Tuesday 3 June – Yosemite - “grandeur that rocks”

Curry Village, our campsite, is a little settlement of tent cabins, “restrooms” and showers, a shop selling food-to-go and gifts, a bar, a pizzeria, a restaurant, a registration hut, a bike hire depot, and parking. (Plus an indeterminate number of tourists). It is nestled in the beautiful Yosemite Valley, a flat-bottomed gorge about 7 miles long by 1 mile wide, through which runs the Merced river. The gorge was carved out by glaciers formed between 1 and 3 million years ago; it is surrounded by majestic craggy rock peaks, some of which are over a mile high; the USA “”Rough Guide” calls the Yosemite National Park “one of the world's most dramatic geological spectacles”. The Yosemite valley floor is fertile land covered in meadows, flowers, trees, lakes and babbling brooks of crystal clear water. Snow-fed waterfalls (some of which dry up in summer) crash down from the crests of some of the peaks. One of the waterfalls, Yosemite Falls, is America's highest; thundering down from a height of 2,425 feet, it is 3 times higher than Niagara.

We learn that 30,000 years ago, the last glacier to flow through Yosemite was at its peak; glaciers disappeared 14,000 years ago, but by that time they had sliced through the majestic rock mountains, cutting and shaping them into the powerful, awesome peaks we see today, and creating the valleys and creeks of the Yosemite National Park. As the glaciers flowed through the hard granite rock, they brought with them pieces of rock and debris which formed moraines, damning the rivers in places to form lakes.

After breakfast we drive the 25 miles or so out to Glacier Point, which at 3,214 feet is one of the highest peaks in the area, and gives stunning views of the Yosemite Falls, and of the valley below. We stop the car at many viewpoints on the way; there is so much spectacular scenery to see. It is of course impossible to do the Yosemite Valley justice by trying to describe it.

“How does this rate against the great wall of China?” I ask Reg. The great wall was one of the high points of our trip 2 years ago. We both agree that Yosemite is on a par with the Great Wall in the impact it has on the senses; perhaps Yosemite even more so, because it's a natural wonder, formed by an awesome creative power which humankind can only contemplate. For some of us, what we see in Yosemite will make us feel closer to God.

This next bit of the blog is for Kirsty, who comments that I enjoy writing about toilets. We need to use the “restrooms” at Glacier Point; they are communal. Reg goes first and comments:

“I bet you'll enjoy this one.”

This of course means that I won't. The smell is strong, and the toilet, while looking like a normal flush toilet, is a long drop variety. I can't help catching a glimpse of what is below.

“I wouldn't like to be the person who has to clear that lot out,” I venture as I come out. I feel a little ashamed of this comment, as we know that many people in the world have no toilet facilities at all.

Just a few words about the forest fires in and around Yosemite. In 1990, a severe forest fire covering 24,000 acres took 3,000 fire fighters 2 weeks to control; also, natural fires apparently burn hotter and are more likely to reach the crowns of trees, because of the build up of debris on the forest floor. Therefore, nowadays, the forest rangers allow some lightning-induced fires to burn themselves out. And, when the weather is suitable, an area may be deliberately burned, under close supervision, to reduce the build up of debris on the forest floor. It seems like devastation; but new life quickly sprouts up again.

We were going to visit the beautiful giant redwood forest at Mariposa, but it's very hot, and after our trip to Glacier Point, we decide to head back to our tent cabin for a sleep. We visit the pizzeria for tea, because at least that is made to order, and hasn't been hanging about in warming ovens. We're eating early, and the queue is short. Tomorrow we want to do a cycle ride through some of Yosemite Valley before returning to our hostel in San Francisco.

“After tea you could write the blog in the lounge area while I read my book,” says Reg, as if he's just had a really good idea, but also with a note of firmness in his voice. “Then we can start out on our cycle ride tomorrow fairly early, before it gets too hot.”

I'm looking forward to the cycle ride tomorrow, but not to the torch-led trot to the code-locked toilets in the middle of the night. Perhaps Reg will come with me.