Hetch Hetchy

Wednesday we went to Hetch Hetchy, we weren't sure we could get into the area as a lot of the roads are still closed from the fire last year.  Luckily the main road into this beautiful area was open all the way to the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir and  O'Shaughnessy Dam.

Here is our first look at this pristine lake.  After parking we walked across the dam to hike to Wapama Falls.  The first sight we had after coming out of the tunnel we had to walk througe were two deer and a Sierra Newt This little newt was so cute I made sure he was off the trail so he wouldn't get stepped on.

The hike to the falls is filled with spectacular scenery.  It is only 2.5 miles one way.  It is quite a magnificent and powerful water fall.

 On the way back from the falls we found another trail to take to Laurel Lake.  This trail was 7.6 miles and a bit long for the time we had left to enjoy this area, so we decided to just go up to the rim, about 2 miles.  It is a nice trail with great views of the lake and the area around the dam.  Once at the top we found a rock with a great view and out of the wind to have lunch.  Here is my version of the boot shot.  I wasn't exactly sitting on the edge but it gives you a good idea of how high up we were. This really helped to get me in shape for hiking half dome.  All in all it was such a good day.  Joe and I both were on a sierra high.

Our next adventure 16 mile round trip to Half Dome, stay tuned!!!!!

Whats been happening

Saturday and Sunday were spent in Tulare for the sprint car races.  Saturday was spent doing laundry and normal house hold stuff.  Saturday night it was off to the races.  Wing and non-wing sprint cars and IMCA modifies.  We had a lot of fun and the racing was excellent.
We went for groceries Sunday morning then it was off to Yosemite.  Yosemite is one of our favorite places to.  We spent our honeymoon there 38 years ago, so this was kind of a nostalgia trip. We can't believe how much it has changed, we didn't recognize any of the places we stayed or ate at 38 years ago, they call this progress!  We were staying at Yosemite Pines RV Resort.
It was very sad driving into the Valley the first day, you could see all the devastation last years fire on the west side of Yosemite.  It was so sad to see so much beauty gone.  Hopefully it will come back in time.The first day we drove around and got our bearings then stopped to hike up to the upper Yosemite falls.  This isn't a really long trail but it is steep in places.  I turned around at the half way point and Joe continued on.

 I hopped the shuttle back to the village and waited for Joe.  I gave him an hour then he was suppose to turn around and come back.  HA HA HA, like I expected that to happen.  I got to the village before 3 and he finally showed up at 4:30 and of course had an amazing tale to tell.  I seems someone stretched a rope across the falls and people were tight rope walking.

Tues was cloudy and rainy and apparently snowing in the high country.  Tioga Pass was open on Monday but closed by Wednesday morning.  It was still closed on Thursday.  Because the weather was not conducive to outdoor activities we decided to go for a drive to Jamestown.  This is another place we enjoyed riding the motorcycle to.
 But alas it didn't seem the same, maybe because we weren't on the bike. We continued on hwy 108 to Pinecrest where the road beyond was closed due to weather. On the way back Joe decided to take this little back road the would cut our distance in half.  We started at Wards Ferry Rd in Tuolumne  and came out at Deer Flat Rd in Groveland.  What a spectacular, scary road this was.  It is narrow and one lane, you pray no one is coming up the other side.  Very high drop offs and no guard rail. At one point Joe was looking over the edge and thought he saw a whole in the bridge way below us.  It turned out to be a parked car.  This bridge is covered in graffiti.  It is pretty interesting, I can't imagine driving all the way down there to draw on the bridge.

We did meet another car when we were going up the other side.  Joe had to back down to a small pull out so the cars could get by.  Not a road for the faint at heart!!!!!!







I will be adding more photo's to my photo page soon!

Tokopah Falls

Thursday we drove up to Lodgepole Visitor Center and Village.  This is at the top of the Sequoia's, from here you can continue all the way over to Kings Canyon, where we were yesterday.  We went into the museum and learned a little about the big trees, the biggest being the General Sherman which is 40 ft in diameter.  The Sentinel in comparison is only 28 ft in diameter.

We talked to one of the rangers for good places to hike that weren't crowded.  He pointed us to the Muir grove up the road a little ways at the Dorst Creek campground.  The campground is still closed so we found a place to park across the street from it and walked in.  The map we had shows the trail is at the end of the road into the campground, only problem is there are several roads and we weren't sure which one to take.  We decided on the one that looked like the main road through the campground, once we got to the back, or what we thought was the back, there were other roads to confuse us.  Joe went one way and I went another hoping to find the trail.  We have walkie talkies so we were able to keep in touch with each other.  I took the lower area and ran into my favorite critter the marmot, you can see he hasn't missed many meals.  He is quite chubby.  There were quite of few of these critters in this area.  I went further down the road and came to the amphitheater, where I waited for Joe to join me.  While standing there enjoying the quiet a deer came by close to where I was standing, he was beautiful especially in that setting.

 Once Joe joined me, we thought we found a trail in back of the amphitheater and followed it for a ways, it turned out to just me an animal trail.  It was beautiful back in the woods with no one around.  It was so quite and serene.

Funny looking mushrooms

We finally decided we were done looking and walked back to the truck.  We went down to the meadow and had lunch.  We were told that a black bear was there, but he was gone by the time we arrived.  After lunch we went to the lodgepole village to hike to Tokopah Falls, about 1.7 miles one way.  Just a nice late afternoon stroll.  The Tokopah is so picturesque with many cascades and roiling water.  We watched as a father and his three boys played in one to the still areas in the river, it looked very cold.  You could see the falls from some distance, we couldn't wait to get to it.

Joe in his usual resting position

After enjoying the falls we started back down the trail.  It wasn't long before Joe spotted a bear.  We watched it wander through the trees until it got close enough to take pictures of it.  It is just a yearling and you had to wonder where it's mom was.  Luckily a ranger was with us when Joe spotted it and said we didn't need to worry just to not spook it.  It was pretty cool watching him when he started clawing at a dead tree looking for something to eat.

What a great day this was, the weather was warm and sunny, the falls were awesome and the wildlife was plentiful.  I shall sleep good tonight.

Friday is my veg day, so Joe went for an all day hike to Heather lake.  It was a long cold snowy wet hike and he loved every minute of it.  See previous post on his hike to Heather lake.

Road trip to Kings Canyon

Wednesday we drove up to Kings Canyon on the other side of Sequoia.  It was a beautiful drive up there.  We went to the General Grant tree.  Boy what a mass of people.  I think we were the only ones that spoke english. I much prefer what we did on Tues. with no other people.  That being said they have some pretty big trees, and the scenery is beautiful.  Very much worth the drive over here!                                                              

Grant tree close up

 After viewing the Grant trees and reading its history we took a drive up towards Kings Canyon lodge.  Stopped at a pull out and enjoyed the view.    Time to head back to Three Rivers!!!!!!