CA - Day 8 & 9 - Pinnacles NP

Saturday, September 5, 2015

Last full day of vacay. Originally, we planned to spend the day at Kings and Sequoia National Park, but the wildfires made us change our plan. We decided to head to Pinnacles National Park, since we had not visited that park. We were joined by Mike’s brother and wife for the day, which was very enjoyable!

Pinnacles National Park

We hiked to the Talus Caves along the Bear Gulch Cave which connected to the Moses Spring Trail, which leads to the reservoir (it had a little bit of water). The cave was not a cave in a sense that we were used to. It had a ton of openings to the sky and was never really closed in. It seemed more like a slot canyon. Once we were done exploring the reservoir, we continued to the High Peaks Trail. At first we were not going to hike that complete trail, since it was pretty long (6.7 miles), but once we were up to the top it was so scenic we decided to continue.

The importance of the park is the condors. Condors were reintroduced to the park in 2003. Currently, there are 27 of them in the park. High Peaks trail was one of the best places to see them. We are not positive that we saw any (they have lighter colors on the underside of the wing and the flight pattern is really smooth) – there were a lot of turkey vultures flying around. The High Peaks trail is considered strenuous and it is advised to bring a lot of water. By the time, we reached the trailhead we were out of water (I think we started with 6 bottles).

Pinnacles National Park

The visitor center was really small at this park and there was not much for food, just some snacks and stuff that could be microwaved.   Dinner was at the Running Rooster in Hollister - yummy wood fired cooking. Traveling back towards Sacramento, we stayed at the Best Western Andersens Inn Santa Nella. It was not the best...the carpet was in desperate need of cleaning and the room did not smell the best. I definitely would not have called this place a 3 star type of accommodation. Breakfast was not up to normal Best Western standards.


Sunday, September 6, 2015

The drive to the airport was as expected - uneventful. My only complaint about the airport is there are not many options for food (3 in the terminal we were in). We had a layover in Atlanta – which had great food choices! We each got a cupcake (carrot cake and strawberry) – yum! The flight to Detroit and drive home was good. 

CA - Day 7 - Yosemite Valley

Friday, September 4, 2015

Yosemite - Vernal Falls

Another day at Yosemite, the day started with a hike to Vernal Falls. The Mist Trail was relatively easy until the footbridge. There was a bathroom and water fountain available before heading closer to the falls (at the footbridge). Mike continued beyond Vernal Falls and checked out Nevada Falls. The trail got quite busy after 11. After making it back down, we checked out the Happy Isles Nature Center. It was a neat place and there was a passport stamp there.  Lunch was at Curry Village, not bad; we had burgers (pizza was also available). The store there was also much larger than the visitor center so we did some shopping there. 



We then hiked the Mirror Lake Trail, which was 2 miles. The lake was dry, but the trail provided great views of Half Dome. The trail is paved, but there is a horse trail on the other side of the dry river bed if you are looking for more of a challenge.

Yosemite - Mirror Lake Area

We stayed at the Holiday Inn Express in Merced for the night. The hotel was probably the nicest Holiday Inn Express that I have ever stayed at, but it did not have the best views, and there was a bit of freeway noise. Dinner at Black Diner was fab (ranked #3 out of restaurants in Merced). I had the chicken potpie and we split a slice of coconut cream pie.

CA - Day 6 - Yosemite Valley

Thursday, September 3, 2015

Yosemite

The entire day was dedicated to exploring more of Yosemite. We entered at the Tuolumne Meadows area. During our previous visit, it was mentioned that a volunteer would be at the Olmsted Point overlook with a telescope for visitors to see the hikers climb up the famous Half Dome. It was pretty neat seeing the climbers.

Next we stopped to check out a Sequoia Grove. The main grove (Mariposa) was closed for restoration. We visited the grove named Tuolumne Grove.  The paved path hike was 2.5 miles. The grove only has about a dozen trees. There is one tree that you can easily walk through and another than you can crouch your way through (both are dead). The main parking lot was full, but there was plenty of additional parking just down the road.

Yosemite

Yosemite

Next, we headed to the village area. There were a few lunch options available – all which were affordable. Since we were near the visitor center, we checked that out. The displays were okay. Two videos are also available for viewing, both were very good (about 30 minutes each). Also in that area is an Indian Village. There are some signs and displays of the types of housing. There is also a museum of Indian artifacts.
Near the visitor center is a hike along the valley floor. The trail (Valley Loop) was really hard to find/follow, we were not sure which way to go. The boardwalks and bridges were nice, but then again we probably were not on the trail we thought we were.

We stayed at a place just outside of the park - Yosemite View Lodge. The place was okay (a bit outdated). We opted for the mountain view, which was about $50 less a night than the river view option. The room had amenities which would allow you to cook your own meals. There was a restaurant and a little store also on-site. If you wanted internet access it was an extra $10 for 24 hours.

Yosemite

CA - Day 5 - Devils Postpile & Manzanar

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Devils Postpile NM

We had a busy day, first visiting Devils Postpile National Monument. The monument is in the Mammoth Lakes area. Visitors are required to park that the Mammoth Mountain Ski Area and use the shuttle bus. The shuttle bus runs from 7 to 7 and the wait between buses is only 20 minutes or so. We arrived at the park around 9:30. There are 10 bus stops, but in general the first stop (which is bus stop 6) will be in the middle of the park at the visitor center. The Devils Postpile is an easy 0.4 mile one way hike. The hike to the top of the pile is well worth it, but it is about a 15 minute hike to the top.

Devils Postpile is assumed to have been created about 100,000 years ago. Lava flowed from an unknown location and ran down the valley until it ran into something which dammed the lava’s path.  Lava pooled up to 400 feet behind the dam before cooling. The lava is believed to have cooled at a very slow rate and as it contracted and cracked it formed hexagonal columns. 80,000 years after the piles were created a glacier pushed through the area exposing the sides and tops of the columns.

Devils Postpile NM - Rainbow Falls

Once we were done marveling at the postpiles, we continued heading down the trail (about 2.1 miles) towards Rainbow Falls. The falls are 101 feet down and named after the number of rainbows that are usually displayed at the bottom of the falls. It was not clear enough during our visit to see any rainbows (darn wildfires). The park was by far the smokiest park we visited during our trip.

Devils Postpile NM

We hiked back to bus stop 10 to get on the bus. In hind sight hiking back to bus top 9 would have probably been a lot flatter. The hike to 10 was quite steep. There is food available at stop 10 (the only site within the park). We managed to do all that hiking by noon and only had a short wait for the bus. The bus took about half an hour to get back to the Mammoth Mountain Ski Area.

Overall there are about 8 miles of trails at the park. A bad wildfire occurred at the park in 1992, the effects are largely observed during the walk to Rainbow Falls. That fire, which was sparked by a lightning strike, burned 82% of the National Monument.

Manzanar Cemetery

Our last site to visit for the day was Manzanar National Historic Site. Manzanar was a World War II relocation and internment of Japanese Americans from the west coast. The site is pretty much in the middle of nowhere.  Our visit started at the Visitor Center. The park was not too busy; we were able to watch the 22 minute film, called Remembering Manzanar, before looking at the displays. The video provided great insight to the conditions that the internment people had to live with. The visitor center is quite large with very well displayed information. Outside of the visitor center, there is a 3.2 mile self-guided driving tour. There are two reconstructed barracks to observe – one displays what conditions were like when people first arrived (minus the holes in the ceilings) and one what the barracks were like after then had been there a while (they built furniture). Also along the driving tour, you can visit some of the unearthed rock gardens as well as the cemetery. We spent roughly two hours visiting the site.

After checking in at the Best Western Bishop Lodge for the night. We headed to dinner at Holy Smoke Texas Style BBQ and it was good - I had the redneck taco (cornbread with pulled pork and coleslaw on it). The hotel room was decent, somewhat recently remodeled. Breakfast was normal hotel fare. 

CA - Day 4 - Bodie State Historical Park

Tuesday, September 1, 2015

Bodie State Historical Park

Another interesting place to check out for the day – Bodie State Historical Park. The park is owned by state and there is a $5/person fee. In 1888, Bodie was considered to be one of the most lawless, wild and toughest mining towns in the west. Gold was discovered in 1859 by W.S. Bodey and E.S. “Black” Taylor. Bodey died in a blizzard while returning with supplies. Temperatures are extreme in both summer and winter (3-6 feet of snow on flat ground and up to 20 foot drifts) and winds can be up to 100 mph. Due to the location, mining did not boom until the mid-1870’s.  Nearly 10,000 tons of rich ore was extracted from the mine, netting around $15 million over 25 years. By 1879 the population was nearly 8500 people with more than 2000 buildings. By 1881, the mines were depleted and companies were going bankrupt. The population was down to 1500 by 1886. In 1894 a fire destroyed many homes and businesses. Cyanide process in the 1890s and the use of electricity made mining profitable. In 1932 another fire roared through the town, only 10% of the towns buildings remained.

Bodie State Historical Park

Today, Bodie remains in a state of “arrested decay”, meaning the way it was left as residents left the town. Often residents would leave possessions behind since when they went to settle in a different town they were charged by the weight of the possessions that they would bring with them.

You may be asking yourself “Why is the town spelled as Bodie when one of the guys that discovered to riches was spelled Bodey?” Simple answer - the person that painted the sign did not like the way it looked with the y so they changed it to ie.

The site is defiantly worth a visit, it is unlike any other ghost town that we have visited. Allow at least 2 hours to wonder about the site.  There is also a tour of the stamping building available (for an additional fee), we did not take the tour.

We had a late lunch back in South Lake Tahoe at The Brewery. The food was just okay, but the staff was very friendly. Mike enjoyed the beer selection. After lunch, we headed back to the Gelato place for yummy gelato.

After lounging around for the afternoon, we had dinner at the Bear Moon Restaurant, which was good.

CA - Day 3 - Yosemite - Tuolumne Meadows

A view from the top of Pothole Dome

Monday, August 31, 2015

The Tuolumne Meadows area of Yosemite was our destination for the day. It was a bit of a drive from Tahoe, but luckily we happened to stop by the Mono Lake Visitor Center to stretch our legs, use the bathroom, enjoy the great displays and get some great information that was useful for our next few days. The views outside of the visitor center were incredible! The entrance to Yosemite was only a short drive once leaving the visitor center. The park is $30/vehicle (or use your annual park pass). We arrived just in time for a guided hike at Pothole Dome (about 2.5 hours). The talk dragged on a little, but it was very informative.  We learned all about Belding Ground Squirrels – very interesting (they hibernate for 8-9 months a year)! The four types of predominate granite that exists in Yosemite was also discussed. Once we finally reached the top of the dome, we were rewarded with a view of many peaks of the park. Unfortunately, nearby wildfires caused the park to be a little hazy.

A view from the Valley

Getting the National Park Passport Book stamped was the next activity. The visitor center was small with minimal displays and gift shop selections. On the positive note, there were bathrooms; however, there were not water refill stations available. There is a small restaurant, post office and general store a couple of miles down from the visitor center. We grabbed lunch at the restaurant (very affordable) and then headed to the Soda Springs area. The soda springs were not very impressive. The Parsons Memorial Lodge near the springs was a nice building with some nice displays. The trail to the springs was 1.5 miles round trip and was an easy walk.

Mono Lake - South Tufa Area

We spent about five hours at the park before heading to the Mono Lake South Tufa Area. The cost is $3/person or you can use the National Park Pass.

Mono Lake is rather interesting. The South Tufa Area is the area where the most tufas are present. Tufa is a type of limestone that is formed by the precipitation of carbonate minerals. Scientist figure that the lake was created at least 760,000 years ago. The lack of an outlet causes the salt level to be high – approximately 10%. There are a ton of little flies at the water edge, back in the day local Kutzadika’a people relied on the papae of the alkali flies for food. Brine shrimp live in the waters also. The lake also is a major stopping location for migratory birds. We spent about an hour walking down to the water edge and checking out the formations.

CA - Day 2 - South Lake Tahoe

Sunday, August 30, 2015

Vikingsholm Castle courtyard area

Based on prior research, we determined that we wanted to start the day at the Vikingsholm Castle. Apparently the parking lot normally gets full by 9:30-10:00. Arriving before 9:30, there were many spaces available; however when we left around noon the parking lot was full and cars were circling for a space. A parking fee of $10 was charged. There was free parking along the side of the road (probably about a quarter mile down the road).

Given that we had arrived before the first castle tour time (10:30) we had a leisurely walk to the area of the castle. The walk was about one mile down a steep, but paved road. The walk was quite scenic – lots of nice views of the lake as well as some small trickles of water along the road. With some time to kill, we hiked to Eagle Falls (not impressive at this time of year). The trail head was right by the ticket booth for the castle. Getting back from the waterfall hike, we waited around by the visitor center to get the tickets for the castle. No one showed up, but we were able to buy tickets at the door instead ($10/person).

Vikingsholm was built in only six months back in 1929 (200+ workers that were provided barracks to live in). There is about a half an hour talk about the home and then you are left to explore the space on your own. The home is decked out in Scandinavian motif – there are, I think it was mentioned, 60 dragons located throughout the home (both inside and out). Another interesting feature is the sod roof.

Emerald Bay and Fanette Island

There is a small island located in the bay (Emerald Bay) across from Vikingsholm, Fannette Island, where a tea house was located. Guests at the home were invited out to the island for tea. Currently, the tea house is roofless and in decay. Visitors are welcome to rent a kayak (by the hour, adjacent to the castle) and venture to the island (apparently only about a 10 minute paddle or so).

Venturing back towards Tahoe for lunch, we made a pit spot at Inspiration Point. Inspiration Point is about 600 feet above Lake Tahoe and provides dramatic views. Parking is mega tough around that area – lots of cars park illegally along the road.

For lunch, we headed to a little place called Macduff’s Pub (ranked #11 out of 103 at the time on TripAdvisor). Portions were large, which was good since the prices were a little steep. We were all happy with the food that we ordered (onion soup, fish and chips, and the kona pulled pork sandwich).

After lunch, our CA friends headed home and we were on our own. We spent the rest of the day wondering around by the water and had some gelato at Art of Gelato. It was very yummy – lots of flavor choices. It was a little expensive at $3.50 for a small dish, but I would have to say it was worth it!