In the summer of 2018, I left the sun-soaked shores of Southern California and moved across the country back to North Carolina. After scarfing down one last Grand Slam at the Denny’s in Encinitas, I began the seven hour drive to one of the most beautiful and iconic National Parks on the planet: Yosemite.
Rather than taking the 405 through the heart of Los Angeles, I decided to head East a little ways and go around (LA traffic is the worst). This decision took me up Route 395 in between Death Valley and Sequoia National Forest, and boy was it a great decision. Once you get north of the small city of Ridgecrest, continuous mountain ranges line both sides of the road. I probably stopped at least 10 times to walk around and gawk. And to take pictures.
The most important stop of the drive was at the Hi Country Market and Hardware Store in Big Pine. If I was going to spend the night camping in the Yosemite Valley (and later Yellowstone, Craters of the Moon National Park, and The Black Hills) I’d need supplies. The friendly cashier in the store mentioned I should stop at Mono Lake on the way into Yosemite. I had never heard of Mono Lake, but she said it was right beside the eastern entrance to the park which is exactly where i was heading. So after loading up on ice, firewood, hotdogs, and beer I continued on up Route 395 towards Yosemite, and Mono Lake.
An island of Tufas in Mono Lake, California. June 2018.
Mono Lake is a highly carbonic lake in the Mono Basin east of Yosemite. With no outlet to the ocean, dissolved solids from rainwater runoff accumulate in the lake making it 2.5 times saltier and 100 times as alkaline as the ocean. Towers called “Tufas” line the edge of the lake to mark where springs brought calcium ions up from the ground and combined with the carbonates concentrated in the lake water, creating rock. These towers were underwater in the early 1900’s, but humans decided to divert some of the lake’s tributaries towards Los Angeles, causing the lake level to drop by almost 50 feet in a few decades (see also: The Salton Sea). Good job humans.
Near the edge of the lake is a sign that encourages you to dip your fingers in the water and rub them together to feel the water. So I did. It feels different, like a low-viscosity lubricant. Slippery. The same sign also invites you to have a taste. So I did. The water is salty (obviously) and bitter, but not altogether unpleasant (just don’t gulp it). You could definitely float on this lake easily. But I didn’t. I had camping to do, and the light was quickly fading.
Tufas on the shores of Mono Lake with lenticular clouds in the distance.
As the sun went down, I made my way West, into Yosemite National Park.
Yosemite is one of the most breathtaking places on Earth. One of my favorite photographers, Ansel Adams, shot some of the most iconic and well-recognized photographs here. If you haven’t been, you should make it a priority.
It took me more than two hours to get from Mono Lake to the Upper Pines campground, so it was well after dark before I arrived. My brother was waiting by the fire and we sat around catching up on things. A quick aside: most large national park campgrounds with bear populations have big metal boxes for you to lock up all of your food. If you keep it in your car, a bear might smash your window to get it. If you keep it in your tent… don’t do that. I had stashed my food and beer in the box when I arrived, so after my tent was all set up I grabbed a beer from the box, pushing the door shut without locking it, and returned to the fire. No less than 3 minutes later we heard a noise from the direction of the lock box. We turned around to see a small coyote darting away across the meadow with my entire bag of Cheetos. Lesson learned.
The next day I left my brother and went to explore. I wandered along the meadows and banks of the Merced River which meanders through the Yosemite Valley, staring up at the towering canyon walls on either side. I hiked to the base of Bridalveil Fall. And finally, I drove all the way up the canyon to Glacier Point to one of the most iconic views in the world.
It took about an hour and a half to get all the way to Glacier Point. A portion of that time was spent sitting in one of about 6 rows of cars, waiting for our turn to head up. Only a certain number of cars are allowed on the mountain road at a time, so if you have the opportunity (and don’t feel the urge to pull over every half mile to take pictures like I do) you should just take the bus. Either way, it’s worth your time.
Panorama of the Yosemite Valley on the way up to Glacier Point.
There is a small cafe with food up top, and I grabbed a pair of hotdogs and set off to find a spot away from the crowds. Jumping a barrier (if you are a National Parks Service employee, I definitely did not do this), I walked a little ways down the rock face and found a tiny cave with an amazing view (The Half Dome pictures from above, the Forest and Stone picture, and Deadpool glamour shot all came from this single spot). Stellar Jays flitted through the air alongside raptors. Squirrels eyed me curiously. And the hotdogs were surprisingly tasty. Not a bad day.
But I had miles to go before I reached North Carolina. My goal for the night was to make it to Reno. So I exited the park the way I had come in, to the East, by way of California State Route 120. The views on the drive out of the park were almost as spectacular as the Yosemite Valley itself. If you haven’t taken this route, I highly recommend it.
After exiting the park and turning North, I pulled over for one last parting view of Mono Lake at sunset. Onwards, to Reno. To adventure. And walking, exhausted and smelling of campfire and sweat, into my casino-hotel room to find it already occupied. But that’s a story for another post.
Darkness falls on Mono Lake. June 2018