Rocks Cry Out

Hello from Carson City, Nevada! Google says 376 miles today!(click the map for larger resolution)

It didn't seem that long... it must have been all those miles through Yosemite that seemed so quick, since the entire time we were staring in awe at the domes and peaks and enormous faces along the way. On that long stretch of Hwy 120 from I-5 to the park, and then again on Hwy 395 after the park going north, Mom and I listened to the entire book of Acts. So besides the great scenery, our minds were engaged the entire way. There was a lot of climbing hills the way to Yosemite Valley, and a lot of going down after we left the park. Tioga Pass (as you leave on the east side) towered at a staggering 9,945 feet. My first glimpse of what I realized later as Inspiration Point in Yosemite Valley nearly made me cry it was so magnificent. I've seen lots of pictures of the peaks and cliffs, but there is nothing like seeing them life size in front of you.

Mom and I drove through the valley and were astounded at how crowded it was. All I wanted was a picnic table out in the open so we could study the rocks as we ate our picnic lunch. But they don't have much of that. We tried the day-use parking for the visitor center, but that was very crowded... and I just saw the episode of "The National Parks: America's Best Idea" that talked all about this place last October, so I didn't want to spend the time. We ended up parking on the side of the road out in the open and finding a shady spot under a pine tree in a field of yellow flowers and there we set up our chairs we brought for San Francisco and ate our snacks while watching the Yosemite Falls plummet over El Capitan. It was perfect: we were alone in nature... it's the way this place is supposed to be enjoyed! :) But the real fun didn't start until we got back on CA-120 and headed over Tioga Road through the center of the park. It kept climbing and climbing... and climbing. I was astounded at the one overlook where we could see the Half Dome. It was miles away and still enormous. At first along that route there were sweeping views of miles of forest... 8,000 feet below. Then past the Dome there were lots of other domes... and pristine lakes and ponds and meadows and forest growing out of flat rock. Incredible! Incredible! We adored this drive!

Left the park at 3 pm, got to Nevada around 5 pm, and then arrived in Carson City around 7. Drove all the way through the new south part of the city and by the historic buildings in the center, and finally found a Mexican restaurant for dinner further up past the old casinos. There are a lot of those here. Dinner was fabulous... chicken and rice, and the we came back through town to a Motel 6 near the turnoff for Reno (for tomorrow). I wanted to swim, but it was closed; so I ran a bit around the motel and up and down the street. I'm pretty darned tired, and worried about what I shouldn't... weight for the Navy.

Jp