Day 5: Not A Lot of Hiking Today

Part of Tenaya Lake, notice the snow (Cell Phone)

Today we woke up a bit later than yesterday, we slept in till 6:30 AM.  We had breakfast at the hotel, which was well below the average hotel breakfast buffet and not very appetizing.  After breakfast we drove to the park, and got there around 8:30 AM, and were informed Tioga Road was open, so we made the 2 hour drive up to Tuolumne Meadows.  We made the drive quickly because we were racing weather. A storm was supposed to come in later in the afternoon, which could force them to reclose the road and we did not want to get stuck on the wrong side.  The meadow itself was not very interesting, which I should have expected at this time of year since there was still a fair bit of snow on the ground in some places heading up to the meadows, and the meadows itself was still brown.  It also didn’t help that most areas along that road are only open in the summer, and this is one of the few times this May the road has been open.    We did get a few pictures, and stopped at the Tenaya Lake and Olmstead Point pull offs to get some pictures of the lake and half dome respectively.  We then continued back down to the valley.

View from Olmsted Point (Cell Phone)

Jim and I at Olmsted Point (Cell Phone)

Once back in the main valley we took Wawona Road up to Tunnel View, where you have a beautiful overview of Yosemite Valley with views of Half Dome, El Capitan, and Bridalveil Falls.  We took several photos in that area, but did not make the hike up to “Inspiration Point” or “Old Inspiration Point” because Jim’s knee was bothering him from yesterday's hike.  We then drove over to the Bridalveil Falls trail head to hike over to the falls viewing point.  The hike really wasn’t a hike it was more like a short, walk since the viewing area was 1000 ft from the parking lot.   After getting a few pictures there, we determined it was time to head back to the hotel because the clouds were starting to look ominous and the sky was starting to darken.  We determined we did not want to be stuck in any rain storms.

View from Tunnel View (Cell Phone)

After dropping our stuff off at the hotel we went to get dinner.  We were originally going to eat at Happy Burger Diner (mostly because I keep seeing signs for it) but they actually had  substantial wait.  Who knew a restaurant in this tiny town could have a wait.  So we went over to 1850 to eat.  I had the pulled pork which was good,  and Jim had the ninja burger.  He said the burger was different, but it was not the flavor explosion he was expecting based on the description.  After that it was back to the hotel to call it a day.

Tomorrow, we will be getting up extra early to get the park so we can catch the morning light.  In all honesty it is how the light reflects off the features of the valley that makes Yosemite. Tomorrow will also be our last day in the park,  we decided since several of the trails and roads are closed till summer to leave early.  This means we will get to spend a full day in San Francisco, instead of a half day like the original plan.  This means I can see the seals and the Golden Gate Bridge, neither of which I have ever seen even though I have been to San Francisco.