August 11- Glacier Point, Yosemite National Park

Lodging: Tulare, CA

Yosemite was amazing - kind of an oasis between the heat of Nevada and the Central Valley of California. I’ve been wanting to come back since I was a kid. Doing so this week was no small feat as a limited number of day passes are available and they were all sold out for the month of August. But I read the small print on the website that said if you have a reservation for lodging in the camp you are allowed in. Grant Myers helped me find the link for reservations and there was ONE spot left - in a tent! So I was able to explore Yosemite yesterday and today. Had a picnic lunch on the shore of Lake Tenaya (see photo of me with bike). Then saw my first glimpse of Half Dome at Olmsted Point (zoom in to the right of my face). The view made me understand why so many people come to Yosemite. Breathtaking! The campsite itself was an adventure. My neighbors told me a bear walked past my tent a few days ago! Even though my food and scented items were in a food locker it was still a little unnerving going to sleep in a canvas tent thinking about how the tent fabric was no match for bear claws! I’m including a picture of the beautiful view out my tent door. I have to say, though, the highlight of the park for me was driving out to Glacier Point. Even though the park is at reduced capacity there were still tons of people. So I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw the warning sign at the beginning of the road to glacier point - “no trailers or vehicles longer than 30 feet.” I knew this was a good sign that tight curves and switchbacks were coming. Yes! The road did not disappoint. After 16 miles of twists and turns I was rewarded with a spectacular view of half dome and the mountain range in general (photo of me on rock). I am so grateful for this opportunity.