Yosemite: Down in the Valley

(Continued from Yosemite: On Top of Glacier Point)

Featured Photo: “Yosemite Valley, Tunnel View (No. 2)” Yosemite National Park, California—2023

It is fascinating to see the difference eight hours can make—comparing today’s Featured Photo with that from an earlier post…

…each showing a similar picture of the Yosemite Valley observed from Tunnel View. The photos are nearly identical in some ways, but very dissimilar in others: the lighting, the colors, the sky, the clouds, the texture visible in the granite, and the detail seen in the trees are entirely different. And of course, there is the smoke.

As I stood looking at the smoke rising from the floor of the valley, I admit my first emotion was disappointment that my afternoon photo of the landscape was spoiled, but my reaction quickly turned to anger. “How could someone be so careless to cause a fire in this beautiful place?” I asked my sister. Then we both settled into sadness, imagining the possible damage that could result from such an inferno. As it turned out, the flames and smoke would linger—to some extent—during the rest of our visit, intermittently impacting what we saw in Yosemite.

My sister and I left Tunnel View and continued our drive into the valley, noticing a puff of smoke rising from behind the trees near El Capitan…

…as we traveled toward the Yosemite Valley Lodge for what was supposed to be a quick, inexpensive dinner at the Base Camp Eatery.

Unfortunately, the menu didn’t offer anything of interest to us—typical grill fare, like burgers and fries—so we decided to find dinner elsewhere. Before we left, however, we checked out the breakfast selections, which were far more appealing, and agreed we should come back the next morning, since it was at the center of our planned exploration through Yosemite Valley. Walking back to our car, I was again struck by the grand trees scattered all around, even right by the parking lot.

We thought we’d head back to our hotel and check out the dinner menu at the restaurant there. We were glad to discover that some of the main Yosemite destinations provided good wireless and cell coverage, so I typed our hotel address into my Apple Maps for directions, and was surprised to see the red lines on our route, indicating heavy, slow traffic, with an estimated travel time that was twice what it should have been. We figured we had stayed too long in the valley on a nice, Friday afternoon, and steeled ourselves to join the ranks of visitors leaving the park.

Half an hour later, amidst a long line of cars moving very slowly, we discovered the true cause of the delay: we were heading straight into the smoke and fire we had seen earlier from the Tunnel View overlook. My sister captured these frightening images…

…as we crawled past the flames…

…eventually seeing a sign posted by the roadside…

…with groups of firefighters, stationed at regular intervals, carefully watching over the “managed fire.” We were relieved to learn the “prescribed burn” was intentional—not a random act of carelessness—but we wondered aloud about the timing of the fire—just before a pleasant weekend in mid-October. Still, we understood our visit was on the cusp of Yosemite’s off-season and better for a planned fire than during the busier tourist times.

After another half-hour on the road, we were relieved to be back at our hotel sanctuary, where our balcony still offered a glorious view, unscathed by the fire.

Watching the cool, mountain water split into small rapids around the river rocks, I engaged in a futile search for a flash of sunlight on the smooth skin of a rainbow trout just beneath the surface; I hungrily recalled the delicious taste of my mom’s freshly cooked trout when I was young. I mentioned this to my sister, just before we headed over to the nearby River View Restaurant…

…requesting a table in the small back room, beside the deck, with a view of the Merced River just below. We were delighted the menu included trout, which my sister and I shared—still feeling a bit full, from our earlier lunch at the Wawona Hotel. I ordered an Oktoberfest beer to enjoy with the meal, an appropriate choice, I thought, for our October vacation. The beer and the trout did not disappoint; they were delicious.

We fell asleep that night, listening once again to the natural white noise of the river beyond our hotel room balcony, only to be awakened by the jarring beeps, clanks, and roars from the road repair gang, who had worked their way to a location just beyond the hotel parking lot, directly across from our room. They labored until the early morning, and we arose feeling unrefreshed.

It was Saturday, October 14, 2023, and our plan for the day was to explore Yosemite Valley—where many of the park’s best-known sights are located—followed by a nice dinner in the Mountain Room Restaurant at Yosemite Valley Lodge. Before driving into the park that morning, we stopped by the hotel office for coffee. We mentioned our fitful night, and the manager on duty said, “No charge for the coffee.” We were grateful.

Yosemite Valley is the centerpiece of the park, and the main attraction for most visitors; they were out in full force when we arrived. In fact, this would be the only day when we experienced the huge crowds that Yosemite is—unfortunately—known for, as it was a beautiful weekend day with mild temperatures and blue skies. My itinerary actually had us visiting the valley for two days, Saturday and Sunday. But due to the swarm of tourists, along with several other incidents that transpired during the day, our delightful Saturday in Yosemite Valley would change our plans almost entirely.

We began our visit that day back in the Base Camp Eatery at Yosemite Valley Lodge, where we drank more coffee, and ate a satisfying breakfast of pancakes (for my sister) and a breakfast burrito (for me). Duly nourished, we headed off toward the Lower Yosemite Fall Trail, our first destination, and our first parade among the crowds. Crossing the parking lot, I glanced up and saw the sun illuminating the magnificent granite surrounding us in that part of the park. I grabbed my iPhone and zoomed in on the view…

…taking a picture well above the surface of the lot, which was filled with endless rows of parked cars and ceaseless droves of people milling about. Despite all the tourists and man-made structures that are now prevalent in Yosemite Valley, it’s still impossible to escape the timeless, natural beauty that endures there—one just has to remember to look up occasionally.

(To be continued…)