Yosemite National Park, Day 1

Today's Photo - The View Across Mirror Lake
















This morning we all ate breakfast in the trailer - it was 44°F. By moving stuff around we found a way to fit all of us without having to break down my bed (the full size bed at the back of the trailer I use is made from the 4 person dinette.)

After breakfast we made our first trip to Yosemite. We stopped at most of the main high points, including my favorite, Glacier Point.  More photos at 2011 Trip Day 44.

Yosemite has some of the most beautiful formations in the National Park system. Glacier National Park is still my favorite, but Yosemite is a very close second. If only it wasn't so crowded, at least at the times I've been there. I was hoping that after Memorial Day Weekend the crowds would be gone, and although not as crowded as in 2004, we still often had to wait to find a parking space at many locations.


We got back to Groveland around 6:30, decided we were all too tired to make anything for dinner, so we had Pizza at the PJ's Cafe. Expensive for a Pizza, but very good. Don & Anne are sitting around the campfire (burning his $1.00 per log firewood) and I'm putting the pages together. We will probably call it an early night tonight & hope for good weather for tomorrow. The current prediction is 40% chance of rain, and 28°F for tomorrow night. We may be trying to find a way to fit all of us in the trailer!

Till Tomorrow -

Yosemite Pines Campground, Groveland, CA

Today's Photo - Some Switchbacks on CA 49















It was a nice day for the drive to Yosemite, at least the RV park we will be staying at for the next 3 days. We are in site 14 at the Yosemite Pines RV Resort & Family Lodging. I guess adding "& Family Lodging" turns a resort into a place I like to stay at. Much nicer than last night with shade at the site, nearby bathrooms with nice showers, and plenty of room for both the tent & trailer. A total of $109.80 for 3 nights.

The drive was interesting. Most of the way was on CA 99, a freeway. We switched to CA 140, then to CA 49. CA 49 follows the path made by the 1849 gold miners, and has many turns & switchbacks. Carol & I drove this section on our 2004 trip, in fact I took the same photo then as I have above. Quite a road, although the section of CA 120 we took to get to Groveland (the location of out campground) also has its ups & downs. At least it was a bit wider.


We are settled into the campsite and about to get something for dinner, send some mail, and deal with paying bills.

Till Tomorrow...

Riverland RV Resort, Kingsburg, CA

Today's Photo - The Stream Next To Our Site (#74) at Tillie Creek Campground.













We didn't drive all that far today - we are at the Riverland RV Resort in Kingsburg, CA in site 54.  For those interested, today was 131.0 miles and, so far for the trip 7765.2,

The problem with "Resorts" are they are usually set up for permanent, or at least long time residents.  No picnic table, the bathrooms are about 1/4 mile from the site, utilities on the wrong side & end of the site, etc.  And, of course, they are going to be more expensive with the word "Resort" added to the name.  In this case, $60.00 for the three of us on one site. I admit we have both a trailer & a tent, but the last site cost $12.00.  Of course we do have electricity & water. All that said, it is a pretty site.  A river on one side & a lake in front.

Site 54, Riverland RV Resort, Kingsburg, CA

Till later...

Well, it's later. We decided that since we didn't have a table to eat at unless I wanted to tear the bed apart to turn it into a dinette, we'd eat out.  We went to a buffet at the China Garden, one of the  2007 "Top 100 Chinese Restaurant in the USA." It was OK, but of the thousands, or even millions of Chinese restaurants in the US, I don't think it hit the top 100.

Afte that Don & I watched the birds feed over the lake, talked & read, while Anne did a couple of loads of laundry.  By the time she got back we were freezing.  Can't seem to hit just the right temperature - Like Goldilocks, it is either too hot or too cold.  Tonight, 60°F just seems too cold, while a couple of days ago we would have loved it!  Just can't please any of us.

Till next time.

Sequoia National Park, CA

Today's Photo - Don Standing in Front of a Giant Sequoia Tree
























Today it was off to see Kings Canyon National Park & Sequoia National Park. The GPS routed us on CA 155, which was a bit much for both my & Don's stomach. Almost continous curves & switchbacks. Plus we quickly got into fog so thick we could barely see the road let alone the view at the sides. It cleared as we drove out of the hills, but as we drove up into Sequoia National Park, the fog came back. We stopped at some tall trees and took some foggy photos, and I suppose I could try to tell you one of them was General Sherman, the tallest tree in the world, but I'd be lying. We did stop at the General Sherman parking lot, but the fog was so thick that a ranger was there to let us know that if we did the 1/2 mile walk to the tree we would be able to see the first 15' of it. So, we continued on. Since it was getting late & we had a long drive back to the campground, we didn't do the entire drive to Kings Canyon, but left the park at the CA 180 exit & took CA 63, CA 99, and CA 178 back to the campground, reaching Lake Isabella around 7:00. The drive along the Kern River between Bakersfield & Lake Isabella was beautiful.

Rather than making a meal in the dark we decided to eat out & had Barbecue in nearby Kernville, CA.

Until Tomorrow - 

Tillie Creek Campground, CA

Today's Photo Sand Dunes, Death Valley National Park















Well, we certainly had an interesting day today. It started ordinary enough with a drive on US 190 through Death Valley National Park. The RAV4 did OK pulling the trailer up the 9 mile 8% grade, while not overheating it did smell a bit hot near the top. After that we stopped so Don could take some photos of the sand dunes. Because there was less wind than the last time I was there I managed to get a clear photo myself.

Once outside the park I found a gas station with a good Verizon connection so I uploaded yesterday's pages.

Then it was on to Kernville. The plan was to stop at one of the campgrounds there. Minor problem - the area was on fire. We were wondering why it was so foggy until we were close enough to smell the smoke. The road was closed, but another way into Kernville was opening as we pulled up. I ended up turning the trailer around (twice) on a narrow two lane road.  "K" turns with a trailer are interesting!

Although we didn't see it, we were told the KOA in the area burned down & the one we were planning to stay in was full of the people who left the KOA. We checked out a place called Camp 9 on Lake Isabella, but the wind was strong enough to knock us around & we didn't want to go through another night like the last one at Valley of Fire! We pulled into Tillie Creek Campground, and even thought the sign at the gate said no sites available, the campground host started to give us directions to another national Forest Campground that still had some open sites. As she was doing this, someone came up & said site 75 was empty. Although a bit steep, it was big enough for both the tent & trailer, so in we went. We are here for at least two nights - it is Memorial Day Weekend & most of the area campgrounds are full. We will decide Sunday if we want to move on or stay another night.

Till Tomorrow...