Saturday, September 23rd - Yosemite from the Top, California.

After a late breakfast, we retraced the drive of the previous night back down through the mountains to Mono Lake. Although the lower elevations along our route were rather dry and barren, when we crossed into the higher elevations trees became quite plentiful. The road followed a small stream in the valley floor for a long time, and the combination of rugged mountain slopes, tall trees, and a silvery, cascading creek was very pretty.

We stopped at the little town of Bridgeport to admire the courthouse, try to find a corkscrew at the local hardware store and, of course, have lunch

At Mono Lake we visited the Visitor Center, saw the obligatory and slightly preachy conservation movie, and then walked the nature trail down towards the lake shore. The lake is a highly saline remnant of an ancient landlocked sea in the valley between the mountain ranges. Due to the high salt content the major life is plankton and a brine shrimp, but that is enough to feed the thousands of migratory birds passing through each year. Unique and fantastic rock and sand formations had also been formed from calcification due to the springs underlying the lake.

The next leg of our day's drive was west through Yosemite National Park on Route 120. We found wonderful vistas of woods and streams at Toulomne Meadows. The lush meadows and meandering Toulomne River river formed a unique and verdant contrast to the gray, rocky peaks that loomed just above. I was so entranced that I walked a short distance to the riverbank on a narrow dirt path just to get a better view, and that was well worth the effort.

Continuing westward through the park, we found an overlook with beautifully scenic views of Half Dome in the Yosemite Valley. The valley is justly famous for its scenery, and the view from our aerie was very much a bird's eye view down into it. The folded ridges of gray rock were interspersed with trees and streams in a chaotic but magnificent panorama that led all the way to the horizon. When I could tear my eyes away from the distant scenery, I found some bristlecone pines (I think!) on the rocky outcrop where we were standing. If you ever do this drive, make sure you walk out to the overlook to get the best views.

A little further on we saw mountain climbers practicing on the sheer rock walls, which was exciting to watch but not a sport for me. I would hate having my life depend on a single rope with no backup in case it fails.

Turning north on Route 49, we headed to Sacramento where we put up at a Vagabond Inn in Rancho Cordova. Having learned our lesson the expensive way, we were now using the Internet to research motel rooms for the next night ahead of actually arriving in a city and then seeking shelter for the night. As an elderly Norwegian immigrant is reported to have said, "Too soon old, too late smart!"