot is strictly for guests visiting the visitor center and not for hikers. We might as well go to the visitor center before the hike. There I bought some special souvenirs for myself and Hiroshi: a water bottle I can use for my boot camp and a bear sign magnet that says “Speeding Kills Bears” for Hiroshi. He found it hilarious and was happy I got him one, haha! What a good sport!
After the souvenir shop we had to move and park our car on the side of the road for our hike along with the other tourists. Luckily for us we immediately found an open spot close to the trail. It was just across the street from the Tuolumne Meadows too. The trail was two miles on flat land (yay!). We took the central trail, walked along the Tuolumne River and crossed the Tuolumne River Bridge.
While we rested by the river, we came across a family that was ridiculously having the worst vacation trip. Both father and daughter were fishing and criticizing each other’s method while the mom were glaring and yelled at both of them and went back to their camp. Their other daughter the whole time was busy on her phone… Geez. Even Hiroshi was taken aback by them.
Ah well despite the unpleasant family close by, at least we could enjoy ourselves with the view of Lembert Dome and a bit of the Cathedral Peak by the river.
We went further down the trail to check out a place where Hiroshi was most curious in: Soda Springs. There were puddles of carbonated water coming out of the ground and apparently it’s safe to drink mainly in the log enclosed area. Most of the tourist actually brought cups and drank some but Hiroshi and I had to pass on this one. Keep in mind this is out in the wild with animals stepping, peeing, pooping, and whatever other business they’re doing near or even on the springs. And I’m sure tourists have stepped on these puddles or walked bare feet (no idea how some people can walk bare feet outdoors) in these like this one guy we saw earlier. So yeah, no way we were going to drink that stuff.
It was late afternoon when we started heading back to the car and my hunger kicked in. I don’t think my stomach could pull off another round of healthy bars for lunch like the previous day and since we couldn’t find parking anywhere in the restaurants, we had no choice but to drive outside the park. Plus we were low on gas.
As we exited Yosemite to get gas, we finally found the where the thunders were coming from. Along the way we drove through the dark cloudy and even hit hard rain. I was amazed with the huge difference in weather. This morning it was nice and sunny at our camp, then a little cloudy in Tuolumne Meadows, and now hard rain outside of Yosemite. On the brightside, we don’t have to put up with groups of tourists for lunch at the diner nearby.
My stomach was growling inside the diner and I ordered BBQ ribs while Hiroshi ordered tacos. Oh man, I underestimated my hunger and overwhelmed my stomach from eating too fast. Hiroshi helped me with my remaining ribs while I carefully ate some of the light veggies he had on his plate. Still, it was better than just having healthy bars.
On the way back I was sure the rain would follow us but the weather stayed in their designated location. Although it got a little darker in Tuolumne Meadows, it was still bright and sunny up in the valley.
When we’ve reached a more sunny side, we made a quick stop at Olmsted Point. We drove by it earlier when we were heading to the meadows and the rock formation really caught my attention. Now that we’re heading back and light on schedule, I asked Hiroshi if we could make a quick stop. I’m so glad we did because it was another breathtaking view. We could see everything from where we were so we didn’t even bother with the trail. Plus we were too tired to go for another hike. Standing from the highest point of the stop was the other side of Half Dome.
Since we will be leaving tomorrow and this was the last time we’ll be down in the valley, Hiroshi asked me if I wanted to do anything else. I told him I want to dip my feet in the river and my relaxation trip would be complete. I pointed to Hiroshi a rest area by the river that was in an open field. However, Hiroshi wanted to go somewhere with a better view rather than just an open field. After a few turns here and there and just when I was starting to doubt him because he seems to be unsure of where he was going; we found a perfect spot. Not only did I get to dip my feet in a nice, cold river, we also got a memorable sight of the Three Brothers.
This also means this will be the last day I’ll see El Capital, Half Dome, and Three Brothers in this unbelievable view.
That night after we had our fill with dinner and glorious sweet potato, we decided to go to Glacier Point so Hiroshi could take night shots. The drive was so dark and freaky that I had to look down on my lap. He was really nervous too because of all the sharp turns, hardly any cars in front or back to light up the road, and me not saying anything at all until I brought up the possibility of seeing a ghost of a little girl out in the woods. Haha, that didn’t help either of us at all. Once we got there, he was thoroughly disappointment because of the full moon. He actually wanted to take pictures of the stars and decided to take pictures of other things.Me on the otherhand, can’t take any pictures at all. Down below from where we were, we could actually see the campfire from the campground. That was something to look at.
And just as I was admiring the cute campgrounds, Moron-of-the-Day went over the rails by the cliff to show off to his friends. They weren’t impressed and brought his idiotic back in. Yeesh… At least it’ll be too dark to see him actually fall off. Natural selection.
That guy’s stupidity was all forgotten thanks to the freaky drive back. At least the people on our campground were not as loud as the night before and I got a proper amount of sleep. Either they were super quiet or I was sleeping like the dead. Regardless my last sleep in Yosemite was a good one.
