Saturday, September 15, 2007

Yosemite

BearHalf Dome

Moving on from Tuolumne we drove down into the valley, great views round every corner, it really is an amazing place.

Caught our first and only glimpse of a black bear wandering along the valley floor and tried to spot climbers on the huge expanse of rock that is El Capitain.

To Glacier point to look back down on the whole valley, with great views of Half Dome then down to Mariposa Grove to feel small amongst the giant redwoods. Walked through a tree and were treated to a close encounter with a deer and her fawns. Camped at Crane Flat under a blanket of stars.

From Yosemite west towards the San Francisco and the Pacific Coast. Resisted the lure of a small town Chilli cook off but couldn't resist a quick stop at REI and picked up some more spacious sleeping quarters. An evening of deja vu as we failed to find a vacant campsite north of San Francisco (well, we did find one but I remembered the reason we'd ditched that idea last time $45 a night! for a campsite!) and ended up in a motel (ok, so it was more expensive, but better value).