I left Grass Valley this morning heading towards Yosemite National Park. I chose the scenic route rather than the quickest route, which means I drive on two-lane roads through lots of small towns on California Highway 49 toward Corona and Placerville. At the beginning of this road the sign said 8% grade. The road is very twisty and I'm driving right down into the canyon. I love roads like this. It won't be a fast drive today, but my purpose is not to get to Yosemite quickly. My purpose is to soak up the scenery as I go. Carolyn told me this morning I am driving through the heart of the gold country, so I am getting some idea of area where the gold rushers did their mining.
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| Typical gold mining town |
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| Serbian Orthodox Church |
On down the road I am in Calaveras County where Mark Twain wrote about the jumping frogs. In the town of Angels Camp I saw a junior high school named after Brett Hart and I am realizing I may have Twain and Hart and the frogs all mixed up. I need to do a little research to get all of this straight in my mind. It's been way too long since I have thought of such things. A little farther down the road a church catches my eye because of it's architecture -- it seems out of place here. The sign out front says "Serbian Orthodox Church." I know from Bill and Carolyn there were a lot of immigrants in the area so I guess it makes sense that it is here.
Also in the area is Carson Hill -- a mountain that has been terraced for mining. Gold was discovered here in 1854 and the mine was then known as the Morgan Mine.
At Robinson's Ferry there's a high bridge for road traffic, but ferry service was first established here in 1856 to move goods and animals and people from one side of the river to the other.
As I continue winding through the mountains, up and down the canyons, I saw a sign for Mark Twain's cabin. I must have passed the turnoff because I never saw another sign indicating where to turn. Then an historical marker a little farther on says the cabin is in one mile. According to the marker, the cabin is a replica with the original chimney and fireplace. "Here on Jackass Hill, the young Mark Twain, as a guest of the Gillis Brothers, 1864-1865, gathered material for "Jumping Frog of Calaveras" which first brought him fame and for roughing it." Nearby is a sign for the Brett Hart Trail. This road is so crooked and narrow with no shoulders so I really can't stop and check things out.
Sometime after I turn onto highway 120 and I am about forty miles from Yosemite, I see a sign to turn off my air conditioner for the next 8 miles. There's no explanation. I suspect it is to keep vehicles from overheating as they climb the mountains. This road is very crooked and goes right up over the top of the mountains. I can barely glance at the scenery because this road is a challenge to drive. Another sign warns drivers to watch for vehicles coming in the opposite direction. There are no guard rails for the most part, except on steep blind corners. Occasionally there is a shoulder. I can see across the canyon where there is a similar road snaking up its side. I first thought when I get to the end of the canyon the road will cross over and go down the other side, but that turns out not to be the case. At the top, there is a crossroads, with roads going in four different directions -- not what I expected at all. I pull into the parking lot of a tiny cafe to take a break from the tedious drive and to view the road below. Not knowing what the drive is like ahead, I decide to enjoy a rootbeer float and watch the cars and trucks winding their way up the mountains. I suspect the elevation here is about 5000, though I've seen nothing to verify that.
After my brief stop on top, the road continues, but is not particularly steep or crooked. I discover I am in the little town of Groveland where I will stay in the Bershire Inn Bed and Breakfast tonight. I check in early to give myself time to explore part of Yosemite before it gets dark. The inn is about twenty miles outside the park.
After I stop at the Yosemite entrance gate, the road winds among the hills, much like I drove through all the way from Grass Valley. I drive for about ten miles, and frankly I am not impressed. And then...and then I turn a corner and there is the first huge stone mountain in the park. Totally awesome!! My plan is to drive the loop in Yosemite Valley, which I should be able to do before dark. However, a flashing sign says a certain section of roadway will be closed between 5:30 and 8:00 tonight. I pull over and check my map. It turns out the roadway that will be closed is the only park exit road that will take me to the B&B. I check my watch and figure I can drive thirty more minutes and then I will have to turn around and leave the park. I certainly don't want to get caught for several hours. A couple of miles down the road I see two park rangers stopped at a viewpoint. I whip in there to find out about the road closure. They assure me it will probably only be closed for an hour. When I tell them my driving plan, they tell me to go on and there shouldn't be any problem. As it turns out they are blasting rock and they want to make sure it doesn't fall on the roadway.
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| Yosemite Valley |
Yosemite Valley is fabulous. I open my sunroof which gives me a great view of hunks of rock rising from the valley floor. The only other way to see them in their entirety is to get out of the car for an unobstructed view. The rocks and cliffs look just like the photos in National Geographic, only better. Photos don't do them justice -- just like all the other landscapes on this trip. There are a few crazy drivers out here who decide to stop in the middle of the road to take pictures or who decide to come down my lane to get to a viewpoint on my side of the road. Thank goodness for slow speed limits.
At one stop on the Yosemite Valley loop trail there's sign that says President Theodore Roosevelt and John Muir camped here to discuss saving America's wilderness. While I've heard about these meetings, it's very different to stand in their place looking at these gigantic rocky mountains. I'm so glad they made such decisions so many years ago.
Because I love old historic hotels I located the Ahwahnee Hotel towards the end of Yosemite Valley. I had hoped to stay there but it didn't work out, so dinner tonight seems like the next best thing. The dining room is gorgeous, requires reservations, and appropriate dress. I check the menu and nothing really grabs me. I don't have the right attire so I don't even ask about a reservation. The bar at the other end of the lobby has a reasonable menu and tables outside so I opt for that. I get to enjoy the architecture of the hotel and an unobstructed view of one of the mountains here -- way better than in the dining room which lacks this view. Indoor ambiance cannot compete with natural splendor. I order champagne to mark the occasion, caesar salad, and boysenberry pie for dessert. And to top it all off, the pianist, just inside the bar, played The Great Gate of Kiev from Pictures at an Exhibition and some of my favorite Beethoven. Majestic music, majestic mountains -- a perfect match.
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| A tree for Fred |
When dusk begins to fall, I snap a few photos of the mountains in sunlight, search the meadows for wildlife, and then head for the B&B.
I know I keep saying it but those pics are beautiful. I have been there once...when I was very young. Lived in Southern Cali and I guess we vacationed there once. Wish I had been old enough to appriciate it the way it deserves.
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