Yosemite in Winter

The weekend began last Friday as we took our first trip of the year to Yosemite. With this visit, the fifth in ten months, I've now seen the park in all four seasons. Each time, there is something different about it, be it the waterfalls (in full falling), the weather (sunny and mid to upper 60s) or the number of visitors (the smallest I've seen). I honestly believe I will never tire of the place. Every time is a new adventure.

The first couple of visits, it felt like I was traveling to a different world, going somewhere remote and mysterious. This time, it felt like I was coming home. I imagine it's how everybody feels after visiting somewhere repeatedly, but I'd like to think there's something special about Yosemite and the people I travel with that give the park that certain feeling.

On previous trips, we've taken the Highway 120 route through cities like Fremont, Dublin, Livermore, Tracy and Manteca and then through towns like Oakdale and Groveland before reaching the park's Big Oak Flat Road entrance. On this trip, we tried the Highway 140 route. This meant traveling through Gilroy, Los Banos, Merced and then tiny towns like Mariposa, Cathey's Valley and El Portal (also the name of the entrance).

If you ever travel this way, be sure to buy gas in Merced. It was "only" $2.23 a gallon at Arco. If you wait to fill up, there is always the last gas station before the park (Shell, I believe), which will sell you a gallon of gas for $2.96.

Scenic Highway 140 runs alongside the South Fork Merced River. The curves are gentle and the slopes are gradual. With a little imagination, the car became a raft, seatbelts became life preservers and we were suddenly riding the rapids. We reached the park in a modest 3.5 hours.

When we arrived, we checked into our cabin at Camp Curry. Because this past weekend was still the off-season, most of the restaurants and facilities in the village were closed or operating fewer hours. Only the pizza parlor and coffee corner were open for business.

After unloading the car, we set out for Mirror Lake to see what the waters held in winter. Focusing the camera on the lake, one can capture reflections of Ahwiyah Point, Half Dome, the edge of Clouds Rest and Mount Watkins. Three of these photos were taken from the lake and the fourth (the one of Half Dome) was taken from Clarks Bridge as we returned to the village. I know everybody else snaps the same shot, but the dome is one of the most beautiful features of the park. After perusing my Yosemite albums, I'm convinced I need to train my eye to see the pictures less taken.

On this visit, I became obsessed with learning the names of the geography, both original and current. For example, Mirror Lake was once known as Ahwiyah or quiet lake. Half Dome was once called Tissiack (or Tisseyak), meaning woman turned to stone and Mt. Watkins was once Weiyow, which means juniper mountain. After so many visits, I thought it was time to expand my Yosemite vocabulary. Otherwise, there's no real reason to know these things other than to impress friends, family and Alex Trebek.

Afterwards, we had dinner at the Yosemite Lodge Food Court. It was like a school cafeteria in look, atmosphere and food quality. I had the trout with broccoli and mashed potatoes along with a bowl of clam chowder. Only the chowder had any taste. With our tummies full, we returned to camp, showered, read and retired early for the night.