Yosemite, rain, snow, fog & sun...ugh

We got off to a bit of a late start today and were not delighted by the overcast weather but were not challenged by it either. Our plan was to drive the hour and a half to Yosemite to do some serious hiking. I had decided to sign up for a Mountaineering Course but found out that it starts at 8:30 a.m. So we decided that I would do it tomorrow morning while Cindy hiked around on her own during the 7 hour course.

The drive to Yosemite is a series of a few long flat roads transversing down valleys mixed in with many winding roads going up, up, up and then down, down, down. (Jo-Anne, this would have knocked your socks off!). Yosemite Valley (the heart of the park) is at 4,000 ft above sea level. The highest climbs/hikes in the centre of the park are at around 8,000 ft. As we got closer to the park, and higher up, it started to rain. Cindy called out 'snow!' and was describing some on the side of the road, just as the rain turned into snow on the windshield. As we entered the park it became very clear that the weather was not letting up, in fact it was settling in. We hurried to take photos of the peaks that were still visible as the clouds began to cover them up. It was frustrating.


Half Dome in Yosemite.


Upper and Lower Yosemite Falls.


Snow :(

The weather for tomorrow is supposed to have a lower chance of rain/snow but colder. That didn't bode well for me as the freezing temperatures were enough to set off a chill in my hands that made them numb for an hour. (I have a condition called Renaud's Syndrome where I lose the circulation in my extremities making them all but useless.) I knew that tomorrow's temperatures wouldn't allow me to truly take in much from the 7 hour Mountaineering Lesson, so we decided to make Yosemite a 1 day venture. I guess I'm going to have to be a fair weather climber and after a brief chat with Kevin via MSN at the end of the day we agreed to take some lessons together back home on Ontario!

The sun came out as we got back down in elevation and away from the valley.
After lots of pictures and a winding drive, we were back in Sonora. We walked around the western town, looking for some souvenirs and had a delicious and very reasonable dinner at 'Outlaws BBQ' and then headed in for the night.

The main street of 'Angel's Camp'
Tomorrow we head west across California heading back to San Francisco via backroads looking for hats, stones, art and more. I hope to truly get a taste of this beautiful state.

I want to add here that California is not what I thought it would be, at least once you are away from the tourist attractions. The people are friendly, the food is incredibly varied and there is a beautiful Mexican and Old West feel where we have travelled. The streets have antique looking store fronts with covered sidewalks right out of an old west movie. There is an abundance of terra cotta colouring and the spanish flavour in decorating everywhere you go. Our bathroom is tiled beautifully! I would highly recommend this as a place to visit....this coming from me, who embraces squat toilets, cockroaches and culture. Well, this part of California is the 3rd without the first 2!

T