Skip to main content

Yosemite (Sierra ) Reflections 2018 - Part 1

Close your eyes and picture this; it's early evening, a cool crisp breeze in the Western Sierras, relaxing in the parlor of Wawona Hotel, masquerading as the Big Trees Hotel, which opened in 1879, a baby grand in the corner, at the keyboard, piano man, Tom Bopp asks,

"Any requests?"

"Do you know any Cole Porter?"

He winked and smiled, "I could play Cole Porter all night." Then he launched into:

"When the little bluebird
Who has never said a word
Starts to sing "Spring, spring"
When the little bluebell
At the bottom of the dell
Starts to ring, ding ding
When the little blue clerk
In the middle of his work
Starts a tune to the moon up above
It is nature; that's all
Simply telling us to fall in love."

"Birds do it, bees do it
Even educated fleas do it
Let's do it; let's fall in love."


That melody stayed with me for the rest of the week. As it will be with you throughout this blog post.

As you will see, this year's annual Sierra adventure completely contrasts our previous trips. This year, Lori and I celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary; we've been married for 30 years. But we've heard that the 50th is such a lovely celebration, so we decided to celebrate early!

We fell in love all over again - with Yosemite National Park, the luxury and splendor of camping in a Victorian Lodge, not a tent . . . 

"In Spain, the best upper sets do it
Lithuanians and Letts do it
Let's do it; let's fall in love."

Our first day was love at first sight, or should I say early light. We strolled among living giants. Capturing photos of those grand old trees like millions before us had done. During a previous Yosemite trip, we had only visited the trees at lower elevations; Bachelor and Three Graces and the famous Grizzly Giant. But, by climbing to a higher peak, we finally discovered the Mariposa Grove. A grove of mammoth trees scattered abundantly along the mountainside.

Relax, don't drive the winding mountain roads; the Big Trees Lodge has a shuttle from the Grove entrance directly back to the hotel. Our shuttle driver informed us, "the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoia trees had been closed for two years, undergoing a $45 million renovation. The park service just reopened it earlier this year."

The ride from the hotel took about 30 minutes. "No longer can tourists drive up to the grove's entrance, elevation 5,600 feet? A parking lot with a lovely gift shop, information center, and restrooms now guard the entrance. Shuttles transport guests from the parking lot to a beautifully built entrance with railed wooden walkways to provide access for the handicapped and keep people from walking up to the trees and disturbing their delicate, shallow root structure. Looking to the driver's side, you will see a Sequoia we call "Bigfoot." It's as if Disney himself had set up the attraction. 

We enjoyed a leisurely hike, the seven-mile loop, to Wawona Point, elevation 6,810 feet. The weather was cool, the air fresh and crisp. Shiny new signposts with complete maps and directional markers provided easy directions. And Lo-and-behold, when nature called dramatically, there were restrooms, at the Galen Clark Cabin, with flush toilets to relieve the pressure. No hole digging or squatting is required! A complete renovation.

"The Dutch in old Amsterdam do it
Not to mention the Finns
Folks in Siam do it; think of Siamese twins
Some Argentines without means do it
People say in Boston, even beans do it
Let's do it; let's fall in love."


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Most Popular of All Time

That Fateful Four-Letter Word

In this episode, A Masterclass in Efficiency. For nearly four months, the western border of our property has stood as a living monument to determination, dubious planning, and forensic-level lumber acquisition. Since February, our neighbor Steve has been conducting what can only be described as a masterclass in deliberate calculation. This was never going to be one of those slick home-improvement shows where a cheerful pair of men installs a fence between commercial breaks, sipping lemonade. No. This was real life in retirement. We scaled the vertical wilderness of our hillside. We mixed concrete with the precision of medieval alchemists. We bled, we sweated, and we fought hand-to-hand with a buried tree stump that had the structural integrity of a Cold War bunker. By this week—May 16th, for those keeping score—the glorious end was finally within reach. The fence stood proudly, the line was straight, and victory practically hummed in the air. Only one major task remained: installing t...
Post a Comment
Read more

Truth for Sale

This episode is inspired  by Elton John & Bernie Taupin On Memorial Day, I took my first bike ride  since the accident , seeking proof that my legs, lungs, and nerves still remembered the road. The morning air carried that familiar Southern California mix of ocean haze, exhaust, eucalyptus, and sun-baked asphalt. My tires hummed across pavement I’ve ridden for years. Somewhere between the steady click of the chain and the rhythm of my breathing, Elton John and Bernie Taupin’s The Captain and the Kid found its way into my ears. There’s a strange kind of magic when the cadence of a ride syncs perfectly with a song you know by heart. Suddenly, the music and lyrics stop being background noise and become a lens. And through that lens, the road started talking. I've been cycling on this road some, Can't help feeling I've been showing my friends around. I've seen it grow from next to nothing, To a giant eatin’ up our town. Called up the tealeaves and the tarots, Asked the...
Post a Comment
Read more

When Nature Comes to You

Sometimes the best way to experience the world isn’t to go searching for it, but to sit still and let it come to you. Lately, the view from my reading chair has become a vibrant little stage. Our backyard feeder has drawn a steady parade of wildlife—bold flashes of blue from the Western Scrub Jays, brilliant bursts of color from the Hooded Orioles, and Purple Finches—transforming quiet afternoons into a chorus of motion and song. But the most captivating performance unfolds just inches beyond my window. For the past couple of weeks, a young hummingbird mother has been perched on her tiny, beautifully woven nest. Hummingbirds usually seem made of pure nervous energy, yet here she is: perfectly still, patient, and devoted. Watching her quiet vigil - day after day - has felt almost magical. Life seems to be blooming in every direction right now, renewing itself in real time. It’s a gentle reminder to slow down, look outside, and notice the quiet miracles surrounding us. John Muir once wro...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Eighth Wonder of the Suburban World

Mark your calendars, folks. Update the history books. Notify the Smithsonian. Move over, Pyramids of Egypt. Step aside, Hoover Dam.  Future civilizations will speak of this day in hushed, reverent tones. May 22, 2026, will forever be remembered as the moment humanity reached the pinnacle of suburban engineering excellence. Earlier today, my neighbor Steve and I drove the final screw into what can only be described as the most overbuilt property divider in North County. The Fence! And then there’s the gate. Good grief, the gate. Calling it just a gate is almost disrespectful. It looks like the entrance to a medieval fortress or to Hogwarts Castle. It swings open with the heft of a bank vault and closes with the wave of a magic wand. At this point, we’re considering applying for FAA clearance to install a helicopter pad on top of it. This glorious odyssey began in early February, the primitive era. From the start, we made a sacred pact: we would not become one of those people. You ...
Post a Comment
Read more