California Dazzling: A Roadtrip Vacation Spectacular - Last Update and Final Thoughts 11/8

[Flossbolna]

Ouch......that had to sting a little.

Well, since he was telling everyone how USA was #1, I am sure they did not mind at all to tell him that this was at least not true when it comes to bread (and to be honest, he does admit that we have rather good bread here)

I think Sheila may have had a reason for "appearing" fat. Good thing she can't read your TR and be offended..........

OH!!! I never thought of THAT!!! Well, at least we were smart enough to call her fat Sheila and not fat Robert.

Well, you know how those DDOT employees like Fantasyland..........

I guess they would at least prefer building streets for Fantasyland.

Nice close up shot to throw off the perspective. I mean, look at how big that little ant is to the left there...............

Good catch! I had not even seen that there was someone in the picture. But in this case it really adds something.

Bread snob meet USA snob!

Exactly!!

I knew you liked Captain the best.............

There was no South Carolina tree! And we did not even venture to the Florida tree. Delaware was conveniently on the trail and mentioned in my little guidebook.

See, and people from Texas think everything is bigger there too!

So she got to climb that mountain after all............

More mountain climbing will follow!

Those are always cool. Can't believe how many people skip them and miss out on so much valuable and interesting info.

I always like learning more about what I am seeing.

I guess it is good that it wasn't a grizzly........and that little guy's Mom wasn't close enough to see her!

Michael actually once experienced a bear mommy when hiking in Sequoia NP. They were hiking on the trail and then saw a cub on one side of the trail and realized that the mother was on the other side. She started to look not too happy and they quickly moved backwards again. Nothing happened, but they were pretty scared!

 

[Flossbolna]

Great to see you are back!

Looks like you guys had a nice day this day.

Cool that you got to see a couple of bears, they were cute!

Crazy how big the trees are.

Looking forward to more

Thanks!

Yes, it was a really nice day! And the bears were a bonus. More is about to be posted!

 

[Flossbolna]

An unplanned annoying stop and an unplanned delicious dinner

August 18: Fruit Stand, Fresno Airport, Peet’s Coffee and finally: Yosemite!

The next morning packing up and then loading every single thing back into the car was quite a lot of work. Not ideal and it took us longer than I would have preferred. As always.

Is she being passive aggressive and saying I take too much time to move? I can't tell. What say you readers?

(Oh, of course you can!! )

Before leaving I finally remembered to take some more pictures of the outside of our cabin and our picnic table.

Remember the issue with the tire? The tire looked more or less the same today, so it seemed not to be a huge issue. But did we want to drive into the next remote National Park where we would be far from the rental agency with a questionable tire? Not really.

So, we checked where there would be a Dollar location along the way. It turned out that Fresno was going to be our best option. We were going through there anyway and the airport did not seem to far out of the way. So, this was going to be our first destination.

I like Fresno. I have never gotten why it is the butt of so many jokes. Maybe because California is only the most amazing place on the planet and Fresno is just an average place?

We left Kings Canyon on a different route than the one we came in with and followed the highway CA180 all the way to Fresno, where we then would use Highway 41 to Oakhurst and on to Yosemite.

The road was actually quite a beautiful drive and slowly made our way down again into the valley. The area we drove through was full of farm stands and after talking about stopping at one, I finally decided that we should stop and this was our stop:

I hear that it was beautiful. I can't say. Too busy driving!

They were selling peaches, plums and nectarines and I got some plums and peaches for us:

They even had a water tap where you could wash your fruit immediately:

This was very nice as I could start eating those delicious fruits immediately. They were so good! You just can’t buy peaches here that are as tasty as those that come directly from a tree!

I also used the stop to document our car before we were going to try to exchange it:

This was the questionable tire:

Then we headed to the airport. Fresno airport is really cute. It is not big at all and they even have some fake trees!

Of course it took Michael far longer than we would have thought to get them to exchange the car. We got a 2015 Toyota Camry:

But finally we were all set and could transfer all our stuff into the new car. Yes, it was a lot of stuff and it was even less fun to do this again so shortly after we just filled up the car.

The folks were so very friendly, but they made us go fill the gas up (I never do this if I am returning a car early because of an issue with it. That should be the cost of them doing business. They said that would be fine if I had picked the car up there, but since it came via LAX via SNA, well ... another 20 minutes to get gas and go back. But they were very nice and didn't try and make a $400 profit, or any profit, from having an auto with a tire issue. And the entire thing took an hour out of the day, which wasn't the end of the world.

We decided to try and find some lunch in Fresno and I located the nearest In ‘n Out Burger on my phone and led Michael there.

We shared one serving of fries and Michael got a Double Double without sauce (they use some kind of Thousand Island that he does not like – I love it!!) and I went with a Double Double Protein Style. Which meant that it came wrapped in lettuce leafs. I had read about it and thought it was a great way to save calories (not concerned about carbs, but the buns are usually not why I like a burger and why add the unnecessary calories?). It was very tasty and to me it worked very well to have the crunchy lettuce instead of the bun.

In-N-Out is always OK with me. This was our second of four meals here in the month. It was quite good. BTW, it was also VERY hot outside. Very close to triple digits ...

Yes, Michael is right, I think it was not only close to triple digit, it was over 100 degrees in Fresno. I talked about it with a lady at the car rental place.

I also got a picture of the serving area:

The one thing that amazes me about In ‘N Out is that they are so incredibly efficient. It is a tiny counter, but usually they move crowds along at an incredible speed!

Could be that they pay their workers a living wage. Average starting pay is over $12 an hour. Unit managers make about $120,000 a year. A McDonald's manager in the USA averages under $50,000. ... I was reminded of this last night when in the local Wendy's in my affluent community where the manager was interviewing and hiring a kid to work there for $8.05 an hour. When the kid asked about raises after six months the manager made it very clear that he could work there for years and he'd never make much more than what he was hiring in at. Maybe that's why despite the fact the place was empty, the trash was overflowing and the gal making the sandwiches was chewing gum. You get what you pay for.

We continued northward on the 41 towards Yosemite. In Oakhurst we decided to have a coffee break (and to give Michael a break from driving).

Just a note that I love Oakhurst and prior to this trip with M had always stayed here and driven into the park. It is largely a resort community with all sorts of restaurants, shopping, lodging and I have always wanted to rent a home here on the lake for two weeks one summer. It likely will never happen as I've been saying this since my first visit to Yosemite in the late 90s, but I'd like it.

I located the Oakhurst Starbucks on my phone and we headed there. It was strange as it did not seem to be advertised at the entry to the parking lot and then when we drove around, we saw why: it was clearly under renovation and not open!! So, back to the phone and find alternatives. I found a Peet’s Coffee Shop. This is a mainly West Coast coffee and tea chain. This was a location inside a supermarket, a Raley’s.

Other note. Raley's is a great smallish west coast grocer. We used to always get freshly made subs here that we took into the park to eat on hikes.

We both really liked our coffee there and thought that we should remember this as an alternative to Starbucks (even though I am sure you can meet the nice friendly women at the Peet’s bathrooms like the one that Michael encountered at Starbucks a few days ago).

No idea what she is talking about. The people in Oakhurst are so friendly.

Not talking about Oakhurst specifically - about the chain in general!

Since we were in a supermarket I had to explore. We looked at their extensive wine selection and considered picking up a bottle to enjoy while in Yosemite. After some discussion we settled on a bottle of Conundrum. Pricey, but we both knew that we love this wine and it is not a common wine, especially not for me here in Europe. I also had to pick up some more Sweet Maui Onion chips!

And then it was not long until we reached the entrance to the park!

When you use the entrance coming from Oakhurst you pass Mariposa Grove, which is a grove of sequoia trees in Yosemite. However, they are currently restoring this grove. They started about a month before we got there and it will take until spring 2017 at least. More info can be found here: http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/mariposagrove.htm

This was one of the reasons why Sequoia NP was so high on the list for me. I had been to California quite a few times and had never seen one of the giant trees so far. It was one of my top priorities!

I tried to catch some of the scenery coming down into the valley:

And then we got to the first view point of Yosemite Valley: Tunnel View. Here the road goes through a tunnel and when you get out of the tunnel you have that amazing view!! They are smart and built a parking place there as everyone wants to stop to take a picture! So did we!!

Even our bear was excited!!

different format:

And me with the view (wearing my wonderful new Kings Canyon t-shirt):

They had a little model of the valley there that was interesting:

There was a very large Chinese tour group there at the same time as us, very excited and busy with the selfie taking. This was the first of many Chinese tour groups that we saw in Yosemite. So, here the tourists seemed to be mainly Chinese, French and German. But we met more American tourists here than in Kings Canyon. Still, I was surprised how – compared with other touristy areas I have been to in the USA – those National Parks did attract comparatively few Americans and far more international visitors.

Most Americans don't take advantage of the amazing national treasure that is the NP system. They also get into a rut, So for many it is 10 nights at WDW in a BW one bedroom every July ... or a week on the Jersey shore in July and then a week with Aunt Martha at the cabin in Virginia ... always the same. But I'd say Americans are a big minority in the NPs and that is sad.

There is not a lot of accommodation choices available at Yosemite, especially not when you are an accommodation snob like my boyfriend. Why do I feel like I am being picked on? M is the snob here, even her sister and parents would tell you this. Don't even get me started on bread ... Well, I have the accomodation snob information from a very good source: Michael's brother...

Camping was out and so were the “housekeeping cabins” – which are more or less permanent tents. At Curry Village there are some wooden cabins, but most of them don’t have a bathroom and I had read about the whole area there tending to be a bit noisy as there are so many people in a relatively small area. Considering that we were on a long trip and planned to stay in Yosemite for 4 nights, the flagship hotel of the valley, the Ahwahnee (now renamed to “The Majestic Yosemite Hotel” due to a stupid battle over naming rights between the National Park Service and the previous concessionaire) was out of the question. So, what was left over was the Yosemite Lodge at the Falls (now Yosemite Valley Lodge – for the same reason as the Ahwahnee name change).

Rooms there were not cheap either, but considering the location they appeared to be at least not totally crazy. I also liked that the Yosemite Lodge provided quite a few amenities: a pool, a food court, a restaurant and a shop – which turned out to be quite nice!

It was quite nice and acceptable, although the carpeting was dirty to very dirty in places. You can't really help that with the location and people being out in the wilderness all day, but you could try ... by say deep cleaning it regularly. That wasn't my issue with the place. Yes, of course I had an issue. I have standards. It's not like I am from Delaware or something. No, my issue was no AC. I get the location. I get that it cools down at night. But during the days we were there the average temp was probably about 97 degrees. Considering that I consider AC an absolute necessity if it is 77 degrees, I was not pleased. No, I didn't sit in the room sweating because we were out almost all day every day. And it did cool down at night with windows left open and fan on (and, no, I don't like doing that because there are some strange characters that always are in the parks), but it cooled down to where it was somewhere between 75 and 80 at night inside and that is 6-10 degrees too warm. And the ceiling fan didn't help much. It did provide for some hilarity in The Tale of the German Tourist and The Ceiling Fan, but we aren't ready for that one. Trust me, you'll want popcorn for that, but swallow before reading as I don't want anyone choking of laughter in one of my reports.

We checked in and at first were a bit unhappy that we were assigned a room with a view towards the main Yosemite Valley road. We discussed moving to a different building with the lady checking us in, but the alternative that she offered did not sound great either, so we stuck with out ground floor room in the Elderberry building. And it really turned out to be a pretty good choice!

At check in we were once again told the thing about the bears and that EVERYTHING needed to be removed from the car. Michael was most unhappy about this!! And then we were told that there were mountain lions sighted in the valley recently and were warned to not go out on our own.

I think I had not mentioned that before, but just before we got to Yosemite, the TV news had been full about cases of bubonic plague (yes, this is the black death from the medieval ages!!) occurring in Yosemite. They had even closed one or two of the campgrounds because people got infected there. Obviously small critters (squirrels, mice etc.) can get it and then transmit it to humans.

So, we were told about this. And then we were told about the Hanta virus. This is a virus that is transmitted by a certain type of mouse that they try to keep away from humans. The problem is the droppings of infected mice that turn into dust. So we were shown a picture of the mouse and told that if we see one, we should report it immediately.

Sounds like a great location for a vacation, doesn’t it? Wild animals, pestilence – at least there was no wildfire in the neighborhood!!!

When we got to our room, there was another surprise: the hotel does not have air conditioning. And it was a hot day!! I think it was in the upper 90s. So, a nice cool room would have been wonderful… But otherwise the room looked very cosy:
Oops, premature complainage. I hate when that happens!

We also had a really lovely patio with two chairs and a table. The road was far enough away to not bother us and we actually spent quite some time sitting out there during our stay.

We explored the hotel a little bit and saw that Yosemite was celebrating an anniversary as well:

The shop at the hotel was quite nice. It had a decent grocery selection (not cheap of course) and plenty of souvenirs. I ended up getting a very nice hat from there.

We also checked out the food options and looked at the full serve restaurant that had an interesting menu. We asked about whether we needed a reservation and were told that they were working on a first come first serve basis and if we were going to aim for a 7:30pm there should not be much of a wait. That sounded good to us.

You mean we didn't have to book a table on February 23rd for dinner in August?!?! Or be part of a dining plan in which entrees cost 40% more than they should to make it seem like a deal? That is so strange.

We relaxed a bit in the room that did cool down a bit once we opened all the windows (which had great screens to prevent mosquitos to come in).

And then it was time for dinner. We waited about 15 minutes until we were seated and ended up with a very nice window table. Of course by then it was dark, but it was still a nice table.

We got very nice leather menus:

And this were the offerings:

Of course, since they changed concessionaires, who knows what the menu looks like now…

We got some bread to start with:

Michael ordered a wedge salad and an onion soup for his meal:

He was very happy with his choice!

I had the eggplant lasagna:

This was very tasty!! I just thought that it was funny that I got a side of pasta with my lasagna! But it was all very very good. And a large portion. We could have easily shared this dish between the two of us.

I also got some beer with my meal. I am afraid that I forgot which one it was, but it was some kind of local craft beer.

We could not resist ordering dessert and got a razzleberry cobbler to share.

We were told that razzleberry meant a mixture of raspberry and blueberry. It was very tasty!

All in all this dinner ended up being pricier than what we had originally planned for that day, but it was an all around wonderful evening that we enjoyed so much that we did not regret the money we spent on it! It definitely helped set the mood for the coming days in a very good way.

Absolutely. It was a great dinner. The food here overall was much better than the limited options in King's Canyon.

After dinner we went to explore the big shop in more detail and ended up buying quite a few souvenirs and snacks, including some more bottles of local beers for me!

Once we were back in the room we watched the news that were filled with the Rough Fire now getting to Grant Grove and how that area was going to get evacuated soon!! We just made it out of there in time!! And then they had more news about the plague at Yosemite. I really started to question my choice in vacation destinations and started to become afraid that besides plague and fire we would also get to experience an earthquake!

I hear ceiling fans are much more dangerous.

Yes, they are mean and devious devices! You will learn more about this soon!

I worked a little bit on my trip notes while enjoying one of my recent purchases:

I guess that is the reason why my trip notes tell me that I thought that the news program that Michael was watching was rather provincial since they were went a long way to tell a story of a woman who lost her mobile, but got it back. Obviously this seemed not really news worthy to me, but worthy to be written into my trip notes. I can only blame the two beers clouding my judgement…

That is just life in Fresno, I guess. Very small media market.

Up Next: Yosemite Valley and Star Gazing

 

[Steppesister]

But then I have lived in Bavaria for most of my life it wasn't until last year that I finally visited the famous Neuschwanstein castle (you know the one that inspired Walt Disney for the Sleeping Beauty castle).

No. WAY! I have wanted to visit that one for years, but no opportunity. BTW, Mike is threatening to actually go back to Germany and get a do-over. If so, we'll put it on the list of things to do/see.

I think the strange thing about bears is that they look like our best friend - because we grew up with teddy bears - but then you see them and realize that they are indeed impressive animals, not cuddly at all.

Yes, they are! Little black bears are pretty shy, but brown bears and Grizzlys will just as soon tear your head off. I think the bigger threat of attack right now, at least in Cali is cougars. Nasty things.

I thought that this was a universally known trick.

I guess not!. LOL!

ETA: I've read your lovely update, but will have to go back to comment soon. I have to get some sleep before I fall out of my chair.

 

[englishrose47]

I am waiting to hear the Ceiling Fan Fable The food at the restaurant really looked good!! Pricey but good !!!

 

[irene_dsc]

Caught up now! Of course, now I forget all my comments!

 

[franandaj]

I just saw the Neuschwanstein comment that Liesa quoted. I did a band tour in 1988 where our conductor took us to various locations inbetween concerts and this was one place that he made sure we saw. As the tapestries had something to do with Wagner's Ring cycle, or the price was a patron of Wagner or something like that. It evades me now. I remember that me and my folks took the tour and even followed along with the conductor and listened to all his stories about the various tapestries on the walls. However there was another group of folks who went directly to the Biergarten. They were late returning to the bus. We had a concert that night in the Schwarzwald and were over an hour late due to traffic and people who didnt pay attention to the time to be back at the bus.

When we were performing on the stage our conductor mentioned that we had such a long drive we didn't have time to eat before our concert and everyone was starving. We got a huge, "Awwwwww" from the crowd, but they fed us really well after we played and we had a whole lot to drink before we went home with our families who put us up for the night!

Be back later to comment on te update. We're leaving in 4 hours.

 

[Poolrat]

I think it was in Denmark where every place selling food has to show a sticker on the door telling the customer which "grade" they got at the last hygiene inspection by the local authorities. It came in smiley form: happy green, yellow neutral and red unhappy. I thought that was a great way to help customers. I never saw a red one though...

We have more of a test score- in South Carolina A,B or C and in North up to 104 score - a 100 point scale and extra for having extra training in food sanitation.

Actually, Michael tried to convince all my German friends and family of me being a bread snob. And they all tried to explain him that I was right and he obviously had no clue about bread!!! I guess we are a country of bread snobs!

I would not mind being a bread snob one bit.

The next morning packing up and then loading every single thing back into the car was quite a lot of work. Not ideal and it took us longer than I would have preferred. As always.

Is she being passive aggressive and saying I take too much time to move? I can't tell. What say you readers?

(Oh, of course you can!! )

Rope drop is NOT a bad thing. Packing and unpacking should be swift and efficient. Even if you have to get up early to get it done.

We both really liked our coffee there and thought that we should remember this as an alternative to Starbucks (even though I am sure you can meet the nice friendly women at the Peet’s bathrooms like the one that Michael encountered at Starbucks a few days ago).

I have recently started using Peets at home. The Gevalia I used to get is not available in whole bean at the store anymore and I refuse to pay 50% more to have it auto shipped to me in smaller bags.

Camping was out and so were the “housekeeping cabins” – which are more or less permanent tents. At Curry Village there are some wooden cabins, but most of them don’t have a bathroom and I had read about the whole area there tending to be a bit noisy as there are so many people in a relatively small area. Considering that we were on a long trip and planned to stay in Yosemite for 4 nights, the flagship hotel of the valley, the Ahwahnee (now renamed to “The Majestic Yosemite Hotel” due to a stupid battle over naming rights between the National Park Service and the previous concessionaire) was out of the question. So, what was left over was the Yosemite Lodge at the Falls (now Yosemite Valley Lodge – for the same reason as the Ahwahnee name change).

Rooms there were not cheap either, but considering the location they appeared to be at least not totally crazy. I also liked that the Yosemite Lodge provided quite a few amenities: a pool, a food court, a restaurant and a shop – which turned out to be quite nice!

Sounds nice --- no AC ooohhh that might have been a deal breaker for me. I am a bit of a Goldielocks about sleeping temp. Not too hot and not too cold. Room looks nice and windows ope to cool it down is okay too.


The Sequoias look magnificent and it also looks like you got out of there just in time. I guess your vacation is having the disaster follow you. Hope you continue to stay ahead of it.

 

[GoofyFan1515]

Is she being passive aggressive and saying I take too much time to move? I can't tell. What say you readers?

"Passive" aggressive? Magdalene??? I'm not buying that one for even a second..........

Of course it took Michael far longer than we would have thought to get them to exchange the car.

Passive aggressive again???

BTW, it was also VERY hot outside. Very close to triple digits ...

Yes, Michael is right, I think it was not only close to triple digit, it was over 100 degrees in Fresno. I talked about it with a lady at the car rental place.

Huh? No way triple digits is anywhere close to 100 degrees...........

I found a Peet’s Coffee Shop. This is a mainly West Coast coffee and tea chain.

Yes, but it has made its way to the east coast. I bought some for Pat and I to try, and now that we found we like it, it has become a regular purchase now.

I also had to pick up some more Sweet Maui Onion chips!

Guess this makes up for those carbs you passed on earlier with your lettuce burger.

And then we got to the first view point of Yosemite Valley: Tunnel View. Here the road goes through a tunnel and when you get out of the tunnel you have that amazing view!! They are smart and built a parking place there as everyone wants to stop to take a picture! So did we!!

Gorgeous view! I'm sure I have this very same picture........somewhere.

I think I had not mentioned that before, but just before we got to Yosemite, the TV news had been full about cases of bubonic plague (yes, this is the black death from the medieval ages!!) occurring in Yosemite. They had even closed one or two of the campgrounds because people got infected there. Obviously small critters (squirrels, mice etc.) can get it and then transmit it to humans.

So, we were told about this. And then we were told about the Hanta virus. This is a virus that is transmitted by a certain type of mouse that they try to keep away from humans. The problem is the droppings of infected mice that turn into dust. So we were shown a picture of the mouse and told that if we see one, we should report it immediately.

Nothing like being forewarned about any possible serious illnesses running around in the area......

We relaxed a bit in the room that did cool down a bit once we opened all the windows (which had great screens to prevent mosquitos to come in).

Okay, well at least you didn't have to worry about Zika.........

We got some bread to start with:

Did this pass the bread snob muster?

All in all this dinner ended up being pricier than what we had originally planned for that day, but it was an all around wonderful evening that we enjoyed so much that we did not regret the money we spent on it! It definitely helped set the mood for the coming days in a very good way.

TMI! TMI!

I have recently started using Peets at home.

You're welcome!

Sounds nice --- no AC ooohhh that might have been a deal breaker for me. I am a bit of a Goldielocks about sleeping temp. Not too hot and not too cold. Room looks nice and windows ope to cool it down is okay too.

Really? REALLY??? Not too hot.........not too cold???

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

The next morning packing up and then loading every single thing back into the car was quite a lot of work. Not ideal and it took us longer than I would have preferred. As always.

Is she being passive aggressive and saying I take too much time to move? I can't tell. What say you readers?

Gee, I didn't think it was that subtle.

This was the questionable tire:

Oh, the humanity!!! A cosmetic blemish!!!

But finally we were all set and could transfer all our stuff into the new car. Yes, it was a lot of stuff and it was even less fun to do this again so shortly after we just filled up the car.

It's like a never-ending game of Tetris.

We shared one serving of fries and Michael got a Double Double without sauce (they use some kind of Thousand Island that he does not like – I love it!!)

I'm siding with Michael here. Salad dressing and burgers should never, ever mix.

We both really liked our coffee there and thought that we should remember this as an alternative to Starbucks (even though I am sure you can meet the nice friendly women at the Peet’s bathrooms like the one that Michael encountered at Starbucks a few days ago).

They're grumpier at Starbucks because they paid $5 for burnt coffee.

I also had to pick up some more Sweet Maui Onion chips!

Yes, a necessity!

Stunning! Just a gorgeous view. Looks like the entrance to heaven.

Still, I was surprised how – compared with other touristy areas I have been to in the USA – those National Parks did attract comparatively few Americans and far more international visitors.

Most Americans don't take advantage of the amazing national treasure that is the NP system. They also get into a rut, So for many it is 10 nights at WDW in a BW one bedroom every July ... or a week on the Jersey shore in July and then a week with Aunt Martha at the cabin in Virginia ... always the same. But I'd say Americans are a big minority in the NPs and that is sad.

I agree. This really does make me sad. I do think people get in a rut, and I can understand having a favorite little spot that you return to now and then...but there's so much to see, even just in our country!

There is not a lot of accommodation choices available at Yosemite, especially not when you are an accommodation snob like my boyfriend. Why do I feel like I am being picked on?

No idea. None whatsoever.

(now renamed to “The Majestic Yosemite Hotel” due to a stupid battle over naming rights between the National Park Service and the previous concessionaire)

Don't get me started on that. We get into some really stupid legal issues here.

Yes, of course I had an issue. I have standards. It's not like I am from Delaware or something.

Was there a dust particle on the carpet? No, wait: you didn't like the paint color. An unacceptable shade of beige!

No, my issue was no AC. I get the location. I get that it cools down at night. But during the days we were there the average temp was probably about 97 degrees. Considering that I consider AC an absolute necessity if it is 77 degrees, I was not pleased.

I bet it gets to 97 only a handful of days out of the year, and therefore they can't justify the expense. But this is also why so many people just go to the beach every year.

It did provide for some hilarity in The Tale of the German Tourist and The Ceiling Fan, but we aren't ready for that one. Trust me, you'll want popcorn for that, but swallow before reading as I don't want anyone choking of laughter in one of my reports.

At check in we were once again told the thing about the bears and that EVERYTHING needed to be removed from the car. Michael was most unhappy about this!!

We need a running count of how many times this trunk was packed.

I think I had not mentioned that before, but just before we got to Yosemite, the TV news had been full about cases of bubonic plague (yes, this is the black death from the medieval ages!!) occurring in Yosemite. They had even closed one or two of the campgrounds because people got infected there. Obviously small critters (squirrels, mice etc.) can get it and then transmit it to humans.

So, we were told about this. And then we were told about the Hanta virus. This is a virus that is transmitted by a certain type of mouse that they try to keep away from humans. The problem is the droppings of infected mice that turn into dust. So we were shown a picture of the mouse and told that if we see one, we should report it immediately.

Any word of zombies? Just curious.

It has a TV! This is extremely upscale for National Park accommodations.

I really started to question my choice in vacation destinations and started to become afraid that besides plague and fire we would also get to experience an earthquake!

Adventure is out there!

 

[dolphingirl47]

I am all caught up again. Real life has kept me rather busy recently.

They were so good! You just can’t buy peaches here that are as tasty as those that come directly from a tree!

They look delicious. I felt the same way when I tasted fresh pineapple in Hawaii. I have not been tempted to buy a pineapple over here since.

Then we headed to the airport. Fresno airport is really cute. It is not big at all and they even have some fake trees!

I rather like this.

I tried to catch some of the scenery coming down into the valley:

This is truly stunning.

Sounds like a great location for a vacation, doesn’t it? Wild animals, pestilence – at least there was no wildfire in the neighborhood!!!

Put this way, it does not sound very appealing .

Corinna

 

[Flossbolna]

No. WAY! I have wanted to visit that one for years, but no opportunity. BTW, Mike is threatening to actually go back to Germany and get a do-over. If so, we'll put it on the list of things to do/see.

I am looking forward to that do-over!! And while Neuschwanstein is impressive, I think it is also very over-hyped. There are other places that are also very beautiful, but not as overrun and therefore much nicer. Neuschwanstein isn't even the only castle that King Ludwig II built, it just has the most dramatic setting and exterior. Inside it is to a large degree unfinished. I personally like Herrenchiemsee much better, it is situated on an island in the Chiemsee (a very large lake) and modelled after Versailles.

Yes, they are! Little black bears are pretty shy, but brown bears and Grizzlys will just as soon tear your head off. I think the bigger threat of attack right now, at least in Cali is cougars. Nasty things.

I prefer Central European wildlife then: rabits, foxes, beavers. If there is a wolf coming here from Eastern Europe, it makes the headlines, equally with a bear. Mostly there is nothing dangerous around.

I've read your lovely update, but will have to go back to comment soon. I have to get some sleep before I fall out of my chair.

Hope you are going to catch up on sleep during your vacation a little!

 

[Flossbolna]

I am waiting to hear the Ceiling Fan Fable The food at the restaurant really looked good!! Pricey but good !!!

Don't get too excited...

Caught up now! Of course, now I forget all my comments!

Haha! That happens to me, too!

You are the person whom I promised a PM when I started on Yosemite, didn't I? I guess I don't need to do that anymore as you now saw that we arrived at Yosemite!

 

[Flossbolna]

I just saw the Neuschwanstein comment that Liesa quoted. I did a band tour in 1988 where our conductor took us to various locations inbetween concerts and this was one place that he made sure we saw. As the tapestries had something to do with Wagner's Ring cycle, or the price was a patron of Wagner or something like that. It evades me now. I remember that me and my folks took the tour and even followed along with the conductor and listened to all his stories about the various tapestries on the walls. However there was another group of folks who went directly to the Biergarten. They were late returning to the bus. We had a concert that night in the Schwarzwald and were over an hour late due to traffic and people who didnt pay attention to the time to be back at the bus.

When we were performing on the stage our conductor mentioned that we had such a long drive we didn't have time to eat before our concert and everyone was starving. We got a huge, "Awwwwww" from the crowd, but they fed us really well after we played and we had a whole lot to drink before we went home with our families who put us up for the night!

Be back later to comment on te update. We're leaving in 4 hours.

That trip seems to be a source of many stories!! But Neuschwanstein to Schwarzwald is quite a drive!! Yes, King Ludwig was very much a huge fan of Wagner and a lot of the decorations in his various castles are inspired by Wagner operas.

 

[Flossbolna]

We have more of a test score- in South Carolina A,B or C and in North up to 104 score - a 100 point scale and extra for having extra training in food sanitation.

That is interesting... So a restaurant with 100 could have done some bad things, but their training is perfect. Hmmm, not so sure that sounds like a good thing to me if you don't follow the rules that you were trained in.

I would not mind being a bread snob one bit.

That must be part of your German heritage!

Rope drop is NOT a bad thing. Packing and unpacking should be swift and efficient. Even if you have to get up early to get it done.

But I know that I will never change him in that regard. And to be honest, if there is a train to catch to my aunt's 75th birthday celebration, he was at the station at 7:30am and made nice conversation with my parents.

I have recently started using Peets at home. The Gevalia I used to get is not available in whole bean at the store anymore and I refuse to pay 50% more to have it auto shipped to me in smaller bags.

I hate it when products I rely on disappear. I had this amazing conditioner that I used for years and that worked perfectly on my hair and then they changed the formula. I am still sad about this!

Sounds nice --- no AC ooohhh that might have been a deal breaker for me. I am a bit of a Goldielocks about sleeping temp. Not too hot and not too cold. Room looks nice and windows ope to cool it down is okay too.

Because of the location in the mountains, it really worked very well with keeping the windows open. And these were not your usual windows. They were specifically for airing. They had shutters in front of them and then a mosquito screen inside. So they were secure from large and tiny intruders.

The Sequoias look magnificent and it also looks like you got out of there just in time. I guess your vacation is having the disaster follow you. Hope you continue to stay ahead of it.

even though this might be a major spoiler: but, yes, we did!

 

[Flossbolna]

"Passive" aggressive? Magdalene??? I'm not buying that one for even a second..........

Na, I don't bother with "passive"...

Passive aggressive again???

Et tu Marv? And no, in this case just general frustration with rental cars.

Huh? No way triple digits is anywhere close to 100 degrees...........

Hmpf!

Yes, but it has made its way to the east coast. I bought some for Pat and I to try, and now that we found we like it, it has become a regular purchase now.

But do you have the cafes, too? Or just the coffee beans?

Guess this makes up for those carbs you passed on earlier with your lettuce burger.

Yes! It always makes sense to choose carbs wisely. And eating sweet maui onion chips is much better use for your daily carb allowance (not that I have one, but if) than a boring burger bun!

Gorgeous view! I'm sure I have this very same picture........somewhere.

As most people who have been to Yosemite!

Nothing like being forewarned about any possible serious illnesses running around in the area......

Exactly! In Norway Katharina and I visited a leper hospital. Luckily there were no lepers around anymore...

Okay, well at least you didn't have to worry about Zika.........

Yes, neither about Ebola! So, there were positives to be found.

Did this pass the bread snob muster?

Yes, most bread passes my muster IF it is fresh! Well, besides the Disney Cruise Line bread baskets that always claim to be something far more fancy than they really are. I guess from the Panama Canal trip report my readers got the first inkling of me being a bread snob.

Really? REALLY??? Not too hot.........not too cold???

Passive aggressive there, Marv??

 

[Flossbolna]

Gee, I didn't think it was that subtle.

Yes, me neither...

Oh, the humanity!!! A cosmetic blemish!!!

So, the road engineer says that this was nothing to be concerned about? I was afraid that the reaction to this picture would be people being in horror of the fact that we still drove quite a bit with a tire that looked like that.

It's like a never-ending game of Tetris.

I am sure that we are really not allowed to complain too much. We only have two adults, no kids and all the kids stuff that comes with them (even though Michael does come with a lot of stuff, too!).

I'm siding with Michael here. Salad dressing and burgers should never, ever mix.

He is very much anti-sauce on his burgers. He orders Big Macs without the sauce and all other burgers without mayo...

Yes, a necessity!

Stunning! Just a gorgeous view. Looks like the entrance to heaven.

It is amazing!

I agree. This really does make me sad. I do think people get in a rut, and I can understand having a favorite little spot that you return to now and then...but there's so much to see, even just in our country!

After experiencing how difficult it is to get adequate accommodation, I think part of it is also that the parks could be more easily accessible. I understand that they want to keep nature as less interrupted as possible, but if they added more in park accommodation they would have less traffic every day in and out of the park...

No idea. None whatsoever.

Thank you!

Don't get me started on that. We get into some really stupid legal issues here.

I actually know a thing or two on exactly these legal issues - at least if it were to take place in Germany. That's why I do have quite an interest in this. But in this case it appears to be quite a bit of blackmailing going on... But you did not want to get started, so I better don't

Was there a dust particle on the carpet? No, wait: you didn't like the paint color. An unacceptable shade of beige!

I bet it gets to 97 only a handful of days out of the year, and therefore they can't justify the expense. But this is also why so many people just go to the beach every year.

To me the lack of AC was not such an issue. And it did get cool in the evening, so it worked out. But then I don't have AC either. And here it sometimes does not get cool in the evening... That is unpleasant, so Yosemite was better than home.

Don't get too excited, the story is not really as amazing as Michael makes it out to be.

We need a running count of how many times this trunk was packed.

No, most certainly not. That would be nearly as boring as packing it!

Any word of zombies? Just curious.

No!! Luckily not!

It has a TV! This is extremely upscale for National Park accommodations.

See, that is the reason why I thought the accommodation snob would be happy there!

Adventure is out there!

Still, earth quakes are not the adventure I am seeking!

 

[Flossbolna]

I am all caught up again. Real life has kept me rather busy recently.

I can see that you have a lot of trip planning to do!! But I guess other, less fun things keep you busy, too.

They look delicious. I felt the same way when I tasted fresh pineapple in Hawaii. I have not been tempted to buy a pineapple over here since.

Fruit fresh from the place where it is grown is always so much better! We once were on vacation in Southern France and stayed on a farm that was growing cherries. Those were the best cherries I ever had in my life!

I rather like this.

It was a cute little airport and I could see myself flying into this airport for a trip to Yosemite.

This is truly stunning.

I tried so often to take pictures of the beautiful landscape we drove through and most of the time I failed. But I got a few decent pictures!

Put this way, it does not sound very appealing .

Luckily none of those dangers really affected us!

 

[Flossbolna]

Yosemite Valley and Star Gazing

August 19: Exploring the Valley, Gazing at the Stars and then an unpleasant surprise

Originally I had thought that I could go for a run this morning, but then all those warnings about Mountain Lions scared me and I decided that it was maybe too dangerous for me to go on a run through the valley on my own – on the well paved large sidewalks where thousands of visitors walk during the summer season. You will see how ridiculous those thoughts were when you hear about what I did the next morning…

I wasn't aware of this until now. You often worry about the wrong things!

Anyway, since I was scared of mountain lions I chose to sleep in instead. At some point I got up to head to the food court for some coffee and to read my book.

I liked the large signs on every table as to why you need to clean your table – they even had them in multiple languages, including German!

I also explored a little. The whole complex of the Yosemite Lodge is quite nice. There is a courtyard with an amphitheater for lectures and movies in the evenings. I had hoped that we would be able to catch something, but it never worked out.

In the main lobby area there is also a desk for all the excursions and I headed there to pick up the tickets for our evening adventure. I had booked this in advance, but I think by the time we were there it was not something that sold out several weeks in advance. In previous travels, especially Namibia and Canada, I always loved how when you are away from civilization you suddenly see how full of stars the sky is. And obviously a National Park would qualify for such an experience as well. They offered two different types of star gazing tours, one in the valley and then one that went all the way to Glacier Point. Glacier Point is at the end of a road and it is actually kind of directly above Curry Village – just about 3000 feet higher. Somehow, this sounded far more spectacular and we decided to go with that excursion. And that was planned for tonight, so I headed to the excursion desk and picked up the tickets.

It was getting pretty warm outside already and I thought we better get some exploring done, so went to get Michael. And then we headed out. Our first stop was Yosemite Falls, which was kind of next to our hotel anyway.

All the sights in the valley are connected by shuttle buses that go through the valley in a big loop. It is all really well thought out and the routes cross each other in the main village, so that you can actually change buses to get to your destination quicker. The Yosemite Falls stop was really close to our hotel, but the hotel had its own stop directly in front of the lobby, too.

It was the second half in August in a year where California was suffering from a severe drought. We did not expect much in the way of a waterfall. Everyone says, if you want to see the waterfalls in Yosemite, you need to come early in the summer. However, I was still surprised how little water there was!!

I am pretty sure this is normally a river…

And this is the waterfall:

Yes, there is water!! You might see it better in the next picture with a 10x zoom:

Really? Water? Maybe a trickle ...

Water or not, it was still a very spectacular spot:

We met a cousin of our friend Sheila from Kings Canyon:

And then continued on to the village where there are the Visitor Center, a large shop, restaurants, a gallery and other services.

Our first stop was the visitor center:

As all those National Park visitor centers, it was quite interesting and informative! We also found out that Yosemite NP has a friendship with a Chinese NP. We saw pictures of that Chinese NP and it looked amazingly beautiful!

Next to it was the post office:

And then we headed to the deli shop to get some lunch.

The sandwich was really good! They had a nice selection there and made the sandwiches fresh. It was a bit crowded. But all in all, not a bad spot for lunch! The only not so good thing was that we had to sit outdoors and by now the temperatures were crazy hot again.

At least we were in the shade and the sandwich was mighty tasty. Not bland like ... I dunno ... a Delaware hoagie.

After lunch Michael decided that it was time for him to head to the pool at our hotel. I rather wanted to explore a little bit more. I checked out the large store that seemed to have everything you needed to explore the back country as well as souvenirs and groceries for people staying just in the valley. A few years ago @nodnol and her DH came back from their trip to the US telling me about those delicious Cliff Bars they had discovered there. I had since tried to bring her some back from my visits to the US. But I only saw three or four different types when I found them somewhere. However, this store seemed to have every single variety they make!

You mean those same Cliff Bars that you can buy in Germany?

Yes, those Cliff Bars that you can NOW buy in Germany, but could not two years ago...

I also decided to document the shuttle buses for you:

Yes, they seem to be very similar to the typical WDW bus. But they were far more reliable and came around more regularly!

My destination for this bus ride was the Ahwahnee Hotel.

Remember, it is now renamed to The Majestic Hotel – I really hope they will be able to get the old name back!!!

I wandered a little through the gardens there:

There they have those little cottages which just look amazing:

But the hotel does not look less amazing itself:

I tried to get a panoramic shot to get it all in, but it turned out a bit wobbly. I still think it gives you a good impression of the building and its location.

This is the view from the garden side, the street side is far less impressive.

When you enter the hotel there is only a rather crowded front desk area, but when you move through there you end up in this wonderful hall:

There are all kind of rooms off from the big hall. They were meant for people to come and gather and sit in the evenings.

Somehow I have the feeling that people do that far less now than when the hotel was built. It seems that we have become far more private and prefer to spend our spare time in our own rooms and not sit in public rooms. I actually really love it, when I am somewhere, where I can hang out in public spaces. I think this is one thing I like about the cruise ships. You can be out and about and even sit in the bars without being obliged to get a drink or so.

There were lots of fabric pieces up on the walls that were actually historic – I think mostly from the Ahwahnee, the tribe that used to live in this valley.

The ceilings were nice decorated, too.

There were plenty of desks where people could sit and write letters home:

Continued in Part 2

 

[Flossbolna]

Part 2

I also took a picture of the restaurant where we would eat the next day:

They had a very nice souvenir shop at the entrance:

The dishes you can see in the front are with the special pattern that was designed for the hotel.

And this is the view from the street side. There is a little pond and behind it is the port cochere.

I decided to walk back to our hotel – or at least start walking in that direction. There would be plenty of shuttle stops along the way.

The hotel grounds even have a really nice gate house:

And along the way I had some lovely views across the valley:

I also passed the village doctor’s office and “emergency room” and thought that was interesting to know where it was. I was not expecting to need it – but it was not long until I had to think of it again!

You just never know. Bears, mountain lions, raging waterfalls ... ceiling fans ... the usual suspects.

Once I reached the village I thought that it was far too hot to continue walking. So, I just got on the next shuttle back to the hotel and enjoyed the nice air conditioning!

Once back I joined Michael at the pool:

The pool was a rather basic rectangular pool, but it was wonderfully refreshing! And I found it interesting that the deep end was really deep, over 9 feet! Unfortunately it was only open until 6 p.m. and the last hour was reserved for lap swimming. So, effectively it closed at 5 p.m. I spend a nice hour in the water with Michael and then we sat in the sun to dry off a little after we had to get out at 5 p.m.

It was spectacular. The hot sun, some shade, the blue sky and the mountains rising above ... and the cool water. But it still should have been open into the evening.

Since our stargazing tour was going to depart at 7 p.m, we quickly got dressed and headed to the food court for a bite to eat. The food court kind of had a rather bad reputation. I had read quite a few reviews on tripadvisor that said it was inedible and horrible etc. One thing it definitely was: overpriced. All the food in Yosemite was expensive. But since we just had spent so much time at Disney, it seemed that prices were similar, in some cases cheaper than Disney, in some more expensive. I guess that is what you have to expect when you have a captive audience. And then to a certain degree I do understand it more in the National Parks where you have the added logistics of getting the stuff into the middle of nowhere.

Luckily we got to the food court before the dinner rush started. We both decided to go with some hotdogs with fries:

They were very tasty, but not anything special. My rule is always that when I am somewhere with not so good reviews, I try to stick to the simpler stuff as that is more difficult to make badly. And it worked out.

After our quick dinner we got ready for our tour. It was still pretty warm outside, but we knew if we would go somewhere 3.000 feet higher and after sunset, temperatures would fall rapidly, so I made sure to have enough layers with me and brought my lovely warm Disneyland hoodie!

Since the tour departed from our hotel, we just had to walk over to the lobby. We were told to be there at least 15 minutes before departure, but when we got there, there was no bus or any other official tour guide person. The bus finally arrived just at the designated departure time and everyone got on the bus. The bus seemed to be nearly full. Just at the end a very loud single lady got on the bus who started to chat cheerfully with the people around her. She was very perky and seemed a bit over the top. I kind of was wondering what her deal was… Well, it turned out that she was our stargazing guide!! She was really very enthusiastic about everything and did a great job, but maybe I am a dry and humor free German and that is why I thought that I would have preferred someone a bit calmer…

We do need to go shopping to buy you a sense of humor. I would say it is a German thing, but knowing your family and friends now, I am kinda, sorta thinking it might just be you! ... Oh, have I told you how much I adore you today?!!? (not that I am aware of, so please go ahead!!) ... As to the tour guide, she was borderline obnoxious. Just a stargazing geek that was so far over the top that she couldn't see the middle anymore, let alone the bottom. She actually got on my nerves.

The drive up to Glacier Point took about one hour. During the drive the bus driver was really good at telling stories and pointing out the sights. I even manged to get some nice pictures! I was falling asleep.

We saw a spectacular sunset on the way up there:

When we finally reached Glacier Point it was nearly dark, but we still were invited to walk around a little in the little daylight that was left. Our guide told us when to get to the little amphitheater that they have set up there. They also handed out blankets to everyone who wanted one to sit on. That was very nice!

I tried my best to get some pictures with the night setting on my camera and got an interesting picture of Half Dome:

There was a wall and when you looked straight down over that wall, this is what you saw:

The valley floor 3.000 feet below us!

I have since tried to "scan" the picture of me and my aunt up there on Glacier Point in 1986. It is a crappy scan, but it does give you an impression of the view - and my horrible 80s hair!



We then went to the amphitheater, I was a bit scared that we would get lost in the dark on top of the mountain! It was really dark there!!! But once you got used to it, it was not so bad.

Our guide did a good job to explain all the different stars etc. And the sky was truly amazing! The one thing that I found interesting is that you could actually see the lights of civilization outside the park. In one direction was the High Sierra Nevada without civilization, in the other directions were towns and cities even further away. That direction had kind of an orange glow over it on the horizon that would never go totally away

We had brought a bag of pistachios with us and I really loved sitting there in the fresh evening air on a blanket munching my pistachios next to my lovely Michael and look at the stars! This was definitely a high light of the trip for me!

I guess this is where I am supposed to say the pistachios ... and you were the highlight for me, right? You both certainly were enjoyed much more than the tour guide. I still think she had some prescription meds likely making her so perky and leading her to see things in the sky that we not really there.

The way back was not nearly as nice as the way up. Still a long drive, but now it was dark outside. Michael of course immediately fell asleep on the bus…

Ah, but little did he know in his peaceful hibernation that soon he would be hearing strange sounds and seeing things that, frankly, no one should ever have to witness. Yes, even people from Delaware. ... OK, so now here is her version:

It was 11 p.m. by the time we were back in the hotel and we settled into the room for the night. I was fighting quite a bit to get out of my hoodie. It is one of those that are really soft and plush on the inside. This is quite nice to feel, but the plush side also like to stick onto whatever I was wearing underneath. So, I was trying to free myself from the hoodie and had already managed to move it so far that my head was inside the hoodie, now I just needed to free my arms. And then suddenly something attacked me while I was jumping up with my arm stretched out above me!! Ouch!! That hurt!

I immediately abandoned my hoodie freeing process to see what the hell that was! It was a stupid ceiling fan!! It had hit the tops of two of my fingers!! Michael immediately rushed to my aid and I investigated the damage. Luckily, no damage was visible, but I told Michael that I knew where the “emergency room” was. He really did not believe that there was no damage at first. But when I demonstrated that my fingers were without any wounds and that I could move them without problem, he finally believed me. And once he realized that I was not in any danger I was immediately told off for being so stupid and jump into a ceiling fan! My only defense is that I have never lived in a house with a ceiling fan. The only places where I have experienced them is in American hotel rooms. The idea that ceilings can house dangers just never entered my thoughts. And that is how this became the story of the German and the Ceiling Fan.

I was near the sink getting myself ready for bed when I heard the most bizarre noises. First, a dull thud that was quickly followed by some sort of yelping type sound mixed with some German that I couldn't understand. Being around the corner from the action, my immediate thought (even with the non-fire event at the KC cabin a few nights ago) was that one of the big deer that were around had burst into the room through the screen door (open to let air in) over the regular door. And that all the sounds were the result of this.

Boy was I wrong. As wrong as making reservations to ride theme park attractions from your living room wrong. Nope. I entered the room to find my Bavarian Beauty half undressed (but not in any come hither way) and seemingly trapped in her hoodie and shirt. They were half on and half over her head and she looked stuck and when they finally came off, I realized she had stuck her hand in the path of the fan. I immediately was both worried and, at the same time, amused because ... well, you just had to be there. I thought we would need an ER or the park version, but was relieved when there was no blood. I still thought she might have broken a finger and was worried that we'd be spending tomorrow visiting the park's infirmary. Thankfully, that wasn't the case. But once you see the image I saw, it is seared into your consciousness for all eternity.

I had a tiny mark on my finger and proceeded to cool it with some ice cubes in a wash cloth. And that seemed to help a lot because the fingers never troubled me again in the coming days.

You truly were very lucky because the fan was on fairly fast and you could have easily wound up with broken fingers. I just wish I had footage of this to put on YouTube. You could have been a global sensation.

Up Next: Happy Feet