Fourth of July & California State Route 1

Fourth of July parade golf cart style.

 This cart won the trophy for most decorated.

 Sixteen carts was a good turnout considering the temperatures.

 We enjoyed grilled burgers, chips, potato salad, beans,
and cookies for dinner at the clubhouse. About 160 people
attended and we enjoyed meeting a new family.

A new bear was added to the park which are
common in California.
The nearest town for fireworks was Bass Lake. We asked
around and everyone said it is a parking nightmare. On the news
they interviewed a family that got there at 4:00 am to get
a parking spot. Fireworks were cancelled last year so it was
going to be nuts. We decided to stay home and watch
Capitol Fourth on PBS. It was safer and a great memory when
we celebrated at the National Mall a few years ago with Joel.

While in California we couldn't miss driving along Highway 1.

A land slide has closed Highway 1 in the Big Sir area so 

we drove north from Santa Cruz to Half Moon Bay.

Big Sir Landslide

Monterey Bay 

 Pigeon Point Light Station State Historic Park

First lit November 15, 1872

Beautiful!

 Even though it was only 62 degrees there were about

 twenty-five kite and wind surfers out.

We drove through Watsonville where they have hundreds of 

acres with canopies covering their crops. There are lots of 

fruit stands so we picked up some plums, corn, almonds and a 

sweet potato. Sad to say we will miss the Garlic Festival in

 Gilroy, California. What we couldn't miss is the smell of 

garlic as soon as we entered the city. We saw trucks fully 

loaded with garlic as we drove by the factory.

Another great day!

"We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the 
ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop."
Mother Teresa

Triple Digit Temps & Snow

Crazy!

It is too risky to go hiking because of the high 

temperatures so we are just relaxing.
 Highway 120 or Tioga Road that goes through the high-country
of the Sierra Nevada is still closed because of snow.
It is the only road that runs east to west in Yosemite and
usually opens by Memorial Day.
Wow! Check out this aerial view! Clearing Snow on Tioga Pass
 Thankfully we are here for a few more weeks.
We hope to get to Tuolumne Meadows and Tenaya Lake.

You can't get in the rivers because they are swelled from the
snow melt and are very cold. I could only keep
my feet in a few minutes.
Whether it is too hot or too cold we are not complaining.

Park Sierra is an Escapees Park and only members are allowed.
You can purchase a lot or be a guest.
It is a great location just south of Yosemite that is
 well maintained with lots of activities.

Hassler Stage Stop inside the park.
Many stage coaches stopped here is Coarsegold.

Here is where we have been hanging out.

This whole area of California is hilly and every 

spot in this park is unique. 

 

We have also enjoyed having legendary It's It Ice Cream .

They have a freezer in the clubhouse with 

this San Francisco treat. 

Just a short walk from our site and only $1.00. 

 Here is where all the activities are held and meals served.

A member of the park made this beautiful, large, stained glass 

window that is in the center of the clubhouse.

Here is some trivia. Coarsegold is the destination 

for stars Joel McCrea and Randolph Scott in the 1962 

film Ride the High Country.

Just before publishing this blog I checked and 

Tioga Pass is now open!

"This land is your land, this land is my land

from California, to the New York Island

from the redwood forest, to the gulf stream waters

This land was made for you and me"

Woody Guthrie

Fire, Rock Slide & Hetch Hetchy Valley

So far we have dodged the fire that was just south of us 

and the rock slide! 

Thank you for your prayers!

Highway 41 Reopens 

Park of the Sierras is the blue square on the map, 

where we are staying. We heard on the news that 

Highway 140 was closed because of a 4,000 ton 

rock slide which is one of the entrances into Yosemite. 

Yosemite Road Closed Due To Rock Slide

Our plan was to enter there to reach Hetch Hetchy Valley 

to avoid the crowds on Highway 41 

and the most popular areas of the park.

In life you need to be super-flexible like Gumby, 

so we took another scenic route west 

through Mariposa and around north to highway 120.

We were rewarded with a fantastic view of a small part
 of McClure Lake. After several hairpin turns we were
driving across that bridge. 

 O'Shaughnessy Dam with Hetch Hetchy Reservoir 

 and a view of Wapama Falls.

1.7 billion kilowatt-hours of hydro power are produced here.

That is equal to the power generated from burning 

39 million gallons of oil. 

 Looking down Tuolumme River from on top of the dam.

 Love the blue!
This reservoir provides water for 2.4 million people.
Hetch Hetchy Dome is just to the right of the falls.
No boating or swimming are allowed because this is a
clean source of drinking water. 

 Our five mile hike starts through the tunnel.

White Bordiaea

Butterfly Mariposa Lily

Kolana Rock

Tueeulala Fall

Wapama Fall

Can you see the dam in the far distance? 

Oh Boy! We have to hike back there to get to the car.

Back over the rocky trail.

Scream and pause because of the snake on the trail. 

Stop to enjoy the natural beauty.

Harvest Brodiaea

Yeah, we made it to the car! As we were heading 

back through Yosemite they were doing a control burn.
The smell of burning pine is great but we know how fires
can get out of control quickly.
So thankful to make it back to the RV.

 "Hiking is a bit like life: The journey only requires you to 
put one foot in front of the other...again and again and again.
And if you allow yourself the opportunity to be present
 throughout the entirety of the trek, you will witness beauty 
every step of the way, not just at the summit."
Unknown