Aug 12th: Into Yosemite (Tioga Lake)

162 miles driven, 39 photographs taken, 1 Americano Grandes drunk, 0 Starbucks City Mugs acquired

Accomodation: Tenaya Lodge (An indulgence and excellent)

Picture: This was taken on on the climb up the Tioga Pass road to the Ranger Station at the start of the national Park. After that the heat bleached the colours out of the landscape as the day wore on.

Today was a scenic drive, with multiple stops for short walks off the Tioga Pass Road, but it was Sunday and the area was packed. Rather like Death Valley, Yosemite cannot be done justice by photographs. You need to be there to sense the physical presence of the granite domes, the peeling effects of erosion and the sheer scale of geological events which have taken place here. Despite the number of tourists, the landscape does seem to absorb them, and I was regretting (Huw did not share this feeling) not booking one of the cabins in Curry Village (the bar offered a carry you home service at the end of the evening and the beer seemed to justify the experiment) rather than the Lodge.

Highway 41 south, which took us from the Valley to our hotel is not one for the faint hearted. Multiple loops and switch backs with no protection to your right as you pass over sheer drops. As driver one is frustrated by the absolute need for concentration on the road ahead rather than the views that surround you.