So many new members, , and great reviews to read...This is going to be a full-time challenge.LOL......
So many new members, , and great reviews to read...This is going to be a full-time challenge.LOL...elinor.
Member since:06.05.2005
Reviews:40
Members who trust:22
It was a few years ago now that I visited Yosemite, in California. The Month was August. It was Hot! the land was dry and the cascades had all but dried up. Still it was one of the most wonderful places that I have ever visited.
We boarded the coach at San Francisco Bus Station. It was late evening. This was to be a 4 day trip. Our coach, a Green Tortoise, for the uninitiated, this is a retired Greyhound Bus painted bright green, the seats and luggage racks become beds throughout the night, everyone sleeps in a sleeping bag sardine fashion, unless you are lucky enough to have a luggage rack.
Most travellers are back packers, from every state, every country, and all ages, from the very youngest to the retired. They play there guitars and sing, every one has a buddy to take care of each other.
Mostly the busdrives
through the night, and every one sleeps. About three in the morning we stop at an all night supermarket, the driver gives two lists to the passengers that are still awake, These purchases are food and other requirements needed for the four day trip. I didn't sleep much so I got to help with the shopping. At 3.a.m. it really was spooky but great fun.
The first morning we arrived in time for breakfast on a plateau by a river down at the foot of El Capitan, A very spectacular mountain in Yosemite. From out of the luggage space in the side of the coach came home made barbacues and the food we had just bought. Everyone was nominate a job. Cook. wash up. set up. and so-on. It was still very early and the sun was just rising, the shadows cast by the mountains and trees created a tapestry of colours, the birds ssang and the river trickled over numerous stones..
After breakfast we had time to explore, make friends with our fellow travellers, take photos or rest in the morning sun.
We drove further into the Yosemite park and parked for a while in the meeting area by the hotel. Here we had a chance to discover our surroundings. One of the most amazing sights was the mountain called Half Dome. This is quite spectacular in itself, but to see a climber half way up its sheer face was awe-inspiring, then to discover that he was carrying a paraplegic mate up with him produced goose bumps all round. That night they slung hammocks to the face of the mountain to sleep in 'til morning. I will never forget this incredible sight.
That afternoon we all returned to our Green tortoise to travel further into the depths of yosemite, to explore some of the nether regions where visitors rarely invaded. Not once did we see any fences, buildings or made up roads, everything was natural. a large lake 13,000 feet up surrounded by tall conifirs, looked black, still and uninviting, but nevertheless some hardy buddies, decided to take the plunge. They were out again in seconds. The setting sun cast still, dark shadows across the land, everything was earily silent.. Time to return to the coach.
We headed on to a site chosen by the drivers, who seemed to know this park inside out, the area was flat, no trees barren and misty, a river steamed its way through the fields, everything looked yellow. Most elected to sleep on the ground, I and one other slept on the coach. I didn't sleep much if at all. I really don't in these strange circumstances. It was three in the morning, the sky was clear, there were stars in profusion. Suddenly there was a bright light in the sky, joined by three other lights smaller in size. These kept dancing about. I looked around, everyone slept. Was I imagining this?, U.F.O's, the performance went on for about 20 minutes, before they all sped away. Was I halucinating?..... I will never know. Until....
Three days later I was watching television at home in Menlow Park & on the news was a story about U.F.O.'s appearing in the sky, over a highway in Belgium, even the police had seen and videoed them, there on the screen before my eyes were the same lights cavorting about overhead, in exactly the fashion that I had seen that night. None of the others had seen this, but now I know what I saw!
That morning we all awoke early and set off further into the wilderness, until we came upon a river with lakes dammed for swimming in. These lakes were hot with volcanic action in the bottom. They smelled strongly of sulpher. We all stripped off and plunged in, several of us swam to the far side, hot bubbles bounced up and hit our stomachs, rather scarey really!, We dried off before the impromptu cookers were produced for our breakfast.
Again we took to the road, further east until we came to the borders of California and Nevada, where the landscape changed dramatically. Finally down to a barren beach. We had reached Mono Lake, a salt lake with statues of salt pillars rising dramatically from the still waters. All was still, nothing moved, the occassional bird flitted from reed to grass. This reminded me of the Dead sea in Israel. There you could see across to Jordan. There was a hotel nearby and people bathed. Here no-one went in, it was isolated, and shrinking. The sorce of the lake was a large river that fed it from California, but this has been diverted to supply water to L.A. and surrounding areas. The lake was destined to dry up unless something was done.! This isolated dot on the landscape was hot and barren, but still it captured a place in my heart, a place I will never forget.
Soon we were travelling back to San Francisco on our magical Green Tortoise, with nothing but praise for the two drivers and their skills at driving us on a tour of a Yosemite, not commonly known to most. I can really recommend this trip to anyone with a sense of adventure.
Thankyou for reading this review, if you enjoyed it please comment...... many thanks Elinor.
Pictures of Yosemite (California)
Half Dome Mountain. Yosemite
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