The Giants game

One of our readers asked for proof that we attended a baseball game together.   Here you go.

Jan gets photo credit for the first two.   Third is Jan and Deb.   Last one is mine. 

Time to go home

Another memorable vacation draws to a close.   Moving through SFO this morning is much easier and faster than Albany.  

Farewell Yosemite

This is our last night in Yosemite West.  We thank Holly and Jeff for being gracious hosts.  No bears tried breaking and entering while we were here.  They left Jan a nifty bottle of wine.  We got to use a washer and drier tonight which always makes returning home easier.

Our touring day was spent in an open-air tram run by the park service and one of their contractors.  It's a diesel hybrid!  We toured the valley making stops along the way.  The picture of El Capitain and the image of the Merced River with Galcier Point in the background are from that tour.

We dined out tonight.  It's only the second time we ate dinner outside of our rooms in the two weeks.  The Ahwahnee was built with large windows looking out at El Capitain and other parts of the valley.  If I had to pick between the Ritz Carlton and the Ahwahnee I would go with the Ritz but only by very slim margin.

After dinner back up to Yosemite West with a quick stop at the Tunnel View overlook for a picture of Half Dome at Sunset.  The last image is from the road in "our neighborhood" with the red glow of sunset settled over Yosemite, a fitting way to say goodbye.

Tomorrow we head to San Francisco and a baseball game.

Thursday morning in Yosemite

The only way for homeowners / landlords to get internet access here is by satellite.  Residential access to that service is maxed out.  Our hosts waited two years for a slot to open up before they could get access.

No need to become terribly technical, but residential use of the satellite data is also capped.  That all sounds inconvenient until you consider for a moment that you are getting access to the internet in the middle of the wilderness.

Smokey the bear (a fictional character who has not visited this condo unit) would be proud of the Airattack crew that worked quickly to control a fire near Yosemite Falls this week.  The park service practices fire management.  Fire, is good for the ecosystem.  Over time a large amount of what Rangers call "duff" builds up on the floor.  Too much and you get unconrollable fires like in Northern California.

Periodically, the park service will permit fires to burn under scrutiny, especially if the fire is caused by a lightning strike.  However, when a fire is caused by careless smoking, that usually requires intervention.  One of the images below shows the helicopter crew dumping water onto a fire that burned for a few days.  You won't see smoke because they were dousing hot spots.  We watched it burn for a few days before the fire accomplished what needs to happen.

A brown bear was feeding up trail during our hike on Wednesday.  I didn't see it but other hikers did.  Of course one of them took her tablet and tried to get close enough for a selfie with the bear.

So here is my advice this morning.  Treat these parks with respect.  Leave only footprints.  Take only pictures.  Smoking is bad for you in the first place, but if you smoke, don't do it on a hiking trail and certainly don't toss your butts into the trees.  And when you "take only pictures" please remember the animals in the parks are not part of a petting zoo.  They are wild animals.  They do not pose for pictures.

We plan a leisurely day with a nice dinner this evening at the Ahwahnee.

We hiked down from Glacier Point

I'm cutting down the size of my posts because the satellite portal restricts data to so many gigabytes per month.  It's like a phone plan, but more restrictive.

We hiked today.  A long hike.  From the top of Glacier Point to the floor of Yosemite Valley.  We are sore but in good spirits.

Here's some pictures that are self explanatory with one foot note.  The trail was 4.6 miles.  But you have to hike to get to the trail head and after you finish you have to hike to get to the shuttle bus.

Wawona and the Serenity Suite

One end of the park where we didn’t spend much time is Wawona.  It is near the condo.  Yosemite is an old Park.   Depending on how you count it is at least a century old.   The way things were is not how they are now.   For example there is a golf course in this part of the park.

It stays as a reminder of the past.

Nearby is a grove of lodgepole pines.   You know them better as telephone polls.

Nestled close by is an assortment of wild flowers.

It is also the section of the park where the early pioneers are remembered.

One of the wagons carried oil to the ponds and park service Rangers would spill it into the water to kill mosquitoes. 

Before the park service the Army kept watch over the park.   Once it became a civilian responsibility this was the first office for the park superintendent. 

Back to the condo for a blog tour.   Exterior and interior. 

We are the downstairs unit.   Upstairs is two bedrooms.

Granite counter tops.   Very nice finishes. 

Kitchen leads to an open area with a king bed and living room sharing the space.   That leads out to the infamous bear porch.