Ups and downs in Yosemite

We're reaching the end of our stay in Yosemite National Park and it's been a bit of a
mixed bag.

Larry knocked us up as promised and had us on the bus to the Yosemite Bug hostel at 7
am. I had booked us into a place about 40 minutes by bus from the park in order to
save us from the cost and crowds of the valley floor. One problem - a massive rock
fall has totally closed the direct route from hostel to park, and the diversion takes
3 hours each way!

Due to this and the associated depleted bus schedule we had to spend the first day
around the hostel, so we went on the Bug Loop Trail which supposedly goes all the way
round the site but vanishes now and again. It was pretty strenuous and we saw some
pretty spots on the way - the hostel has its own natural swimming hole, but after
reports of snakes and eels in it there was no way I was going in it! I had been
imagining hearing rattlesnakes rattling all the way round the trail as it was.

Up bright and early the next day for our first trip to Yosemite. There's a great
view as we approached the park of El Capitan (the massive granite rock on the left).

The valley is really dramatic and as impressive as the Grand Canyon in many ways, but
much more developed (although sympathetically) with many hotels, shops, campsites
etc. The first day we visited Yosemite Falls (the biggest waterfall in North America
if all 3 drops are combined), then walked several miles to Mirror Lake (pretty but
not spectacular), then a couple more miles around the valley floor before home. This
time we really did see a rattlesnake!! But we kept our distance and it wasn't
rattling so we were ok!

Unfortunately somewhere between the bus home and the walk back to the hostel Geof
lost his wallet. We've pretty much sorted this out now, card and driving license
replacements ordered, but it has taken a while and may well disrupt our hiring of a
car in a weeks time! But this kind of thing was bound to happen at some point.

Due to the wallet debacle, Geof stayed back at the hostel the next day to sort stuff
out and I went into the park again solo. I went to the Happy Isles (some pretty
islands in the Merced river, lots of fast white water around), then set off on the
Mist Trail.

The Mist Trail is a hike first to the base of Vernal waterfall, then to the top of
Vernal, then to the base of Nevada waterfall, then to the top of Nevada. I heard it
was fairly strenuous so not being particularly fit I aimed to get to the base of
Vernal. But when I saw the amount of 3 year olds going all the way I thought I'd
better give it a go. Calling it the mist trail is a bit of an understatement, at
some points it was a full scale shower, but it's so hot here it was really a good
thing. In the end I got about half way to the top of the second waterfall, before
having to turn back to catch the bus back to the hostel. The falls and the views
were spectacular, it was a fantastic day.

Today my legs feel a bit dead. Neither of us fancied the early start and 6 hour
round trip to the park today, so we stayed back at the hostel and sorted out the
replacement driving licenses and stuff.

We have been roped into doing some ad hoc IT support for various people struggling with the computers. Geof's favourite today was when the monitor had gone to standby and a lady asked him how to turn it on again. Geof told her to just shake the mouse a bit. So she picks it up and waves it in the air. We got there in the end.

Well this has been a long one but then it is 3/4 days worth! We are off to San
Francisco tomorrow so next update from there.

Laters,
Sarah