Will at Rainbow Pool

This trip was mainly about seeing Will, all the side trips and beautiful scenery are just a back drop to our conversations. But the landscape really was nice too, so I am posting some photo's here.

May 25-27, Yosemite
Neither of us have ever been to this iconic park, and it is a long weekend. AND Will has just bought a car. Road Trip!

May 25
A leisurely drive across the Central Valley of California and into the foothills of the Sierra Nevadas. Will and I took a short walk and laid in the sun next to cool waters.

May 26
Today our plan was to head into Yosemite. Our inn was at about 900m (3,000 ft) of elevation and the gate of the park is at about 1500m (5,000 ft), and someplace in between is the snow line. As we approached the park signs warned us that we should "chain-up" our tires if we wanted to continue. Cars were slipping, sliding and fishtailing in the snow. In fact the gate was closed and we were turned back.

However there are a few trails in the park that have their trailheads outside the gate. If you follow the road to Hetch-Hetchy, after crossing the South Fork of the Tuolumne River, there is a little headtrail. So despite the snow, we got to do some walking in the woods.

Walking in a gentle spring snow.	Tim looks up.
Will finds shelter.

May 27
The sun is shining and the temperature is soaring into the 50's and 60's this morning, and the gate to the park is un-barred. Of course the real barrier is that it is Memorial Day and thousands of other people would like to visit Yosemite today!

This valley is so iconic that I feel like I know it, even though I have never been here. All the mountains look like Ansel Adam's portraits, except in vibrate, living color. The descriptions of John Muir rattle around in the back of my head. Without a doubt that is El Capitan on the left, and Cathedral Spires on the right, just beyond Bridalveil Falls. Half Dome, at the head of the valley, looks exactly like Half Dome should.

After a long search we found a place to stash the car, then set off for a ramble up the valley. We passed the Happy Isles and followed the trail to Vernal Falls. At one point (on the south slopes of Grizzly Peak) we encountered a knot of hikers, looking and pointing up the hill. About 30 meters away a Brown Bear was forging in the woods, looking for grubs and bugs in rotten logs.

Vernal Falls plunges nearly 100m into a basin which is thick with mist - and hikers. Above the falls we lunched by the river, and then finally turned back. It is a long ways from here to Berkeley.

Will near valley enterance.	El Capitan.
Cathedral Spire.	Will and Cathedral Rocks.
Young Brown Bear.	A Jay, watching our lunch.
Liberty Cap.	Will by the Merced River.

Vernal Falls.

May 28 - 31
Will is working this week, so I try to keep myself out of trouble by visiting a cousin I have seen in decades, writing, running and visiting Strava and Trail Head Labs (software/activity companies).

Map of our walk.

June 1
On Saturday we explored the far side of San Fransisco. We started our walk at Baker Beach, in the Presidio. The Presidio is the park around the Golden Gate, and our walk was up and down the bluffs to the bridge and back. It is a cool, breezy, and foggy day, but maybe that is the way San Fransisco is suppose to be.

We paused at one time to watch a hawk hovering over us, riding the winds. When all of a sudden it dove into the grass five meters away and came away with a rodent of some type.

We continued on to Land's End (how many places in the world are named after a clothing retailer from Wisconsin?). This is a beautiful, rugged and windswept bit of the Pacific Coast, stuck in the middle of a city. At the end of the park Will sprung on me "Sutro Baths", or at least the ruins of the baths.

The Sutro Baths ruins, and the Cliff House beyond them (now in its fifth incarnation), are remnants of the Gilded Age. The Baths were massive salt water swimming pools encased in a crystal palace. But all that remains now are pieces of the foundation.

The Cliff House is still serving lunch and dinner, but the wait is too long, so Will and I continued our walk to the "Beach Chalet", a half mile south. The Chalet is a 1920's building with WPA murals, and part of the Golden Gate Park. The restaurant was all fine china and linen and exceeded what I had hoped to find in a city park. It also has a really nice view of the beach and ocean, and was a good place to sit with hot tea after a cool and breezy walk.

The Presidio and Golden Gate Bridge.

Tim and Will at Land's End.

June 2
We are having dinner with my niece Audrey and her husband Justin this evening, so Will suggested that we explore Big Basin Redwood State Park today. So we headed south from Berkley, rounded the meridional tip of the bay and headed into the coastal range. The approach to the park is winding and Will seemed to enjoy the slalom-like road among the massive redwoods.

The park is centered on a valley dominated by Redwoods. These groves are always eery-quiet; the trees seem to soak up any sounds before they can go anywhere. We walked north on the Skyline to the Sea Trail and then climbed to the ridge line on the Meteor Trail. We lunched on Ocean View Summit but I don't think I could see the ocean. This summit was sunny, even hot, and in great contrast to the cool and dark valley floor where we started.

After lunch we encountered a rattle snake, who was far more afraid of us than we were of it. And then down again into the cool forest lands.

After our walk we drove to Foster City and met Audrey and Justin. The sushi was great, we talked and laughed, and then headed back to Berkeley.

Will in Big Basin Redwood State Park.

Audrey, Tim & Will and Will's new car.