Yosemite2

Yosemite in the Winter

This is a telephoto view of Half-Dome from Tunnel View, just as
the early morning light hits.
Click on thumbnails to enlarge photos
The ambitious plan was to go south, spend a few days camping in
Death Valley, and then drive back via Reno.
After spending hours packing, we finally get on I-5 Friday evening,
and leave Washington behind. Sleep over at Stanton County park
by Canyonville in Oregon. Saturday morning stop in Ashland and
have a sumptuous breakfast at the Breadboard restaurant.
One of the best places for breakfast along I-5. Cross the Siskiyous in
bright sunshine and watch the cold fog rising. The mountains are covered
in frosty white, and we are once again getting used to being on the
road. By nightfall the westy has taken us to Manteca in California,
and after driving through Oakdale we see a big sign flashing:
Tioga Pass closed .......Sonora Pass closed !!!!!!!
What now? We could sleep here, and continue the next morning
on south to Bakersfield, or try another pass across the Sierra Nevada.
Carson Pass, at 8600 feet might still be open.
After much bickering, we finally agree that either of those choices would
take too much time, so the detour to Death Valley becomes another
camping trip to Yosemite. Always wanted to see the place in the
winter anyway. We find a beautiful campsite in one of only two
open campgrounds, right in the Yosemite valley. For the first time on this
trip, we see a few vanagon westys, one a syncro westy camping
here in Y. Regretfully didn't have a chance to talk to the owners.
There is snow on the ground, and it's freezing at night, but the
plat cat keeps it a comfy 70 deg f. inside, with the top up, and
the rain-cover wrapped around the poptop canvas.
Yosemite is a totally different experience in the (off) season.

	Hiked along the Merced River, and took these photos. El Capitan
	Three Brothers reflecting in the Merced River.

In the summer it's super crowded, but now there are very few
campers, and one can really enjoy the park. It's also much
more tranquil, almost festive. I'm glad that I left the winter tires on
the westy, since there are patches of snow and much black ice.
One of the things to do is to get up very early, before 6, and
watch the sunrise from one of the vista points. One of the most
stunning views can be experienced from Tunnel view.
One can see the whole valley from a higher elevation, and
the first rays of the rising sun paint the valley in bright colors.

	Cold misty morning as the fog begins to lift.
	Another early morning shot, about 40 minutes later, as the early morning sun hits El Capitan. For a few minutes, El Capitan was lit up.

Driving through the park I have to brake for a young bear
crossing the street, otherwise no bear encounters. After 3 nights
camping, we have the propane tank topped off in Yosemite Village.
Using the plat cat vented heater every night, the stove and the fridge,
the tank took 1 1/2 gallons of propane. There are no plug-in sites in Y.

	Half-Dome reflecting in the icy water.
	The Ahwahnee Lodge and Royal Arches in background

Wednesday morning we leave Yosemite and follow the often
steep and windy road to Sonora, past Sutter Creek, famous for the
first gold find in CA, and then on to Placerville.
During a steep climb on Hy. 50 the wasserboxer starts choking,
and the van lurches, but at a lower speed seems to run ok again.
We pull into the nearest gas station, and I top off the tank with premium
gas, and we also write down some local numbers of Volkswagen shops.
A friendly guy tells me "many cars do that here, and his truck does
the same". Not to worry, it's from the altitude. I think to myself, the
F.I. should compensate for the altitude, but hey it sounds good, and
doesn't involve any work, so on we go, climbing to 7300 feet, and
then all in a sudden see Lake Tahoe in the distance, far below.
The van runs good, as long I don't floor it. Lake Tahoe is beautiful,
also in the winter. We camp at Sugar Pines state park.
Only a few sites are cleared, but the bathroom is heated, and
there are only two more campers in the park. A group of
cross country skiers stop by and say hello. We turn on the
propane heater, cook dinner, read and go to sleep.
Next day it's on for a leisurely drive around the lake and some
stops in the scenic villages, and by afternoon we reach Reno NV.

	Snapshot by Lake Tahoe. Brrr... It's cold.
	Winter camping in Sugar Pines State Park.
	Filling up water tank. Outside faucets were turned off.

Reno is the way one imagines it. Somewhat less glitzy than Vegas,
smaller, but otherwise not that different.
We have Thanksgiving dinner in Harrah's Hotel-Casino, and
decide to leave Reno the same evening, and head back home,
The faithful westy takes us all the way to Redding,
where we stay for the night, and drive back to WA. the next day.

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