~Monday, August 22nd ~
Back to Tuolumne Meadows via the JMT. We read that this area was "one of the most scenic areas in Yosemite," which is actually why we decided to stay in the southern loop of the HSCs, rather than include all the camps (Glen Aulin and May Lake - both north). This was 7.5 miles, 900 (net) elevation loss. By the way - Suzanne hates this hat, but it kept her cooler and she didn't get a sunburn.
Cool views of Tresidder Peak.
Cathedral Peak.
900 ft (net) elevation loss, but with 2.5 miles of a gentle ascent and then fairly steep descent.
Echo peaks.
Cathedral peak (again) and the trail.
cool!
Cathedral Lake.
Trail....
First sign.......5.5 miles to go!!
Getting closer!!!!
Civilization! Story time - so first, we didn't think that this section was "one of the most scenic areas....." in fact, it was our least favorite section. However, that has nothing to do with the story..... So we parked about three miles down the road when we left. To get to our car we could: continue hiking (nah), wait and ride the hiker shuttle (maybe......) or, hitchhike! Brad has never thumbed a ride before - we stepped out of the woods into civilization, turned to the first car we saw, stuck out our thumbs, and bam - had a ride! First try! (Kids, don't try this at home.) The guy was a climber and had no problem taking us the three miles to our car. This was a good thing, because kid-you-not, the minute we got to our car and got our stuff from the bear boxes (remember those?), it started to POUR! Not Oregon rain, no. Open-the-faucet-and-let-'er-rip rain. Hail too! So we were glad to get a ride and so quickly!
So after a lunch of burgers, fries and soda, we were off to the Yosemite Valley for a few days ~ Part 3 of our trip! (Part 1 - Tuolumne Meadows; Part 2 - High Sierra Camps)
We stayed at the Yosemite Falls Lodge. Yup - another story ~ We were originally slated to stay at Half Dome Village (which we nicknamed Shantytown - you'll see why later), but the night before we left, Suzanne checked to see if there were any last minute openings at the hotel (which was always our first choice, but there had been no vacancies) - and there were! Sold!
No more bear boxes (they were fun for while, but did become cumbersome), hot water, a real & private bathroom, (relatively) clean surroundings......And we were surprisingly pleased by the accommodations - nicer than we had anticipated.
Outdoor deck overlooking trees. There was no air conditioning, however our room stayed cool - no direct sun. Yah!
After we showered - rock, paper, scissors: Brad got to go first - it was laundry time again. Brad (whoops: Labor) washed the socks in the sink since.......
.......they were so dirty. Yuck!
And washed the rest of the clothes in the bathtub.
Recognize these clothes? :-)
Here's the view around the lodge as we walked to dinner.
So there are a few places to eat near Yosemite Falls Lodge - the "cafeteria" (we had breakfasts there), a "nice" restaurant (which looked fine but was more than we wanted) or here - the Lounge. Perfect! No children! :-) The menu was simple and good - we actually ate here all four nights we were here. Their vegetarian soups were excellent every day, they had great sandwiches and salads, we enjoyed baked brie - perfect for us!
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