Monday November 15.
Words, words, words ... to describe Yosemite National Park ... just don’t exist. Nothing you can write, and no images you can share, can convey even a tiny part of the majesty of standing at the base of those 2000 foot cliffs looking up. Suffice it to say, they brought the Escarpment in The Belgariad well and truly to life for me!
I was most impressed with the way both Curry Village, where we stayed, and Yosemite Village, about a mile up the road, have been designed and built so perfectly to blend in with the environment. Not for Yosemite the neon lights and glaring shop fronts of Australian and New Zealand ski resorts – these human venues really are at one with nature.
As a Kiwi, my biggest thrill was watching the squirrels every day (we don’t have them in New Zealand): busily filling their tummies with food for the winter, stockpiling acorns, and stuffing their mouths with as many leaves as they could carry to insulate their burrows, then returning to the surface and spitting out the occasional half leaf that just isn’t quite correct. I even managed to film some squirrel porn! I thought it was a strange time of the year to be breeding, but one of the Park staff said they’re like rabbits – all year round.
The permanent heated canvas tent we stayed in was ... a bit of a challenge. I’m sure it would be delightful in summer. Unfortunately, the heater was either controlled by a thermostat, in which case it waited until the temperature hit freezing before switching on again, or was on a time delay, and by the time it switched on again the temperature was freezing. Either way, you get the salient word mentioned twice in that sentence! Only two blankets were provided – good old Army issue blankets that wouldn’t warm a hot water bottle in the Sahara during the day. Although we both slept with what we thought was sufficient the first night, the second night we piled the layers on. So instead of freezing, we only half froze.
Early November is a funny time of the year to visit Yosemite – it’s stunningly beautiful, with the trees in their autumn (fall) colours, but most of the services and restaurants are closed for the season, despite the place being very busy, by New Zealand standards. But, perhaps, that is very quiet by American standards. Still, it did mean no queues for the toilets/showers, and the staff all had time to stop and chat. It’s great being a Kiwi in the USA – everyone loves you!
Which reminds me, on the way into the park on the 120 we stopped at a gas station/bar/junk store in the middle of nowhere because it proudly declared on a hand written sign “Chinese Camp Store. Kiwi Tavern.” And was flying the Swiss and Kiwi flags. Turns out the bloke who owns it, who bought it 30 years ago, is from Whakatane! (For those who don’t know, that’s about an hour’s drive from where we live in New Zealand. Gave him a 2011 New Zealand calendar, which he was most delighted with. It’s a pity I won’t drink anything whilst driving on the wrong side of the road – he sold Steinlager!
More photos from Yosemite National Park.
Our plan had been to stay two nights at Yosemite, then go through to Mammoth Lakes for a night, before heading on to Death Valley. When I booked the accommodation at Mammoth the lodge said there was virtually no chance that the Tioga Pass would be closed by snow. It was closed. Thankfully, out of five weeks, this was the one place that was not either prepaid or had my credit card number. We had no internet access at Yosemite, so once we returned to cellphone range I texted Jen in New Zealand and asked her to e-mail a cancellation through. Then we hit the 120 west, instead of east, hung left at the 99, and flew down through Merced, Madera, Fresno, and Tulare to Denaro, took another left onto the 155, and came through Sequoia National Forest to Wofford Heights, where we are staying the night at the Sierra Vista Motel with TWO ROOMS (snore free) that, in its hey day, had James Brolin, Catherine Bach, and Olivia Newton-John stay here. But alas, no internet access. The owner doesn’t even have it himself – he drives up the road and parks at McDonalds and uses theirs.
The 155 was fascinating – started off with endless vineyards, pistachios, and orange plantations, then turned into tussocky grasslands, then into sequoias and black oaks, in all their autumn glory. And a squirrel that ran across the road in front of us! We climbed up to over 6000 feet, before coming down to Wofford Heights on the shores of Lake Isabella which, I think, is still a few thousand feet above sea level. Probably in the ski season (cross country) it’s a veritable hive of activity; right now it’s a sleepy little town where the main entertainment for the kids seems to be hanging out at the gas station and annoying the owner.
It is 7.09pm and I am about ready for bed! The combination of long drives, thin mountain air, darkness at 4.30pm, and an average of 2-3 hours sleep a night is starting to take its toll. I will close the dividing door between the rooms tonight with delight and hope for an unbroken night’s sleep in preparation for the trek through Death Valley tomorrow!
More photos from Wofford Heights.
Tuesday November 16.
NINE HOURS SLEEP!!!! Bliss. I did watch an hour of Family Guy before I went to bed (on the ONE channel that the TV in Wofford Heights seems to get, tbs) and then 9 hours of undisturbed, snore-free sleep. Feel sooooo good this morning, which is yet another golden morning of cloudless skies. And smog free. Once we hit the 99 travelling south the countryside was covered in smog the whole way, until we turned off onto the 155 and climbed up into the mountains. Neither of us are sure of the size of Fresno, but as we drove through, the city didn’t seem to be big enough to be generating that much pollution, so we suspect it came all the way up from Los Angeles. It was pretty awful, whatever the source.
Today we are off to Death Valley. Josh at the gas station said it’s a very sensible time of the year to visit – “We get folks here in summer heading off to Death Valley when it’s, like, 150 degrees (52 for Kiwis) – crazy!” We’re expecting around 75 (24).
(Tuesday Night.)
Well, if words fail completely to describe the grandeur of Yosemite National Park, they fail just as abysmally in describing the majesty that is the Death Valley National Park. I feel like we have driven through the landscapes of several different planets today. Death Valley is not “desert” as per Arabian Knights desert, but is an endlessly changing kaleidoscope of different colours and textures, set against a backdrop of soaring peaks and sweeping valleys. Absolutely stunning.
We had a rest stop at Cosmo Junction, where a group of high school students were on a field trip, and by eavesdropping we learnt some interesting facts about the area, which was originally volcanic (which we had presumed from the tons of scoria and obsidian lying everywhere), and is rather prone to earthquakes. Goody. I also had the best laugh I’d had in a long time. In this vast valley of varying shades of brown and red there was one bright patch of green – a small, lush lawn at the rest stop. The students had all just settled themselves down and were lying around in the sun, when the sprinklers that kept that grass so lush came on. Hilarous! As the kids’ teacher said, “I have NEVER seen you guys move so quick.”
For the night we are at the Armagosa Hotel and Opera House, which, in its day (much like the Sierra Vista Motel in Wofford Heights), must have been quite something. It was at its height in the 20s, 30s, and 40s, and still shows lingering elements of what it once was. Over the cooler season they still have opera performances on the weekends, starring Marta who has, I think, been performing here for 60 or 70 years now. I imagine everyone from around these parts comes here when the performances are on, and the old girls (both the Hotel and Marta) enjoy being transported into the days of past fabulosity.
We had planned to have dinner at the cafe here, but they decided to pack up early and go home, so we went to Nevada for dinner instead. Seriously, it’s 7 miles down the road – a long, long, very, very straight road. I could have driven it with my eyes shut. The Long Street Casino, another venue that has seen better days, but was still worth a visit. However, if you ever go there, I do NOT recommend the chicken steak, vegetables, and potatoes. I do not honestly believe that a real potato was even considered in the preparation of this dish.
Wednesday November 17.
Again, Death Valley, oh my gosh. We really, really, really feel like we drove through an alien landscape today. I must research what sci-fi films have been shot in Death Valley and get them out back home. We stopped off at the delightful China Ranch Date Farm, that I had stumbled across by zooming in on a patch of green whilst looking at Death Valley on Google satellite. Best date shakes in the world!
More photos from Death Valley.
More photos from China Ranch Date Farm.
Funnily enough, before we went to China Ranch we stopped off at Shoshane for gas, and decided to pop into the Post Office to double check that our directions to China Ranch were accurate. We could not have picked a better place to ask - the Post Mistress owns China Ranch Date Farm! (Along with her husband.) She was delighted when I said I had heard about the farm by zooming in on a patch of green whilst looking at a Google satellite iamge of Death Valley on my computer in New Zealand. She directed us a five minute walk away, where the remains on the old miners homes (cut into the rock) still stand today.
Photos from Shoshane.
Now we're in Vegas, which is also another world entirely. We went for a walk down The Strip when we first arrived, but the "bright lights, big city" were a bit much after the peace and grandeur of the desert, so we're relaxing at the hotel (Excalibur, $31 a night for the room!) before going for dinner. Who said food in Vegas ic cheap???? It's bloody expensive in the casinos - we'll hit Subway. Tomorrow we'll investigate places off The Strip and see if the price halves. Also tomorrow we have to return our darling Diego - the car we have had since San Diego (12 hour flight, originality of names wasn't our strong point). He has been awesome and has taken us nearly 2000 miles - all for $164! (Gas). Sooooo cheap over here.
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