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“What’s that? Yosemite could be shut down? The RV park is an hour and a half away from the Valley, and could there be a severe weather event? Let’s go!” It’s been 25 years since our last foray into beautiful, iconic Yosemite National Park—a photographer’s mecca.
We made reservations back in April at Yosemite RV Resort in Coarsegold. We booked for October, which coincided with the government shutdown. Monitoring the situation, along with the two couples RVing with us, and being a recovering landscape photographer, there was no chance of my voting not to proceed with the trip. Common sense rarely interferes with my photo missions. Lucky for us, Yosemite would remain open. I had some vague memory of a photographer who loved Yosemite, but for some reason, only shot in black and white.
We all arrived on a Thursday afternoon. Our four friends had adjacent RV sites, while we were nowhere near. My wife, Susan, asked me if I had requested to be next to our friends. I told her that either I had asked for us to be next to them or as far away as possible, but I couldn’t remember which, since the reservation was made six months ago. Tony and Ron were in their 40-foot diesel pusher, which required them to stay in a commercial RV. Rick and Kerrie were in a 22-foot Class B van. One coach is too big, one is too small. Our Unity was just right. Maybe we can rename her “Goldilocks”.
After the drama of changing sites to hang with our friends, two Jeeps finally headed to Yosemite for sunset—no wait at the gate due to staffing issues. But, a road crew was repaving a stretch of Ahwahnee road—much like what happened a couple of years ago to us at Glacier National Park, sitting for what seemed to be an eternity at the whim of a flagman. My Jeep started overheating, though I turned off the engine after 10 minutes of impatiently waiting, and, worst, we were missing the sunset. Just like Montana!
We finally made it to Glacier Point Road, which winds around as it climbs to 7200 feet. Tony was with me in the lead Jeep. The following Jeep pulled off because two pug puppies got car sick (I didn’t even know they were in the Jeep). Tony and I arrived just after sunset, and there was still color on the top half of Half Dome, unlike Tony’s face, which was due to my, uh, intense driving. I figured that, being a retired cop, he’d be used to high-speed pursuits, and I was pursuing sunset! It was worth the effort; photos cannot do this National Park justice. No words, well, certainly not mine.
Before leaving, I was informed by Susan (who had stayed in the RV) that a hike was involved to reach Glacier Point, where we would eat dinner. She had a large sandwich for me and a water bottle. I had my camera backpack, so I decided to take a couple of the larger lenses out and replace them with the sandwich. While taking photos with a wide lens, I thought “I need a longer lens”, which was now a sandwich, and, once again, I had the wrong lenses with me—wide and wider. Turns out the “hike” was 300 feet from the parking lot to a very close-by observation spot!
I figured out that moonrise would be at 8:00 pm, an hour after sunset, and directly behind Half Dome! Sure, it was very dark, cold, windy, and Tony’s dinner was in the other Jeep, heading home with his warm coat. Naturally, I asked him to hang around for moonrise, I mean, it would only be for another hour or two. Well, two, because 8:00 pm moonrise means the horizon, not emerging from behind a 7000-foot mountain, so it was 9:00 pm, plus the hour-and-a-half return drive, plus flagman wait time. Tony wasn’t speaking to me on the way back to the RV park.
The following morning, I took Susan and the dogs into Yosemite (a different pair than the night before). Dogs have to stay on pavement, but we weren’t climbing El Capitan or Half Dome anyway. We drove for an hour and a half, plus the wait time for the flagman, and got lost trying to return to the RV park via a different route from the valley floor. We had to turn the heater on full blast, even though it was 70 degrees outside, to keep the Jeep from overheating. Speaking of losing one’s cool, I’m not sure my wife was as enthusiastic about this long ride as I was. I had forgotten just how spectacular the Tunnel View was, one of the top 10 views in the world, our dogs agreed!
We got back eventually and were invited to go on a logging steam train ride, the Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine Railroad. Clearly a tourist trap, so naturally I asked, “When do we leave?!” Susan passed. Ron, Tony, and I rode in a train car that looked like a hollowed-out log. It was relaxingly slow. Tony was even speaking to me again. I realized that taking pictures from the train wasn’t compelling storytelling, but a young teenager took selfies of herself for the entire ride, so at least I didn’t feel like I was the only one wasting my time.
That evening, all six of us and six dogs had dinner at the RV park. Susan was designated to be in charge of appetizers for the duration of the trip. This was primarily due to her aversion to cooking. I was in charge of eating.
Saturday, I decided to leave the RV park at 4:30 am to beat the crowd for sunrise at Tunnel View. This time, there was no construction, so I arrived a full hour before sunrise. Thought I’d have the place to myself, but 15 minutes before sunrise, a van full of photographers that were part of a photography seminar showed up. They probably had the right lenses with them. I eventually made my way to the Valley floor, where I found a quaint, picture-perfect chapel. When I drove into the parking lot, I saw a group of young men dressed in matching suits. An older man approached my Jeep and said, “Are you part of the bridal party? I’ve got three weddings today.” My attire didn’t quite match the others, so he asked me to leave. No cute chapel shot for me.
On Sunday, I opted out of driving myself into Yosemite. Instead, I would let Ron and Tony drive me in their Jeep. It was about 2:00 pm when they were finally ready to leave. Well, Ron really didn’t want to go into the park, so he came up with the idea of going to the much closer Bass Lake instead. When we got there, he said we should rent a boat. This was his best way to avoid any potential hiking. So Ron, Tony, and their two Pugs, along with I, got on the pontoon boat. I thought, at least this will be faster than that train. Except every time Captain Ron opened it up, it sputtered and misfired. So, it was another 5 mph ride, just like the train. After we did one lap of the lake perimeter, we still had more time left on the rental. Ron asked if we wanted to do a second lap. We immediately docked. It was the first boat ride for the Pugs, and they at least did not get seasick. The houses on the lake were huge.
Earlier in the day, Tony met a Native American couple whose 11-year-old daughter danced for us in her traditional attire, as she was in town for a dance competition and a Pow Wow. Tony had given her mom a homemade pumpkin cheesecake, so this was our reward!
The next morning, the sunrise was supposed to be stupendous with great clouds and vibrant color. I planned to go back to Glacier Point Road to shoot at a hairpin turn with a view of Half Dome. There was a severe weather warning with snow possible and 30 30-degree Fahrenheit temperature. Maybe the Jeep won’t overheat!
Once again, I hit the road at 4:30 am; this time, it was raining in the park. I took the turn onto Glacier Point Road, and it was closed! I thought, “What kind of government shutdown is this? Who was closing the roads?!” Back to Tunnel View I went. Waited for an hour again. Nothing but gray, wet, dull skies. Albeit with one of the most beautiful views on Earth. But I was already a Tunnel View snob. I headed back to the RV park, tail between my legs after a three-hour drive again. Now, it was time to drive the four hours back home in the Unity towing the Jeep. At least for this part of the trip, for sure, the Jeep wouldn’t overheat.
Susan’s Sidebar
Being married to an avid landscape photographer has its perks. For example, I absolutely do not have to leave our Unity to see the sights. That’s right—no strenuous hiking or leisurely strolls, no exploring or climbing peaks, or tramping through lush meadows. This Yosemite trip was the ultimate staycation and RV adventure destination. Let me explain.
As Jeff mentioned, we stayed at the now infamous Yosemite RV Resort Park. Interestingly, just because the name includes “Yosemite” doesn’t mean the fabled national treasure is nearby. Oh, contraire, as Jeff has already disclosed. While he was game for the three-hour round-trip drive, as for me and our pups, it was one and done. So, I had to live vicariously through Jeff’s camera lens. I felt as though I was there—okay, sort of. Fortunately, the “resort” part was accurate. The amenities included a pool, although I didn’t swim, nor did I own a bathing suit. Sometimes just doing nothing is enough. Truly.
During one of our campfire gatherings, I did manage to snap this tall California buckeye tree with its dried “fruit” sparkling amongst the stars. I love the sparks of light from this old tree. A reminder to keep shining and that RV life, especially in our Unity, is grand, however, I/we choose to do it.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://leisurevans.com/blog/yosemite-plus-trains-boats-and-rvs/