At Christmas in 2019, my dad surprised my mom with a trip to California that was a combination Christmas/60th birthday gift. I had done all the planning, and my dad did most of the paying (although my sister and I chipped in a bit), and we were all scheduled to explore Yosemite National Park and Lake Tahoe in April of 2020.
Two weeks out, when we realized this new "coronavirus" thing wasn't immediately going away like everyone thought, we were able to cancel the trip and get full refunds on everything, which was such a blessing. We kept the money set aside, intent on rescheduling.
My dad really wanted the trip to be a family vacation with all four of us, but Julia's teaching schedule really limits when we can travel, since choosing her own "vacation time" isn't really an option. Our summer road trip plans were already in place when my dad and I started talking about rescheduling the family California trip. Julia's spring break varies each year depending on when Easter is, and in 2021, her break was in March, which would just be too early to go to Yosemite. Due to the high elevation and snowfall totals, a lot of the roads in the park are closed until well into April. However, Julia happened to have an extra-long Labor Day holiday in 2021, so we decided to make a go of it then.
I had everything booked and ready to go for our rescheduled trip when the Caldor wildfire broke out on August 14. I kept an eye on the news, but hoped that the fire wouldn't be able to jump the Sierra Nevada mountains and that Lake Tahoe would be spared. Unfortunately that wasn't the case, as the city of South Lake Tahoe was evacuated on August 30. We had a hotel reservation in South Lake Tahoe for Labor Day weekend, which was September 4-6. Thankfully, we were able to cancel that reservation, also for a full refund. I went back to the drawing board and literally by studying maps of the Sierra Nevadas, I stumbled across Mammoth Lakes. It's a ski resort in the Sierra Nevadas with several small yet sparkling alpine lakes, and the pictures made it look idyllic. I approached my parents with the plan to stay in Mammoth instead, as it was much further south, closer to Yosemite, and therefore a safe distance from the fire. It certainly wasn't Lake Tahoe, but we'd still get to stay at a beautiful lake in the mountains with lots to see and do nearby, so my parents and Julia were all on board.
Exactly 37 minutes after we made a hotel reservation in Mammoth Lakes, the US Forest Service released a press release closing all national forests in the state of California to visitors for Labor Day weekend. Understandably, they couldn't risk the start of any more forest fires, because multiple fires aside from the Caldor fire were already raging out of control, and they simply didn't have any more resources to battle another one. Mammoth Lakes ski resort is in the Inyo National Forest, so they ended their summer season a few days early and shut down immediately. Thank God, I was able to cancel that reservation for a full refund as well, and I went back to the drawing board yet again.
Miraculously, this closure didn't affect Yosemite, so we were still on for that part of the trip. My dad and I had a conversation where we agreed that once we left Yosemite, we needed to get away from the woods. We discussed heading for the Pacific coast, and he suggested Monterey. I did a quick Google search to see what kind of accommodations were available for Labor Day weekend, 5 days in advance. Surprising no one, the pickings were slim. The only thing remotely in our price range, since most of what was left was astronomical, was a Motel 6 that had excellent reviews. I asked everyone what they thought and we decided to go for it. I booked the Motel 6 and changed our return flights from the Reno/Tahoe airport to San Jose, and we were good to go. The third time's the charm, after all!
My parents didn't want to fly separately from Julia even though she lives more than 4 hours away (due to another travel snafu during a family trip to Texas in 2019, when we attempted to fly separately and Julia got delayed by nearly two days by herself), and her schedule is the most limiting, so we hopped into the car to drive down to Julia's on September 1.
We left early because we figured if we didn't run into any traffic, we could just wait at Julia's house until she got out of school. Naturally, since nothing could go right on this trip, there was a torrential rainstorm parked over the east coast that was dumping inches of rain for the whole day. Our GPS rerouted us off Interstate 81 because part of the road was flooded, and then we sat on Interstate 80 with the car in park for more than an hour because a tractor trailer hydroplaned and then jackknifed on the road in front of us. We were supposed to pick Julia up at her house and then double back to the airport, but I called her from the road and told her she would need to take an Uber to the airport because we weren't going to have time to pick her up.
Just after we parked the car, I got a notification on my phone that our flight had been delayed and we were going to miss our connection in Dallas. So much time had passed at this point that Julia beat us to the airport, and she was already inside. I called her again and asked what she wanted to do; should we get on our delayed flight and spend the night at the DFW airport, or should we just try to make the trip tomorrow? She suggested we get the hell off the east coast and away from this bad weather, which my parents and I all agreed with, so we headed into the airport.
Finally, at this point, our luck started changing. We got on our delayed flight to DFW and once we landed, we got hotel vouchers, taxi vouchers, and breakfast vouchers from the airline. We slept in the hotel and flew the last leg to Fresno in the morning.
We picked up our rental car and drove the 90 minutes north to Yosemite. All said and done, we only got to Yosemite about 2 hours later than I originally planned, so I certainly had to be thankful for that--and also that the national park didn't close when the forests did! We entered the park from the south, so our first stop was the Mariposa Grove of giant sequoias.
On the way there, I looked up Mariposa Grove on Yosemite's website, and found out that the shuttle bus was not operational because of Covid. Without the shuttle, the hike to get to see the sequoias was at least 5.5 miles roundtrip with a 1,000ft elevation gain. I also read on Yosemite's website that, "If you are, or are traveling in the same vehicle as, a person with a disability and the vehicle has a disability placard or license plate, you may drive on the Mariposa Grove Road as far as the Arrival Area," which is 5 miles in. My mom got her hip replaced in November, and back then in September, she had submitted her paperwork for a disability placard, but it hadn't come in the mail yet (And even if it had, we probably wouldn't have thought to bring it with us). We were really disappointed that we probably wouldn't get to see the sequoias, since none of us were up for that strenuous of a hike, but we figured we would explain my mom's situation and hope they let us drive up.
Once we got to Mariposa Grove, we talked to a very nice park ranger, who took us at our word and gave us a temporary disability placard that was only good for the day, and let us drive up to the arrival area. That woman truly made our whole day; after so many struggles to even get to Yosemite, finally we were going to see the sequoias! Once we got up there, we realized it was another 400 foot elevation gain and another mile-plus round trip to see the famous Grizzly Giant and the California Tunnel Tree, which my mom was simply not up to doing two months before a hip replacement surgery. But she was kind enough to wait near the car while the rest of us hiked up to them. It was admittedly a really tough walk for me, since obviously I never pretend to be the picture of fitness, and that trail just seemed like it kept going up. But I did get there eventually, and it was totally worth the effort!
The Grizzly Giant, a 3,000-year-old tree that is 209 feet tall, the second-tallest in Yosemite
Julia and Dad with the Grizzly Giant, for scale. The photos really don't do justice to how massive these trees really are. They're awe-inspiring!
The three of us at the California Tunnel Tree. According to the Mariposa Grove Wikipedia page, this tree was "cut in 1895 to allow coaches to pass through it (and as a marketing scheme to attract visitors to the grove), this is the only living giant sequoia tree with a tunnel in it."
Inside the tunnel tree
We took a different route back down to the car (which ended up being longer) but we got to see more sequoias on the way. They really are breathtaking.
We then went over to our accommodations for the night, the Wawona Hotel. I had booked two separate hotels in Yosemite so that we wouldn't have to drive very far and double back to see everything we wanted to see. Wawona is near the southern entrance of the park, not far from Mariposa Grove. It was late in the afternoon at this point so we also discussed what we wanted to eat for dinner. National parks are wonderful, but generally speaking, they're not known for their food, and our hotel had a buffet-style dinner that really didn't appeal to any of us. We decided to leave the park, since we were so close to the gate, and have dinner at Jackalope's Bar and Grill at Tenaya Lodge in nearby Fish Camp. After a very enjoyable dinner, we headed back into the park to catch sunset at Glacier Point.
It's funny how national parks look so small on a map, but so many of them are much larger than they seem. That said, the drive to Glacier Point took an hour, and we cut it a little close, but we still got to see the pink sunset wash over the granite peaks surrounding Yosemite Valley.
Washburn Point, an overlook on the way to Glacier Point
Mom and I at Washburn Point
Glacier Point, with famous Half Dome right in the middle
Julia made the somewhat harrowing drive back down the windy road to our hotel, and we saw both a fox and owl cross the road in front of us on the way!
In the morning, we had breakfast at our hotel before we headed further into the park to explore Yosemite Valley.
Up bright and early at the Wawona Hotel for breakfast (we both have tired eyes in this picture and it makes me laugh)
The Wawona has several buildings and this is the one we stayed in. It was really quaint, and it's one of the oldest mountain resorts in California. I loved staying here.
Tunnel View, the first viewpoint in Yosemite Valley
Mom and Jule at Swinging Bridge
We drove the length of Southside Drive, which runs through Yosemite Valley, stopping here and there, and it honestly felt like driving through a postcard. It was really cool to see the valley first from above at Glacier Point, and then from below within the valley itself.
When we had plans to go to Yosemite in the spring, there was a lot more that I planned on seeing, including Mirror Lake and various waterfalls that go crashing over the granite cliffs and look absolutely stunning. I'm thrilled we got to go to Yosemite at all, especially with all the issues getting out there, so this is by no means a complaint, but a ton of the water in the park is dried up by late summer. The waterfalls are more of a trickle and Mirror Lake might as well have been called "Mirror Puddle," so that cut out a lot of hiking we might have done.
Despite the low water levels, my dad still really wanted to check out the Vernal Falls trail. Getting to a footbridge at the base of the falls wasn't incredibly far, probably only about a mile one way, but with water levels so low, I decided to sit that one out. So I hung out with my mom while my dad and Julia set off down the trail. They were only gone about 90 minutes, maybe less, but they really enjoyed the hike. (And based on Julia's photos I saw afterwards, I'm really glad I didn't go because I would've been disappointed by the lack of water.)
We all had interest in driving out California route 120, which stretches east to west through the park and passes one stunning vista after another. Before we set off though, I had read that the Cook's Meadow Loop trail was easy but beautiful, so we decided to check that out first. This was the first time we ran into an issue with the signs in Yosemite, by which I mean they are severely lacking. For a place that under normal circumstances hosts thousands of international visitors every year, we were perplexed that several things were incredible poorly marked, the Cook's Meadow Loop being one of them. After a good 20 minutes of wandering around, we did find it, and it was a lovely place to go for a stroll.
Half Dome from Cook's Meadow
Views from Berg Bridge over the Merced River
Once we finally explored Cook's Meadow, we set off on route 120, the beauty of which really can't be overstated.
Olmsted Point
Tenaya Lake
Tuolumne Meadows
Lee Vining Canyon
When I thought we were going to Mammoth Lakes, I developed an interest in seeing Mono Lake in Lee Vining (which is where the eastern gate into Yosemite is), so my family indulged me and we checked it out before we doubled back. Mono Lake is a saline soda lake; according to its Wikipedia page, "the lack of an outlet causes high levels of salts to accumulate in the lake, which make its water alkaline." The high alkalinity has resulted in a buildup of limestone, which creates tufa towers that stick out of the water. We just did a drive-by because it was very hot and the lake is smelly because of the brine shrimp that live in it, but it was really cool to see!
Tufa towers on Mono Lake
We then drove back into Yosemite Valley, which was faster than on the way out because we didn't make as many stops, but it still took about 90 minutes. We then headed over to Curry Village to get checked in to our accommodations for the evening. We were spending the night in a glamping-style set up, in a permanent tent with a real wooden floor and beds inside. My parents shared a full-size bed and Julia and I each had our own twin beds. None of us had ever been glamping before, and we really got a kick out of it (although my mom probably would have preferred a real hotel). We had dinner in the park at the Base Camp Eatery, which was nothing to write home about but we didn't go to bed hungry, so no complaints from me.
Waking up in Yosemite Valley in the morning and watching the sun cross over Half Dome was amazing. We had a quick breakfast at the Curry Village Coffee Corner and then we hit the road. There was one last viewpoint I was looking for before we left Yosemite Valley. It was called Valley View, and while we were almost outdone again by a lack of signage, it sure did not disappoint when we finally found it.
At the Valley View overlook, with the famous El Capitan on the left
We then left Yosemite Valley for the last time and turned north to check out Hetch Hetchy Valley. A haven for hikers, more athletic people could easily spend days there. They even have a Backpacker's Camp there, where you need a wilderness permit to hike. Obviously we weren't doing any off-grid hiking; we just wanted to see the valley, and it was well worth another hour-plus drive to get there.
Hetch Hetchy Reservoir
Family photo at Hetch Hetchy
The (very steep) side of the dam on the reservoir
We then hit the road again, headed for the coast. We spent the entire afternoon in the car, crossing California's central valley. My dad was really interested to see the agricultural side of things, like how they conserved water and what crops were in season. But the temperature kept climbing as we left the mountains; when we stopped for gas, it was well into the 90s, so I couldn't wait to get to the coast--and get out of the car!
We finally made it to our Motel 6 in Monterey about 6 hours later (where the temperature was much cooler, for the record), then promptly realized I had put in the wrong Motel 6 and had to drive 7 minutes down the road to the correct one. You'd think I would have learned my lesson after I did the exact same thing at the Kansas City airport but you would be wrong. We got checked in to the correct location (which was, in fact, very nice and clean despite what a snob like myself might associate with a Motel 6) and started discussing dinner. We had reservations at a very nice steakhouse in Lake Tahoe before our plans changed, but in the scramble, I didn't have time to make a reservation in Monterey, so I suggested we pop into some of the many very nice restaurants in downtown Monterey and see if any of them had walk-in availability. We got lucky on the first try and had an incredible steak dinner at the Whaling Station steakhouse.
After dinner, we went for a walk downtown and saw historic Cannery Row and the waterfront before my dad and I caved and got ice cream sundaes from Ghirardelli.
The famous Monterey Canning Company, for which Cannery Row is named
View of the Pacific
The Cannery Row monument, an homage to John Steinbeck's story of the same name (and that's Steinbeck on top)
In the morning, we got breakfast from a French bakery and then explored Old Fisherman's Wharf before taking a scenic drive along the coast through neighboring Pacific Grove.
Old Fisherman's Wharf
Old Fisherman's Wharf from the other side
Kissing Rock viewpoint (so named for the rocks barely touching over the water, or "kissing")
Lovers Point Park, and my first time touching the Pacific!
We then got takeout for lunch and ate in our hotel, because I really wanted a poke bowl (which are hard to come by in Scranton) and Julia decided to be adventurous and get one too, but my parents stuck with sandwiches from a different restaurant. We then went back to Fisherman's Wharf to get on a whale watching cruise.
I had gone whale watching once before as a kid in New England, and I don't have fond memories of the trip. We saw nothing, as I recall, and I slept for most of the way back to shore. With that in mind, I had incredibly low expectations for this trip, but I figured it would be nice to get out on the water either way. Within the first half hour, I realized I was dead wrong, as we saw one humpback after another, including babies! It was magical.
Back at Fisherman's Wharf for whale watching!
Mama and baby whale tails
Whales from every angle
I love that it looks like it's waving!
More tails!
Apparently this is called lunge feeding
Some tail action too!
The lights of Monterey to guide us back to shore
Even the guides told us how lucky we got on that whale watching trip, and they're out there all the time! We were so blessed.
We got off the boat and had another delightful dinner at Domenico's on the Wharf. I wanted to make sure we had some high-quality seafood while we were in Monterey, and Domenico's came up on every list I read of good places to eat, so we decided to go for it. My mom discovered when we got there that Domenico's is owned by a family of Deadliest Catch fame, which was pretty cool. But most importantly, the seafood was incredible.
In the morning, we finished our scenic drive through Pacific Grove by driving the breathtaking 17 Mile Drive. Wikipedia describes it as "a scenic road through Pebble Beach...much of which hugs the Pacific coastline and passes famous golf courses, mansions and scenic attractions." I love a mansion as much as the next person but the rugged coastline there really is the main attraction, for me.
Fanshell Beach
Crocker Grove, home to the oldest and largest Monterey Cypress trees in one of only two remaining stands in the world
The famous Lone Cypress, the logo of the Pebble Beach golf course
Different view near the Lone Cypress lookout
We then went into Carmel-by-the-Sea to rub elbows with the rich and famous and explore Carmel Plaza, where the swanky shopping is. We walked around there for awhile and popped in and out of some stores, but most stuff was out of our price range. We had a quick lunch at a pub and then did a loop through the Golden Rectangle, so named for the beautiful and incredibly expensive real estate. I don't have any creepy photos, since these are actually people's homes, but it really is a beautiful neighborhood.
Continuing our scenic drive theme, we decided to drive a little ways down the stunning route 1, which hugs the California coast. As the road got higher, a lot of the view was swallowed up by fog, but it cleared enough for us to see Bixby Creek Bridge, made famous by the HBO Show Big Little Lies, and also Big Sur.
Bixby Creek Bridge of Big Little Lies fame
Big Sur
Family photo at (foggy) Big Sur
And that was the last fun stop on our California tour. We turned north towards San Jose, where we were spending the night. We followed route 1 all the way around Monterey Bay up to Santa Cruz, then continued on to San Jose. We had very enjoyable Mexican food for dinner from La Victoria Taqueria, dropped off the rental car so we wouldn't have to scramble at the airport in the morning, and spent the night in a hotel near the airport.
We got to the airport early in the morning because the first leg of our flight left at 6:35am (No delays this time!). In fact, everything went according to plan, and we landed at Reagan International Airport around 5pm (because you lose time traveling west to east; it's not like we were actually in a plane for 11 hours!). We had a quick dinner with Julia at a burger place near her house, then made the 4 hour drive home. My parents and I got home late but none of us had to work the next day, so we were able to take it easy. And poor Julia did have to work, but at least it was a short week for her!
Comentarios