Fresno to Yosemite to San Francisco, Oh My!
/The Latest News - After a long internet hiatus.
Sunday, November 16, 2014.
I have always wanted to use the word "hiatus" in print.
So much for regular blog updates. Who would have thought that there would be limited internet access in the middle of Yosemite National Park? We have a lot to catch up on. Here's the recap:
- Last Tuesday we flew into Fresno, went straight to Sportsmobile, and survived orientation.
- Ran running errands all day Wednesday, including another morning at Sportsmobile on the punch list.
- Thursday we drove to Yosemite (via the long way), where we stayed until this morning.
- Today (Sunday) - left Yosemite and drove San Francisco.
Kelly and I at one of the most iconic natural views in the world - the Yosemite Valley.
The Road to Yosemite.
The best part of road trips is, well, the road.
It was good to get out of Fresno and hit the highway. Fresno was not what I had imagined - no offense to Fresnoians, but it seemed like one big industrial complex, with the saving grace that it's only a few hours from lots of other beautiful places.
As we drove north it became more and more arid. Then the foothills began. Then the mountains, cliffs, walls sheer granite. We made most of the final leg of the trip in the dark - which made for nice surprise in the morning when we woke up in the Yosemite Valley.
I have a lot more to say about Yosemite - but not enough time to get all of the photos for it edited.
"sportsmobile. It doesn't drive like an infiniti".
That should be their ad tagline.
As we drove down the highway the other cars (especially the nice ones) parted like the Red Sea.
The tight curves on the mountain road evoked even more dramatic responses - other drivers see the oncoming behemoth and their widen like saucers. When we're stopped there are plenty of curious glances.
As much reading and research as I had done on this thing, I failed to appreciate how imposing and large it is when you're standing beside it. By far, the largest thing I have ever driven, but I'm getting the hang of it, after a couple of lessons.
The view from our kitchen, at Upper Pines Campground in Yosemite.
This thing is going to need a nickname. The winner gets a free camping or tailgating expedition. All we can think to call it so far is "The Beast".
We picked it up at Sportsmobile in Fresno on Tuesday night after flying in. I'm pretty sure that I missed most of the most important technical points about how things work. We'll just figure it out along the way. There's no black water sewage tank, so we have some margin for error, and any messes should be manageable.
On our way to Yosemite. (From Thursday)
We're just now leaving Fresno for Yosemite, and we haven't had the chance to stay in it overnight - that comes tonight for Kelly and I. Dad is staying in the lodge. I can't wait to see the night sky with Kelly as we sip bourbon tonight, and to watch the sun rise over Half Dome and flood the valley as we sip our coffee tomorrow morning.
This whole adventure (all my adventures, really) are excused to drink coffee and bourbon in beautiful places by a fire, and, if I'm lucky, to catch some fish in between.
