Yosemite National Park

We arrived at Yosemite around noon, waiting in line for about 20 minutes to get in. We had heard this park was one of the busiest, and how true it is! I have to admit, after the first afternoon, we were somewhat disappointed and quite frustrated. We were advised by the Visitor Center to go to Yosemite Valley first, as there was a nice museum there. There were also some nice views on the way into the valley, but the place was jammed! Our national parks book had made mention that 90% of visitors spend most of their visit in the valley. Its true, there was a nice museum and visitor center, and a very interesting 30 min. film on the history of Yosemite. There were also restaurants and shops- one of the most commercial areas we had seen in a national park- and there were people everywhere! In addition, due to the size of the park, many of the interesting sites are quite far away from each other, so it requires a lot of driving.

Yosemite is one of our oldest national parks, established in 1890. John Muir, the famous explorer and writer, was a key person in introducing the then president Teddy Roosevelt to the area, and convincing him to protect it.

The second day really made up for most of our frustrations. We drove up Glacier Point road in the south part of the park(after a 20 minute wait for construction- a situation we have found to be common at the parks in the summer) and parked at the Sentinel Dome parking lot. It was another gorgeous day for a hike. We walked up the trail, ending on top of the Dome. There were 360 degree views of Half Dome, El Capitan (best known to rock climbers), and the Sierra Nevadas. Many of these views have been made famous by painters and photographers, including Ansel Adams, over the years. We enjoyed lunch at the summit before climbing down, then drove to the end of the road. What a spectacular view! For those who are not hikers, this is certainly one "must see" location in the park. The entire valley, with many of the famous granite outcroppings and several waterfalls, is spread out in front of you. We took way too many pictures (thank goodness for digital...), but it was impossible to resist.

We would have liked to have driven into the northern part of the park to the Tuolumne Meadows area, which is also supposed to be spectacular. However, the round trip drive without stopping would have been at least 5 hours. To best see this park, more time would certainly be needed. Unfortunately, we are beginning to feel time is running short, so we will move on tomorrow to the Kings Canyon/Sequoia National Park.