August 19, 2011

August 19, 2011

This morning we finish our tour of the June Lake loop. This short road goes past several more lakes. I am amazed at the concentration of alpine lakes we have seen in the greater Mammoth Lakes region. I guess it is a reflection of the number of glaciers that used to cover this area. In the middle of the June Lake loop we spot the best vista, Horsetail Falls. It is a spreading falls way up on the cliff top that can be seen for miles.

From June Lake we drive north to the town of Lee Vining. We call the park system and get a campsite in Yosemite Valley two days from now thanks to a cancellation. In the meantime Aimee and I decide to hang out in one of the campgrounds on the plateau high in Yosemite National Park. So we drive up the steep Tioga Pass road into the park. The topside of Yosemite is basically all smooth granite with some forests growing here and there. It is an amazing place. Unfortunately we pass most of it by. Aimee has me worried. It is Friday, and the road is packed with cars, so she thinks we need to find a campsite. We have three campgrounds to pick from. We pass the first. Full. Hmm. At the Visitor Center, the board said the next two have availability, but that was as of four hours ago. The ranger says we better hurry. We drive to the next one. Full also. Uhoh. We race to the last one. Full. We are experienced National Park goers. How can we have screwed up this bad! We are many miles from any alternative. We are going to have to punt and skip Yosemite. On a lark I drive thru the “full” campground to look for the camp host. I put on my best salesman smile and ask about overflow options. She hems and haws and finally says she has a spot. In fact she has several. It turns out she saves a few sites for problems. Whew! That was a close call. We spend the rest of the day relaxing and giving thanks for our good fortune (and persistence).