Day 2-Yosemite Trip
We woke up early this morning in that limbo between East and West Coast time. The clock said 5:30, but our bodies screamed that it was 2:30 and back home it was already 8:30. We were both grouchy and Ian had a bad headache, but we packed up and had a hasty breakfast at Ihop. We were to meet our tour bus at 6:45 at Pier 43 1/2. What sense does that 1/2 make? It makes me think of Harry Potter and his train platform.
It was still dark as we waited, shivering. the wind off the water ran to the bone even though we came from much worse back home. We realized there was a place indoors to wait, which we availed ourselves of and finally the fog lifted and dawn came.
The bus when it drove up reminded me very much of England and a little of taking Greyhound to New York to see my friend. It was only Ian and I and another couple opting to stay longer than the 2 hours allotted for the tour, so the driver loaded our things and we were off. I will never forget driving through the streets of San Francisco with the orange sun blazing over the horizon and driving so close to the Oakland Bay Bridge. What must it be like to live staring up at it daily stretching miles overhead? And then driving over it snapping picture after picture to catch the light just so until your eyes fill with spots and you're blind.
The tour was narrated and though I was tired, I didn't once fall asleep. I can never sleep while I'm moving and I don't like to sleep in public. It has been pressed into my consciousness that San Francisco is expensive, though just about on par with DC. Would it be possible to move there? Or maybe it's just that the grass is always greener.
We drove through the San Joaquin Valley, which was so full of clouds in the form of fog it felt like driving through a curtain. Luckily, we stopped in at Hilmar Cheese Company for a bite to eat and to rest. I had no idea cheese curd squeaked when eaten and I was extremely impressed that, though tons of water is drawn out of the ground to power the processing plant every last drop and more is pumped back into the ground cleaned and the protein and nutrients extracted. The coating on easy to swallow pills is lactose? How ingenuous to use everything no matter how seemingly useless it is. I ofen feel like I should've been born on the West coast when it comes to things like that.
The bus trip was surprisingly fast for being 5 hours long. It all culminated in that view of the valley with El Capitan on the left flanking Half Dome with the Bridalveil Falls to the right. I almost cried. How surreal it all looked, like a painting or a cgi creation. How is it that something so sublime can exist? We only spent 10 minutes admiring and then we had to move on, but it's etched into my brain. Long before I forget that, I'll forget my own name.
When we first approached the park the dry, sandy rock soil reminded me a little of Mexico, but when we entered Mariposa and Yosemite itself the little rills and mossy boulders were so different than anything I've seen before that wasn't on a postcard. It was a joy to unload and check into the lodge. There aren't many people here and so I feel like part of a privileged few. The lodge and its buildings made me think of the Olympic village footage for Salt Lake City. I wonder if it would feel like that in the busier, warmer months?
We took it light today, visiting the museums and shops and watching a program about bears, but tomorrow we go hiking. I can't wait.
It was still dark as we waited, shivering. the wind off the water ran to the bone even though we came from much worse back home. We realized there was a place indoors to wait, which we availed ourselves of and finally the fog lifted and dawn came.
The bus when it drove up reminded me very much of England and a little of taking Greyhound to New York to see my friend. It was only Ian and I and another couple opting to stay longer than the 2 hours allotted for the tour, so the driver loaded our things and we were off. I will never forget driving through the streets of San Francisco with the orange sun blazing over the horizon and driving so close to the Oakland Bay Bridge. What must it be like to live staring up at it daily stretching miles overhead? And then driving over it snapping picture after picture to catch the light just so until your eyes fill with spots and you're blind.
The tour was narrated and though I was tired, I didn't once fall asleep. I can never sleep while I'm moving and I don't like to sleep in public. It has been pressed into my consciousness that San Francisco is expensive, though just about on par with DC. Would it be possible to move there? Or maybe it's just that the grass is always greener.
We drove through the San Joaquin Valley, which was so full of clouds in the form of fog it felt like driving through a curtain. Luckily, we stopped in at Hilmar Cheese Company for a bite to eat and to rest. I had no idea cheese curd squeaked when eaten and I was extremely impressed that, though tons of water is drawn out of the ground to power the processing plant every last drop and more is pumped back into the ground cleaned and the protein and nutrients extracted. The coating on easy to swallow pills is lactose? How ingenuous to use everything no matter how seemingly useless it is. I ofen feel like I should've been born on the West coast when it comes to things like that.
The bus trip was surprisingly fast for being 5 hours long. It all culminated in that view of the valley with El Capitan on the left flanking Half Dome with the Bridalveil Falls to the right. I almost cried. How surreal it all looked, like a painting or a cgi creation. How is it that something so sublime can exist? We only spent 10 minutes admiring and then we had to move on, but it's etched into my brain. Long before I forget that, I'll forget my own name.
When we first approached the park the dry, sandy rock soil reminded me a little of Mexico, but when we entered Mariposa and Yosemite itself the little rills and mossy boulders were so different than anything I've seen before that wasn't on a postcard. It was a joy to unload and check into the lodge. There aren't many people here and so I feel like part of a privileged few. The lodge and its buildings made me think of the Olympic village footage for Salt Lake City. I wonder if it would feel like that in the busier, warmer months?
We took it light today, visiting the museums and shops and watching a program about bears, but tomorrow we go hiking. I can't wait.