Sonora, CA
On 19 October, after a stop at the Lee Vining Library to check my e-mail, I drove up CA120 toward the Tioga entrance to Yosemite N.P.
With my hat shading the camera lens from the sun I took the shot to the right of Tioga Peak (elev:11,526'); the road contours to the left side of the peak before entering the park.
A look down into the canyon of Lee Vining Creek.
Panning to the left I looked for a USFS campground, which a Lee Vining librarian felt were still open; but I cudn't spot any RVs, campers, etc.
Further up the road I noticed a couple of building along Lee Vining at the head of the canyon; given the steepness of the canyon, wouldn't want to spend the winter there since avalanches likely occur.
A view to the left of Tioga Peak; note that the snow from early October had not yet melted.
Ellery Lake -- where I saw more rises on the lake than I've seen elsewhere in total.
Mt Dana (13,057'), which sits on the crest of the Sierra Nevada, above Dana Meadows.
Plaque on the silver-mining town of Bennettville, which saw a boom and a bust starting in 1874.
Probably the Dana Fork of the Tuolumne River in Dana Meadows.
Mt Gibbs (12.764').
Upper (eastern) end of Tuolumne Meadows.
Panning left for more of Tuolumne Meadows.
On the left, Ragged Peak; in the center, Mount Conness (12,590') behind a closer White Mountain, and Gaylor Peak on the right.
Panning left, the western end of Tuolumne Meadows.
Like a beached whale, Lembert Dome lies on Tuolumne Meadows.
A plaque explaining the various zones found as elevation increases: from Foothill to Alpine.
The "nose" of Lembert Dome. [Actually, I was just using this shot to fill up my camera's memory so that I could download the photos to my laptop.]
Upper (NE) end of Tenaya Lake. The only other lake in the Sierras I recall with such a sandy shoreline is Dorothy Lake, also in Yosemite, near Bond Pass.
Looking toward the outlet of Tenaya Lake as the sun sets.
[Click 1 or 2 times to zoom in.] Yosemite's most notable feature or landmark as seen from Olmsted Point through clouds billowing up from Yosemite Valley: Half Dome!
A plaque explaining the importance of the Frederick Olmsteds, Senior and Junior, to the development of Yosemite N.P.
A plaque at Olmsted Point explaining the geological forces which have created Yosemite as well as the glaciers which sculpted the granite.
Mount Hoffman (10,850') on the left and Tuolumne Peak (10,845') on the right.
Parking for the night at the Yosemite Creek Parking Lot. NOT! The young woman at the Tioga Pass Entrance Kiosk was direct and to the point when I asked if anyone would bug me if I parked overnight at Yosemite Creek. She said I'd get a ticket. When I groused that I had parked there in early November during the 20+ years I backpacked to/from Ten Lakes, she replied, "Things have changed." How true.
There is now no overnight parking in Yosmite after 14 Oct.
The Yosemite Creek valley above Tioga Road just before dusk.
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Links:
- Wikipedia article on Yosemite National Park
- Geology of Yosemite Natl Park
- U.S. National Park Service website on Yosemite
T 25 Oct Actual Route: East of Long Barn - Sonora - Tuolumne - East of Long Barn
W 26 Oct Actual Route: East of Long Barn - Sonora - East of Long Barn
Th 27 Oct Actual Route: East of Long Barn - Sonora - East of Long Barn
F 28 Oct Actual Route: East of Long Barn - Sonora - East of Long Barn
Sa 29 Oct Actual Route: East of Long Barn - Sonora - 3Links CG
Su 30 Oct Actual Route: 3 Links CG - Tuolumne - Riverside Picnic Area
M 31 Oct Actual Route: Riverside - Tuolumne - Sonora - Groveland R.S. - Pines CG
T 1 Nov Actual Route: Pines CG - Big Oak Flat Entrance (Yosemite) - Glacier Pt - Wawona CG
W 2 Nov Actual Route: Wawona CG - Oakhurst - Lupine-Cedar Bluff CG (Bass Lake)
Th 3 Nov Route: Cedar Bluff CG - Oakhurst - Coarsegold - Raymond - Eastman Lake CG
F 4 Nov Actual Route: Eastman Lake CG - Raymond - Mariposa Fairgrounds - Bagley Recreation Area (Lake McClure)
Sa 5 Nov Actual Route: Bagley CG - Coulterville - Greeley Hill - Anderson Valley - Pines CG (near Groveland R.S.)
Su 6 Nov Route: Pines CG - Wards Ferry [Bridge] - Tuolumne - Sonora - N.F. Tuolumne River
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Finding Campgrounds:
- RV Campgrounds from TrailerLifeDirectory.com
- Family Camping Directories from Woodalls.com
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