Summer in Yosemite (and notes)

That is the "tunnel view" the last time I took this photo it was snowing! Still beautiful. What a place. I went to Yosemite for a refresher and it was kind of like being there for the first time. Being there in summer is AMAZING. People everywhere and I mean everywhere. Off trails, in the woods on the rocks in the creeks and on the road and in the meadows and everywhere a human could go there they were. It was amazing. I'll try to upload another photo of the mass of people at the base of the falls. Wow. It doesn't say Stay Out so there they go.
I took the shuttle and made notes about where I was and what was there. Its still as giant as ever. Curry Village sits right at the bottom of this huge rock. Its so cool! You can't even fit it in the picture!
I was taking notes all day from my tour guide Paul. He has done a ton of touring and had lots of insider tips for sure.
I'm going to put all the notes here so they are somewhere easy to find. First of all I found the ice cream parlor. that is really the most important thing. Teresa is the master scooper as designated by me. She has a serious passion for her job and loves ice cream and isn't afraid to talk about it. She is FANTASTIC. Looks just like America Ferrara the actress who plays Ugly Betty. She was so full of pep I really had a great time there. How could you not like scooping ice cream all day?! And it was so cheap too! 1.80 for a big scoop. That is not a typical National Park price. Wow. That was at Curry Village.

Did you know that the squirrels here have these really cute suit jackets? Grey jackets. So they are the same squirrels we have they just wear cuter outfits than their northern cousins. Its no wonder people freak out to take their photos, they are pretty cute. Pretty cunning though.
While I was waiting for the shuttle bus to arrive I was sitting next to some Chinese tourists (imagine that) and the man asks this young guy adn his wife if they were from New York and the guys says "no, Ohio" and the Chinese man says "I could tell you weren't from California because people from California are overweight" wow.
I listened to him chatter through about 5 stops then I gave up and got off.

I have to say Yosemite is still my favorite I think because its so massive and the river and meadow are so pretty and lush. I think even despite the people it is still up there on my list. The campgrounds would be a no go for sure. Totally packed with humans. I'd like to spend time there at its most miserable and see what its like. I bet its still amazing.
It is kind of weird they paved miles of pathways there though. Seems kind of funny to do that. I mean, do some for sure so everyone can enjoy the park but a mile long trail to a lake seems excessive. If I were in a wheelchair I'd appreciate I guess so there you have it.

I have been given the chance to take a city tour tomorrow for free and that will be great fun! Lots of good information. I'll be refreshing my memory before the big day with my people. Though Sunday with the SF Marathon its going to be a real challenge to get around here. Even the freeways out of the city are affected that day. Wow!

There are photos at the bottom if you want to fast forward :)

I'm putting the notes at the bottom so everyone can skip them if they want :) Here in SF there are "highways" that locals use here to cross the city faster. You can spend more time at stoplights than stop signs so I was learning about the streets to take when I need to hurry up and get moving. (Franklin, Gough, Leavenworth.)
When you make a stop at any place always point out bathrooms, internet and banks. Its the trifecta. It was really funny, right after Paul said it those were the three questions that were asked! Ha!
If you get a chance stop at Denise's on HW 120 in Ripon CA. Its a great place, cheap local fruit and really clean and amazing staff (today my magic work is Amazing!!)
Park options to review. Hikes, bikes and river floating (so worth it, it was 90 degrees today) and then just sitting around and enjoying the scenery. You can walk out into the meadows and have a better look around at the mountains so those are easy walks.
The other stuff I'll keep. Its the guides guide book info...you'll all end up with stuff like that. And by the way. JUST ASK. Tell people who you are and what you do and get their names. It does make a difference!

This is Fisherman's wharf on a sunny evening. It doesn't even seem that crowded but it was tough to walk through that crowd.









Those dots are humans off trail and walking to the base of Lower Yosemite Falls. ITMI'ers remember how much water was there in May?! Amazing!