September
27th, Yosemite, CA
Walter is
going to be in shock at this but Joyce and I got up our first morning of
camping at 8am. Our typical sleep
schedule had changed quite a bit but we had rested well the
It was an
easy-going morning around the campfire…..warming up a bit. Once we had stepped out of our tent we could
feel the chill in the morning hours.
That morning was another bright, clear blue sky day with a forecast of
68. How we were lucking out with such
perfect weather was beyond me but a pleasant surprise. We lounged around the fire and contemplated
where to explore first in the park.
We
decided before any further venturing that we would check out the general store
near our campsite for some necessary goods like firewood, ice and food for the
next couple meals. It was only a mile
down the road from our campground and a decently stocked store plus gas station
and a bus depot for tours to Mariposa Grove and the giant sequoias. While we picked up a few things for dinner
that night we discussed staying in this part of the park today and go to see
the giant trees. So we had a bit of a
plan for our afternoon and then….our first hiccup came to pass.
As I walked
out of the store to the car I see Joyce looking down into the back hatch of the
Mini with her hands on her hips….seeming a little contemplative. She didn’t have the ice in her hand to put
into the cooler so I figured she had already done that and wondered what she
was doing. As I walked up she
offhandedly said, “I’ve locked the keys in the car.” I couldn’t believe it at first, “Oh no…not really?” Yes, really…and a few cusswords from me ensued. (I’m keeping it clean on the blog in respect
to my mom but most of you can imagine the next few words.) Well…I got that out of my system after just a
minute and focused on the pluses….sandwich and water in hand, restrooms nearby
and a phone in the shade along with comfortable chairs in front of the
store.
Joyce was able to reach the roadside assistance
for her Mini Cooper and after about an hour relaxing and doing some people
watching, a the dispatched tow service got us out of our little dilemma. Not much of a hiccup all in all.
Next move of the day….shuttle to the Mariposa Grove and seeing the giant
Sequoias’. This was a real highpoint for
me so far.
The trees are just
incredible, huge in all ways and beautiful.
We took an open air tram all around the grove for a 90 minute
informative and scenic tour, my neck perpetually craned upward in awe. To see this kind of magnificence was almost a
shock as I considered how long these trees have been here, how much they can
endure and how fire is actually an essential element to their success. When most things are destroyed by fire, these
trees actually need it for a healthy environment and ecosystem that works best
for them. The park has to create
controlled burns in the way nature would to ensure proper sustainability. I’m so appreciative
that the powers that be
are doing everything they can to understand the best way to protect this and
other groves of sequoias’. Besides the
beauty that surrounded us, there was the added benefit of lovely scents wafting
all around us from all the different types of evergreens. Joyce was able to get some photos and as nice
as some of them are it is really hard to show the scale of these giants. It is certainly one of those things you must
see to truly appreciate
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