Yosemite: Tunnel View

(Continued from Yosemite: Making Plans)

Featured Photo: “Yosemite Valley, Tunnel View (No. 1)” Yosemite National Park, California—2023

So, how did the problems with our hotel accommodations get sorted out? Let me backtrack again to Thursday, our travel day: we had arrived at the Yosemite View Lodge, gone to our room, and taken in the view from the balcony. After we came back in and called the front desk to let them know about the issues, my sister and I took a quick look around the rest of the room, while we waited for someone from hotel maintenance to arrive.

The overall space was pleasant, but a bit dated. We had requested two Queen-size beds; when we pressed down on the mattresses, they seemed reasonably comfortable. The room had a small, yet convenient kitchenette, with a stove top, microwave, sink, coffeemaker, pots, pans, cups, plates, and glasses, along with our non-functioning refrigerator.

The bathroom was large and well-lighted, and there was a roomy closet by the front door. And in the corner, beside the sliding-glass door—where our outside screen door still lay across the balcony, where it had fallen—there was a nice fireplace with electric control. My sister flipped the switch, and we were happy to see that it worked, although the warm weather and the limited time we spent in the hotel room, meant we didn’t use the fireplace during our stay.

There was a relatively small TV set located on top of the dresser; we switched it on and were again pleased that it worked, even though the cable connection provided far less than high-definition reception. The TV was important that first night of our trip; my itinerary included watching the Phillies vs. Braves in the NLDS baseball game.

After waiting 15 minutes, uncomfortably warm in the absence of air conditioning, I got impatient and asked my sister if she would stay in the room—in case someone showed up—while I went to the front desk to check on the maintenance request. I also wanted to purchase a few things from the small grocery store just inside the lobby. There was a much longer line of guests checking-in, than when my sister and I had arrived, but I was able to get the attention of one of the hotel staff who confirmed the request had been received and given to the maintenance crew.

Reassured, I browsed the store’s provisions, purchasing a sandwich and chips to share with my sister; neither of us was very hungry after our travel day. Also, to accompany the baseball game and wash down dinner, I bought a small bottle of sangria for my sister and a six-pack of a local beer for me—Mind Haze IPA from Firestone Walker Brewing Company in Paso Robles, California; both the beer and sangria lasted throughout our stay. Anticipating our busy day on Friday, I picked-up breakfast sandwiches to heat in the microwave for a quick bite in the morning before our first foray into Yosemite.

Returning to the room with my bag of goodies, I found my sister relaxing on her bed, enjoying the cold air blowing from the A/C; she had also turned on the ceiling fan to circulate the refreshing coolness. She said, “The maintenance guy came just a few minutes after you left and fixed everything. The screen door is back on its tracks, the fridge is getting cold, and the air conditioner is fine; we just didn’t know how to work the remote.” “That’s great,” I said, then asked, “How long did it take?” She said, “He only needed five minutes to get everything back in working order,” which made me realize I was never equipped to become a repairman. We were glad we could stay in the room we were originally assigned; the balcony and river view would have been hard to beat.

We were both tired from travel. I had crossed three time zones to reach California; my sister had crossed two. We split the sandwich and chips, opened the beer and sangria, and settled in to watch baseball. It was 5:30 PM Pacific Time when we found the right channel—the game should have been nearly over—but I was pleasantly surprised that the game had been bumped two hours later to prime time, so it was still in the early innings when we started watching. We enjoyed our dinner and the game, particularly the win over the Braves. The Phillies would move on to play in the Championship Series against the Arizona Diamondbacks—the first game would be four days later. I would be able to enjoy the sights and sounds Yosemite had to offer until Monday, without worrying about missing a game. Such is the life of a baseball fan in the postseason.

That night, we slept well, with the sound of the river flowing outside, and woke up early in the morning—around 5:00 AM California time; during our stay, we never really adjusted to West Coast time. My sister brewed some coffee, and we went out to the balcony to see the view while it was still dark.

As I shared in the Featured Photo from my previous post, we could see Venus and vapor trails as the sun began to rise. There were also bright lights and loud noises near the hotel, due to repairs and repaving being done on El Portal Road, after the busy summer tourist season. The unnatural, greenish-yellow light from the road crew—including some reflections in the flowing water of the Merced River—can be seen in the photo above.

As the early morning roadwork wound down, we sat on the balcony, drank our coffee, and ate breakfast, watching the sun rise higher in the east, sweeping away the darkness…

…and continued to watch over the next half-hour, as the sun brought more light to the new day.

We were on the road to Yosemite early—a scenic route that ran alongside the Merced River.

We passed the park welcome sign and continued another three miles toward the Arch Rock Entrance. My sister’s National Park Pass hung from our rear-view mirror as we pulled to a stop, next to the Ranger Station. It was a little before 7:30 AM; there were no other visitors at the park entrance; there were no Park Rangers waiting to greet us. We hesitated, then passed by the Ranger Station, confident that our Pass allowed us to proceed, and paused to pick up a park map at a small box, provided for early visitors.

Driving a bit farther, we reached the unique, natural feature that gives the Arch Rock Entrance its name: two house-sized boulders situated on either side of the inbound road, forming an archway through which visitors must pass.

Our destination that morning was the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias. We followed the El Portal Road east, toward the Yosemite Valley, and eventually crossed the Merced River to pick up a one-way stretch of road with beautiful views on both sides. Near the intersection with Wawona Road, which would carry us southward toward the Sequoias, we noticed several cars stopped on the shoulder, their drivers outside the cars, looking into the distance. We followed their gaze, then I too pulled off the road to take in the early morning view of Bridalveil Fall.

We got out, admiring the fall from different viewpoints, before walking back toward our car. We noticed a commemorative sign…

…and got close enough to read it; what a wonderful welcome and reminder of the importance of Muir and Roosevelt—and Yosemite itself—in the history of America’s National Parks.

Continuing on Wawona Road, we soon reached Tunnel View, the iconic vista with its unforgettable lookout over Yosemite Valley. I pulled into the parking lot, snapping a quick selfie with my sister…

…then walked along the pathway, viewing the scenery from different angles, taking a few photos…

…with different framing…

…until I got what I thought was the best shot (today’s Featured Photo)—the lush trees in the valley seemed to float in the morning mist, the granite monoliths rose up to a bank of clouds, vapor trails pointed to their peaks.

It was Friday the 13th—the second day of our trip—and our first in Yosemite National Park. During our time there, we would see these massive rock formations, including the familiar El Capitan and Half Dome, from other locations throughout the park. As we walked back to our car that morning, we agreed we should stop again on our return trip at the end of the day; the late-afternoon sun would cast a different light upon this scenic spot. We didn’t expect that when we returned again to Tunnel View, the Yosemite Valley would be on fire.

(To be continued…)