California: Part 3

After San Francisco and Monterey we drove to Yosemite National Park.  We stayed at the Ahwahanee Hotel, in one of their cottage.  We got there at night so we could not enjoy the scenery but, Oh boy, in the morning, what a view.  You should have seen Chris’ face when he saw that we were standing against a rock wall.  We had a late start so we were not planning to do a long and strenuous trail.  We decided to go see the foot of Yosemite Fall and then…… go to the first point of view (Columbia Rock) and then…… since we were there, why not the top.  Well, our little “promenade” ended up being 15 km long and took us about 7 hours to complete.  As you will see it was well worth it.

Yosemite Fall; its full length

If you look carefully at the bottom of the picture you will see tiny little persons.  It gives you an idea of how tall it is.  Actually here is what the park services say about the Fall:
Upper Yosemite Fall (strenuous, but difficult in winter due to snow, especially beyond Columbia Rock)
7.2 miles/11.6 km round-trip; 6 to 8 hours; 2,700 feet/823 m elevation gain
One of Yosemite oldest historic trails (built 1873 to 1877), the Yosemite Falls Trail leads to the top of North America’s tallest waterfall 2,425 feet (739 m) above the Valley floor. Do not stray off the marked path, as you will find steep drops adjacent to the trail. Enjoy spectacular views from Columbia Rock located one mile (and dozens of switchbacks) from the trailhead. This waterfall is often dry from late July or August through October. However, expect spray in spring and early summer. Yosemite National Park Website

We were sprayed all right and, because of record snow falls we were offered a special treat: huge, roaring water cascades. 

The Half Dome

This is the view from Columbia Rock: the Half Dome. It is one of the most popular hikes in the park.  It does not open until the end of May because of snow and its level of difficulty.  Part of the way needs to be done using cables and it takes about 10 to 12 hours to do the 14- to 16-mile round-trip.  For more information on the Half Dome visit the following link: Yosemite National Park - Half Dome 








There are a lot of fantastic views along the trail.  Here is one where the colors are unreal.  It is amazing what nature can do. 


Yosemite Fall trail

After a lot of sweating and water breaks, we finally stumbled on a sign; Oh yessss! We're almost there.

0.2 miles to go


Yes, it is really snow you see behind the sign.  We are high enough (6,526 feet or 1,989 meters) that there is often snow on the ground until the end of May.  Actually several roads in the park don't open until Memorial Day because of it.

Here are a couple of pictures taken at the top. 

Top of Yosemite Fall

Not my foot, my boyfriend's

There were a couple of lizards on the rocks at the top.  I could not resist the male's colors.  It is a Western Fence Lizard (Sceloporus occidentalis) also called blue-bellied lizard.  The female also sports blue but in much more subtle hues.  They are pretty commun in California and can be found up to 6000 feet in altitude. Reference: San Francisco State University

Blue-bellied Lizard

When we finally got back down to the hotel we were tired, dusty and ravenous.  We thought we would have a nice diner at the Hotel Dining Room.  Hmmm, that did not work…. I think we were actually a little bit under dressed.  We had diner at the bar instead; they were not that picky.



Ahwahanee Dining Room



I know, the picture is not very good but, it gives you an idea why of we ended up at the bar.  If you  want to see more of the Ahwahanee hotel go to:The Ahwahnee

That night after diner we drove to the Tenaya Lodge.  The next morning we were planning to see the Giant Sequoia trees at Mariposa Grove.