By Shelby
There was a big winter storm coming, so we decided to work Tuesday through Thursday instead and take Monday off to go to Yosemite National Park. Monday looked like the last nice day for a while to go there. Plus, it was also the last day before you start needing to get a reservation to go to the park. We got up early and started off on the two and a half hour drive to Yosemite from Modesto. Along the way, we saw tons of blossoming almond trees. We learned that California is one of the world’s leading producers of almonds.
The first half of the day was in the Mariposa Grove of giant sequoias. In the winter the 2 mile road to the grove is closed, so we hiked up a trail that ran parallel to the road. Thankfully the snow on the trail was well packed down from lots of other visitors. It was a little slippery, but we managed, and we really liked the peaceful walk through the forest.
When we reached the grove, we were amazed. Giant red sequoias lined the wooden boardwalk at the trail entrance. They were very different from the normal pine trees we had been seeing on our hike up. There weren’t too many people there and the white pristine snow made the area seem magical.
We walked on the snow-covered boardwalk through some of the most famous sequoia trees, including the Grizzly Giant, the oldest tree in the grove. It is estimated to be around 3,000 years old. We made a quick stop at the Tunnel Tree, a living sequoia with a tunnel cut through it.
The second half of the day was spent in the Yosemite Valley. We made a short stop at a famous viewpoint of the valley to eat lunch. Even in winter, it was very busy. Unfortunately, there was a rockslide on part of the loop road in the valley. This shut down half the road. We were stuck in standstill traffic for hours until it cleared out enough for us to get to a parking lot.
We decided to leave the car and just walk to the trails we wanted to do. We walked to Yosemite Falls, which were beautiful. The temperature out was pretty comfortable. It was chilly, but the sun kept everything relatively warm.
We found out a couple days ago that mid to late February is when the firefall happens at Horsetail Falls. The sun sets in just the right spot to light up the falls and make it seem like flowing lava. The road leading to viewpoints of the falls was closed because of the rockslide, so most people, including us, had to walk the mile and a half to the viewpoint. There were hundreds of people waiting for the firefall to happen. It was pretty crazy.
I think there were some clouds on the horizon that made the conditions for the firefall not ideal, but it was still pretty good. The waterfall turned a bright orange for almost twenty minutes before the sun set. After returning to the car, we made noodles with broccoli for dinner while we waited out the traffic. Then we drove about two hours to Merced, where we planned on working from for the week. It was a really long day and we ended up walking about 12 miles total, but we were really glad we made it to the park before the big storms hit.
Tuesday through Thursday, we worked from the public library in Merced. The weather was alright, a little cold for me. We didn’t get hit by the rain from the winter storm until Friday. For dinner, we made burrito bowls. It was cold outside, so we cut up all the vegetables in the car.
Friday, we took the day off from traveling and hung out at the library. We did our taxes and then played video games. It was nice to take a break after how busy last week was.
Saturday, we drove a couple hours north to Sacramento. We went to two different malls to get some exercise and try to find some warmer clothes. For lunch, we got California rolls from a sushi place and corn dogs from Hot Dog on a Stick in the food court. We didn’t end up finding any warm clothes to buy, but it was still nice to get out.
The plan for Saturday was to stay in Sacramento for the night and drive through the Sierra Nevada mountains to Reno Sunday. I-80 had been closed Friday because of the winter storm, so we were a little concerned about driving. The weather looked better Saturday than Sunday, however, so we made the decision to try to drive into Reno today. And it worked out. They had done a very good job plowing the road and we had no issues. The road was clear and we only got a little rain and snow flurries.
When we got to Reno, we decided to get a hotel room for the week. The nights were very cold and snowy. We didn’t want to run the car for heat in that kind of weather. We got a room in the Nugget Casino and Resort in Sparks because they had an indoor pool and hot tub. We were given a corner room on a higher level, so we had a great view of the mountains around the city. Unfortunately, the room didn’t come with a microwave, which is a necessity for us, so we carried our microwave all the way from the car in the parking garage to the room. We’re planning on staying in and working from the hotel for the next few days. If the the weather gets better, we hope to visit Lake Tahoe before moving on to Utah.
Fun Facts from Week 44:
- Yosemite was the first park protected by the federal government. President Lincoln signed the Yosemite Valley Grant Act in 1864, which reserved the park for public use, resort, and recreation.
- California produces 80% of the world’s almond supply. Almond trees thrive in the Mediterranean-like climate of central California.
