Snake on the Road

Travelling down highway 338 across western Nevada, we feel like the last people on earth.  There's no one else for miles. Apparently this snake thinks so, too.  At 65 miles-per-hour, it's hard to miss him.  I think I straddled him with my tires and I see him slither off the road in my rear view mirror as we part ways.

Desert Snow

Crossing the scorching desert floor, its surprising to see snow on the nearby mountains.  What a difference a few thousand feet of altitude can make.

Silver Maple Inn

The Silver Maple Inn offers a room for the night in Bridgeport, California beyond the western slopes of the Sierras.  It's a small town at 6,400 feet altitude.  The air is thin and crisp.  Aaron, Meredith, Paula and I shared accommodations here before Winslow was born.  We reminisce about deep conversations on the lawn, dinner at a local bar and playing pool across the street.  Aaron reminds us of the Travertine Hot Springs just west of town.  We set the alarm clock and make a pre-breakfast visit.

Hetch Hetchy Wildlife

We hike out to the Wapama Falls on the north edge of the Hetch Hetchy reservoir.  A returning hiker warns us of a black bear along the trail.  We spot him.  Nassar and I take on defensive postures until he ambles off the trail.  He's a big one weighing perhaps 300 pounds.

Further along the trail, we spot something a little more dreaded and a little more camouflaged. Alice's mom steps on a rock shared by a 4 foot Western Diamondback Rattlesnake. The snake is unfazed - possibly asleep.  Alice's mom is inquisitive.  Nassar and I contemplate the near-disaster.

In case you're wondering... what to do in case of snakebite in the wild.

The Hetch Hetchy Valley - Water Source to San Francisco

We visited the Pulgas Water Temple two weeks ago. It commemorated the Hetch Hetchy Project completed in 1934.  Now we visit the eastern end of the project in the Hetch Hetchy Valley 167 miles away.  This is a beautiful and austere valley claimed by some to be as beautiful as Yosemite.  We're here to verify.  I think John Muir would be aghast at the crowds in Yosemite on the 4th of July (or any other day of the year, for that matter).  He espoused the serenity of the wilds and Hetch Hetchy Valley is a lot closer to that then Yosemite.  I wonder what's under all that water?

Ahwahnee Lodge no Longer.

We have reservations for lunch at The Majestic Yosemite Hotel.  Once called the Ahwahnee, this restaurant has family history.  For one thing, its where Meredith's dad proposed to his girl friend (who is now Meredith's mom).  The food is as delicious as always and it's nice to see that some things haven't changed.

The Ahwahnee pattern is no more.  A lawsuit involving the Delaware North company that has run the concessions at Yosemite Valley for some time raises doubts about the ownership of the name Ahwahnee and casts doubt on the ownership of some of American history as well.

Little Yosemite Falls

Sunday provides us with the perfect weather to enjoy a hike up to the base of Lower Yosemite Falls. The water is up this year compared to the last four.  When Paula and I were here two years ago, Lower Yosemite Falls had no water flow at all. This is one of those "most-photographed" places, but the pictures can't really do it justice.  We share a picture from this spot with Herm Gilmore who worked in Yosemite Valley for five years.  He responds with happy memories.