Odometer: 60,455
Time: 08:00
It will be a long day, therefore we have to leave Fresno early. We take HWY 41 north to Oakhurst where we fill up with a nice Starbucks (probably the last one for the next few days) and gasoline. From Oakhurst we drive up to the Yosemite National Park. In the park we take Glacier Point Road, which leaves soon after the park entrance and offers a fantastic view of Yosemite Valley, the Dome and the famous waterfalls – magnifiscient!
Back on the main road through the park (Wawona Road), we soon drive along Merced River into Yosemite Valley. We take another break to have a closer look at the river. It is crystal clear, not too cold and looks very inviting for a bath. I don’t need to be convinced and soon after find myself taking a nice swimm in the river – it is refreshing and does really good! Once out of the water we discover some animals in and around the water that I’m glad I didn’t know about when I went swimming: Fish (trouts about 30 cm long), fogs (about 15 cm long), a tadpole (about 10 cm long and a thick as a man’s thumb), a small lobster (about 10 cm) and……. a snake (about 60 cm long)!
As the park is very crowded we decide not to go all the way to the end of the valley and continue on Tioga Road up to an elevation of over 8,000 feet (2’500 Meter). The part that follows is probably the most beautiful and scenic area of Yosemite: We drive over a high plateau with lakes, rivers and meadows. In the rivers and lakes, all crystal clear by the way, are fish and on the meadows deers and chipmunks (and…. mosquitos) and in the background mountain ranges still covered with snow – breathtaking and gorgeous! Marco takes over 600 pictures today!
We continue to Bridgeport, hoping for more reasonable rates some miles away from the National Park. Well, the rates might be a bit cheaper, but still, the cheapest room we find is $69 but they don’t have either Internet nor breakfast. Eventually we find a privately owned motel where we “only” pay $84 (plus tax) without any breakfast but with wireless internet (you have to set priorities!)
Overnight: Redwood Motel, Bridgeport, CA
Dinner: Rino’s
