Yosemite Ahwahnee/Bridalveil - September 5-6, 2010

I woke to the sounds of people rustling about in the campsite.  We now were a group of 6.  The night before, the gang decided that having Sunday brunch at the Ahwahnee hotel would be a great idea.  Sunday morning, with the 1 bar of cellular service we had on our phone, we called to find out the brunch hours and price.  Once we found out it was going to cost $49 per person, plans changed to stay on-site and cook breakfast instead. :)  The prices definitely went up since the last time I was at the Ahwahnee; I think it had cost $28?  In comparison, the Rio seafood buffet in Vegas cost $39 per person for dinner.  The dining room menus at the Ahwahnee were pretty extensive considering it's located in the middle of a national park, though there didn't seem to be "indigenous" meats offered, like bear or deer.

The day's plans were to visit the Ahwahnee, head over to Tunnel View for some photo opps, visit Bridalveil Fall, catch some lunch, and rent some bicycles and ride around Yosemite Valley.  We drove as not to be at the mercy of the bus schedule.  In order to keep cars off the road and reduce pollution, Yosemite runs free shuttles all around the park.  In hindsight, we probably should've taken the shuttle, as traffic got worse later in the day.

The Ahwahnee hotel is perfectly situated, with beautiful scenic views including Half Dome.  The drive wasn't too far from the campground, and had it been earlier in the year, you could see Upper Yosemite Falls.  The hotel was built in 1927 and much of it still felt like the original design, even though there were many renovations since then.

We took a stroll around the hotel and we saw deer grazing (I'm sure the gardeners enjoy that).  There were bicycle and walking trails all across the serene grounds.  I could see myself relaxing here, if I didn't mind paying $450/night!

We got back in the cars and headed over to Tunnel View, which boasts a spectacular panorama including Half Dome.  Unfortunately, the parking lots were full so we were waved on by rangers to keep driving on the road.  We stopped at the next overlook, which still commanded a great view.  We took some pictures and then drove back to the "real" Tunnel View as parking freed up.  See the difference in vantage point in the first two pictures below?

Bridalveil Fall was next on the itinerary.  The waterfall was named so due to the way the water and wind mix to create a veil-y, wispy sight.  Thank goodness it wasn't dried up like Yosemite Falls.  The trail from the parking lot to the waterfall was a whole 1000 feet.  :)  It was paved but a tiny bit had a slight incline, so there were people huffing and puffing; I overheard one person complain that their leg went numb.  People, you need to get more exercise!!!

People were climbing the rocks to get a closer look.  I didn't make it all the way to the waterfall pool; my legs were so sore that I couldn't get stable footing on the slippery rocks.

We decided to grab lunch in Yosemite Village.  The traffic was horrendous!  I think it took an hour to drive a few miles, which was why I think I'd take the shuttle next time, as there was an express lane for their use.  Babe and I were lucky to find a space right when we arrived at the parking lot in front of the grocery store.  The rest of the gang weren't as fortunate and had to park at the Ahwahnee and walk. :(  It was around 3pm by now and being hungry made the food at the Village Grill (burgers, chicken tenders, fries) taste so good.

By this time, we abandoned renting bicycles and headed back to the campsite.  It took over an hour to drive a couple of miles as one of the lanes was blocked off for buses and park vehicles, plus there was construction along the way. :(  We drove by a sign on a bicycle trail that proclaimed "Curry Village - 1.5 miles".  It would've taken less time to hike 1.5 miles.  Another reason to use the free shuttle, or bring bikes with you when you car-camp.

To get rid of all the perishable food in the cooler, I made everyone eat double turkey burgers with bacon and cheese, along with the remaining short ribs.  We tried to roast some purple yam in the campfire, but the fire was so hot that they cooked way too fast and most of it ended up being burnt to charcoal, save a few tablespoons in the center. :(  The potatoes fared a bit better, but everyone was so full.  (though not full enough to turn away s'mores!)  Amazing how toasted marshmallows and Hershey's milk chocolate smashed between two graham crackers can taste so good.  The campsite to the left of us were roasting marshmallows over their campfire lit by Duraflame logs.  I didn't think that was safe...chemical flames, yum.  I just now checked the FAQ on Duraflame and found this:

Is it ok to cook over the fire of a Duraflame® firelog?

No. Duraflame® firelogs are not designed nor intended for use as a cooking fuel. Generally, the types of solid fuel used for cooking produce coals, which emanate heat over a period of time, and cooking is conducted by exposing the food directly to the heat generated by the coals. Our product only burns with flames and does not generate adequate coals for cooking. Since the product was not designed as a cooking fuel we have never completed scientific analysis to determine if there could be any adverse health impacts from cooking over firelogs. Until such extensive scientific analysis is conducted we cannot recommend cooking over firelogs, and at the present time, we have no plans to initiate such testing.

The RV parked at the campsite behind us offered some scary entertainment:  when the parents were out of sight, their young son (about 7 years old) became a pyromaniac, lighting up plastic grocery bags, right next to a container of lighter fluid.  He had ignited the bag so much that he had to fan out the flames.  Eventually it got so scary that we had to go there to tell him to stop and moved the lighter fluid far away.  I think he spoke German.  Later on, we saw the dad come out, and he was doing some extracurricular fire-burning in the campfire himself...the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.  When we ripped up the cardboard box that contained our firewood and putting into the fire for some extra oomph, the son was watching us, mesmerized, from inside the RV.

The gang woke up really early the next morning to pack up and hike Half Dome, while Babe and I slept in.  We eventually packed up camp by 10am and drove back home without any additional sightseeing, as I didn't want to be stuck in traffic.

What a great trip!  I'm happy that I was able to do Half Dome again without too many aches and pains.  Our annual pass expires next June, so we'll probably hit a few more national parks before then, maybe even Yosemite once more in the spring to see the waterfalls in full force.  Where am I going next?  A gastronomic tour of Napa Valley later this week with cousin Sheri...stay tuned!

*special thanks to Quan for letting me steal some of his pictures :)