We’re up early and on the road. Along the way we visit REI in Sacramento to pick up a new Thermacell in case of further mosquito attacks. Buying a new one practically guarantees that we will find our old Thermacell when we return to Bellevue. We stop at a bistro with outdoor seating in Fresno for a mid-afternoon dinner, then wend our way up route 41 to find Summerdale, the National Forest campground where we will spend the next 5 nights. The host at the campground looks a bit dubious when we turn down a chance to purchase firewood. She warns us that the mornings are very cold here. Of course they are! Now that we have a Thermacell it’s too cold for mosquitoes!
17 May: Monday morning is, indeed, very chilly. O and I expect today to be mainly a reconnaissance day. We’re up at six, have a quick breakfast and head out. The entrance to Yosemite is only 1.5 miles from our campground, but from there it’s still an hour’s drive down to the valley due to winding roads and the park speed limit of 35 mph – not that you’d want to drive any faster here. To slow us down further, we run into a logging operation, where trees from last year’s fires are being cleared. We must also stop for some road construction and repairs further on. The drive into the valley is beautiful, although we are both saddened to see so many blackened trees. We stop briefly at Tunnel View and then proceed down into the valley. The number of cars increases as we approach our destination, but it’s still relatively early and we easily find parking for Vincent.
First stop: an outdoor information booth run by the Yosemite Conservancy. We are provided with numerous ideas for things to see and do. We walk through Yosemite Village making note of where to purchase sandwiches for tomorrow’s lunch. Next, we find our way to Yosemite Falls, and Yes!, they are very impressive indeed! After admiring the falls, O and I are already getting hungry. We buy two sandwiches to take on tomorrow’s hike and then stop at a grill to buy and share a black bean veggie burger and some fries.
Now, back to Vincent to collect our bikes and try to explore further on wheels. We both feel a bit shaky at first. Neither of us has ridden a bike in decades, not to mention that the bikes are new, and the paths are crowded with walkers and other cyclists. I’m glad we’re not trying this on a weekend! We pedal up to Mirror Lake, lock our bikes and walk around. It’s beautiful! We take photos of the surrounding walls of granite and also of still yellow fluffy ducklings swimming in the river. (Mirror Lake is really just a wide shallow spot on the Merced River.)
Now it’s time to scope out the Ahwahnee Hotel and Restaurant. O and I would like to have at least one meal at this iconic site. Alas, they don’t begin serving dinner until 5 and we don’t want to wait that long. We return to Vincent having decided to try the restaurant for breakfast tomorrow. But once we load the bikes back in Vincent we notice traffic is progressing at a snail’s pace heading out of the valley. We reassess and decide to walk back to the Ahwahnee and have dinner there after all. Then we realize that it’s a very short drive to the hotel. We should be able to easily find parking since everyone else appears to be leaving the valley.
We hop in Vincent and drive to the restaurant. A CoVid-spaced line has formed at the entrance. The hostess is explaining the ordering procedure. Once the doors open, people who have pre-ordered (only available for those staying at the hotel) can enter and pick up their meals. The rest of us order as we enter. Drinks are available right away. One has the option of choosing a table and eating in the restaurant or of carrying out. O and I choose to eat in. The room is high-ceilinged and vast, with breathtaking views out the tall windows. There is live piano music playing in the background. We choose our table and sip our beer as we wait for the “fish of the day.” It is not long before my name is called and we are presented with a tray containing our meals on elegant square paper plates with “silver” plastic utensils. The whole operation runs very smoothly. As diners finish and leave, tables are cleared, seats and tables are sanitized and reset, and the next occupants are seated.
Our dinners are delicious! The fish is “melt-in-your-mouth” good. Dessert is a chocolate coconut cheesecake. Everything is excellent. By the time we finish, the road out of Yosemite Valley is largely clear of traffic.
18 May, Tuesday: As planned, today we wake early and drive directly to the valley where we breakfast on pancakes at the Ahwahnee. The coffee is some of the best we’ve ever had! (Or maybe that’s because we’ve been drinking camp coffee for several days – but I don’t think so.)
After breakfast we drive back up to Glacier Point Road in hopes of finding a parking spot at Taft Point, a small parking area from which one can access both Sentinel Dome and Taft Point. Although we arrive shortly after 9:30 the entire lot, plus the shoulders of the road in both directions, are packed with cars. Instead we drive to the road’s end at Glacier Point. There is still plenty of parking here. We explore all the viewpoints and interpretive panels and then check out the concession stand. While O is discussing a map he wishes to purchase with the young man at the checkout counter, I find the perfect hat for A, although it won’t fit her until next year. The checkout person suggests we hike along the Panorama Trail as far as we wish. If followed to its end, we would end up in the valley, but then we would have to climb back up – not a chance! Still the trail sounds well worth exploring. O and I return to Vincent for our day packs and lunch and then find the trail. It is indeed beautiful! And, as we have found in many national parks, there are few people on the trail once we leave the pavement behind.
As we hike along we have an ever-changing view of Yosemite Valley. Soon we have hiked around to the back side of Half Dome. From here we can see that it is really a 3/4 dome. Along the path we have spotted white-headed woodpeckers. We also meet a gentleman hiking uphill who tells us to listen for the grouse drumming further along the way. As we round a bend a bit further on, we hear the deep drumming. We stop to see if we can spot the grouse. I finally see him among the trees. He is on the ground fanning his tail feathers and puffing out his chest. Soon he flies up into a tree. O and I proceed along the trail. As we walk we hear more drumming, but we do not see the second grouse.
White-headed Woodpecker 
The Grouse
As the beautiful afternoon wears on, it becomes apparent that we are not going to get to Illilouette Falls today. We stop to eat our sandwiches while sitting on some rocks beside the trail and then retrace our steps. As we approach the area where we had seen the first grouse we again hear drumming. We stop to watch and once more see the drummer. Another couple catches up to us and asks what we are observing. We point out the grouse and share our binoculars. They are thrilled to see it. This time we humans all manage to move on without disturbing the grouse further.
As we drive back to camp for dinner, we stop to photograph some lupine that we’ve noticed growing in bright patches of sunshine along the road. We have a cold night ahead, but we are warm in the tent with our down quilt and fleece blankets.
19 May, Wednesday: Today’s plan is to rise early and head straight to Taft point. We tarry only to boil water for hot chocolate to sip with our scones once we get to the parking area. This time we succeed at finding a parking space. After enjoying our breakfast and warming up in the morning sunshine, we head for Sentinel Dome. This is the second highest dome in Yosemite after Half Dome, and much easier to climb. The 360º view is spectacular! We take time to enjoy it despite the cold wind on the height.
After Sentinel Dome we return to Vincent for a snack and then hike towards Taft Point. This hike takes us through woods and across a stream. As we approach the point we can hear loud music. There are deep fissures in the granite here, and across one of these someone has rigged a tightrope. A young man (in safety harness) is doing tricks over the fissure. The music is his. I turn away. It is disturbing to watch him and disturbing to hear the music which seems out of place here. From the fissure we carefully approach Taft Point. Here there is a sheer 3000 foot drop to the valley floor with only a small metal fence along the edge. I glance over the edge and back away. O is eager to leave also. We are both more than ready to return to the quiet woods!
20 May, Thursday: Our last day at Yosemite. Starting tomorrow one needs a special permit to enter the park. It’s the beginning of high season. I would not like to be in the valley during peak season. Today O and I opt to visit Mariposa Grove, the largest grove of sequoias in Yosemite. The parking area for the grove is just inside the entrance to the park. We have breakfast in camp and then drive to the lower parking area from which we must hike two miles to reach the upper visitor center. One can drive this distance if you have a valid handicap tag for your vehicle. The upper visitor area was destroyed by a fallen sequoia in a January 2021 windstorm, only a couple of years after construction was completed. The paths among the giant trees, which had also been recently modified to relieve pressure on tree roots, were also damaged by the severe storm in which winds reached 80 to 100 miles per hour. The Mariposa Grove lost 15 giant trees!
We walk up to the Grizzled Giant, a humongous snag tree with an upper branch that measures 7 feet in diameter! O and I meander up Mariposa Grove Road admiring the incredible trees along the way. We pass “The Married Couple,” two trees whose massive trunks have grown together, and the “Clothes Pin Tree,” a tree with damage to its trunk that makes it look like. . . you guessed it, a clothes pin! Along the way we pass bright red plants growing among the pine needles. We later discover that they are called Snow Plants because of the time of year they emerge. Their scientific name is Sarcodes Sanguinea. They are distantly related to the heath family but have no chlorophyll. These plants get their nutrition by parasitizing fungi growing beneath the surface. In turn they provide food to insects and hummingbirds. O and I eventually make it all the way to Wawona Point where we can look out on yet another granite dome, Wawona Dome. We then hike back to our car. It’s been a 22 km round trip with 500 meters of elevation gain. We are both pleased with the success of O’s course of Physical Therapy.
M&O standing in the Grizzled Giant 
Sarcodes Sanguinea 
Sequoia cones 
The Married Couple 
The Clothespin Tree
There is so much more to see in Yosemite! Who knows when, or if, we will return. . . but we have had quite an explore during our four days here.
21-22 May Friday–Saturday: It is time to head back towards Bellevue. We are both craving a shower, and we are eager to get back home to visit with K’s parents, who have been staying at our home as they finally get to visit with their newest grandchild, A. We drive to Ashland, Oregon where we find an excellent brew pub, Caldera Brewing. The beer is great and the food is both delicious and beautifully presented. We spend the night at a motel in Grants Pass, breakfast outdoors at MaMosa’s, a restaurant O remembered from a previous trip, and then drive straight to Bellevue, where yet another delicious dinner and good company await.
