By late
morning, we've checked out of the hostel, collected our hire care
from the Hertz depot across the road, and we're on our way to
Yosemite. It's about a 200 mile drive and takes us most of the day
to get there. First of all we travel through barren, sun-yellowed
dry hills, but as we get closer to the Yosemite National Park, the
landscape turns to forest. Although there is a wide expanse of green
forest, some of the trees are dead and brown, some part green, part
brown – possibly the effect of forest fires. Once in the Yosemite
National Park, the trees are in much better condition, though there
are still brown areas. The views are breathtaking, but I will write
more about this tomorrow when we've had a chance to explore the area.
We are
staying in the heart of Yosemite, in a “tent cabin” ( a large
canvas room over a wooden frame) in Curry Village. By the time we
arrive, at about 6.30 pm, we are really tired, as we've spent the
last 2 days travelling; yesterday was our train journey from Los
Angeles to San Francisco. There's a long queue for registration;
Curry Village is teeming with tourists, and of course we are 2 of
them! We have to sign a declaration to promise that we won't keep
any food or scented items
(and that includes shampoos, shower gels etc) in our tent cabin.
This is because this area is a natural habitat for black bears, and
they have a very acute sense of smell; if attracted to any of these
items they could do a lot of damage invading the tent cabin. They
are unlikely to attack people as they by nature shy away from humans,
and the camp staff want to keep it that way. We are also advised
that it is unwise to keep these items in our car. Outside of our
tent is a bear-proof locker, and we are asked to leave all food and
scented items in this.
The
tent cabin is basic, but it has lighting and electric points, though
no Wifi! We are surprised to learn that there is Wifi available in a
communal lounge not far away, so I should be able to post this blog.
It takes quite a while for me to faff about, going through my
suitcase in particular, to remove any scented items (of which I
discover there are quite a few stuffed into various corners of my
case) and foodstuffs ( a couple of packets of biscuits and teabags).
We dutifully place them in our bear-proof locker.
There
is no toilet in the tent cabin. There are 2 toilet/shower blocks, in
opposite directions, both of which are a few hundred yards walk from
the tent. To use the nearer block of toilets, for some reason you
need to use a 4-digit code to open the door. We've been given the
“new” code, plus the “old” code (we're told some toilets
might still use the old code). This all seems a bit complicated to
me; I know I will need to use the loo in the middle of the night,
and the other toilets are further away. Actually, the thought of
wandering around in the night with a torch, desperate to use the loo,
and then trying to open a toilet door with a code fills me with
apprehension. I've never been much of a camper, and for me this is
definitely the down side of our trip to Yosemite, as is the vast
number of fellow tourists who are everywhere to be seen (and heard,
at night!).
We
eat in the restaurant, but it's near the end of serving time and the
food isn't cooked to order; it's been kept in warming dishes for some
time. However, it's edible, and we're grateful for something to eat
before going to bed.
It's
surprisingly cold in the tent cabin. Luckily there are 2 single beds
here as well as the double bed, as that means there are extra
blankets available. The blankets are not big enough to tuck in, so I
know that will lead to problems in the night!
At
about 2.30 am, I wake up really cold. I take the extra blankets from
the single beds and lay them across our bed. I'm also dying for the
toilet, and Reg says he needs to go as well, so off we trot together,
with our torch, to the code-locked toilets nearest to us. Luckily
the code works and we're soon back in bed, slightly warmer with the
extra bedding.
It
wasn't my best night's sleep ever, and by 6.00 am there's the buzz of
voices from fellow campers. ( I know, the true rough-it campers
among you will say that we are actually sleeping in luxury
conditions!). I retrieve the washbag from the bear-proof locker
outside our tent cabin and enjoy a lovely hot shower. Reg is still
fast asleep.
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