Yosemite 2009 Trip
Laura and I went to Yosemite National Park for our 1-year anniversary. We an amazing time. Below are some picture galleries…
Yosemite
There isn’t much to say about Yosemite. If you haven’t been – you need to go. Photos will never do it justice. We were able to stop in the Mariposa Sequoia Grove on our first day, including a quick look around Wawona. On the second day, we did Yosemite Valley and Glacier Point. Since it was late in the summer there weren’t many waterfalls, but it was amazing nonetheless. On the third day, we drove through the park from West to East, stopping along the Tuloume Meadows and various other sights along the way.
Bodie
Bodie is one of the most interesting places I’ve ever been. It was a large mining town that popped up in the late 1800’s. When the gold ran out in the early 1900’s, everyone just left, leaving most of their belongings behind due to the fact that the road down from the 8000ft town was treacherous and it was costly to bring their belongings. So what we see is a ghost town that was left just as it was when everyone left. The State Parks department keeps the town in a state of “Arrested Decay” – meaning they don’t restore anything, but they won’t let it fall apart either. Some buildings are braced internally with wood frames, but you can see the 1900’s wallpaper peeling off the walls of the homes. This was one of the most amazing historical parks I have ever been to – I would highly recommend anyone going to Northern CA stop off in Bodie, even though it is a couple of hours from ANYTHING.
Mono Lake
This large lake just East of Yosemite is a terminal lake, meaning there is no natural outlet. Water runoff from the surrounding mountains and desert plains means that it is continually filled with alkaline materials. It is 3 times saltier than the ocean and you are buoyant if you are gutsy enough to swim in it, due to the salt content. The fresh water streams that empty beneath the lake surface built up the hard towers called “Tufa”, which were revealed when the lake level receded.
Meadow Creek Ranch Bed and Breakfast
For our trip we stayed in a quaint little Bed and Breakfast in Mariposa. It was an old stage coach stop for travelers traversing the Sierra range. The food was great and the inkeepers were so nice. They had a couple 5 week old kittens there too!
