Yosemite National Park and Curry Village

Update: Seasonal Yosemite Information Below...

I've been to Yosemite National Park 3 times. The most recent visit was towards the end of a Lake Powell Houseboat Roadtrip, which also found its way down the Moki Dugway, to Mexican Hat's San Juan Inn, Monument Valley, a blizzard in a log cabin on the north rim of the Grand Canyon, hiking in Zion National Park, getting a flat tire in Death Valley, overnighting in Mammoth, then crossing Logan Pass the next morning for a side trip into Yosemite.

That last trip to Yosemite was in October, which had Yosemite having the same problem as my first Roadtrip to Yosemite, as in the waterfalls were not falling a lot of water.

My first time to Yosemite I was not as impressed as I had expected to be. But it was towards the end of the longest Roadtrip of my life and I was having scenic wonder overload. This was the Roadtrip that took me up Pikes Peak, across Royal Gorge and down into the Carlsbad Caverns, into Texas for the first time, hiking into the Grand Canyon, swimming in Lake Havasu, going to Los Angeles and Disneyland and Universal Studios and Knotts Berry Farm, the San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park and Sea World. And if memory serves me correctly, Tijuana for a little taste of Mexico. Then back across the mountains to Kings Canyon, Sequoia and Yosemite National Parks.

Yosemite was running a bit dry for my first and third visit. Fall is not the time to see Yosemite in all its glory. That would be spring when the snowmelt has the rivers, creeks and waterfalls moving a lot of water.

My springtime visit to Yosemite took place in the 1990s. It was the only time I stayed overnight. Three other guys and myself rented a big gas guzzling Cadillac. The Goober Twins, Big Ed and Wally, Dale and me. The first destination of this Roadtrip was Reno, taking the route through eastern Oregon that has you entering Nevada via Winnemucca. After a day or two in Reno we headed up to Lake Tahoe, then on to Highway 49 with its fun Miner 49 towns like Placerville, Angels Camp, Sonora and Nevada City.

I had made reservations for two nights at Curry Village, also known as Camp Curry. I knew we were staying in something called a tent cabin. I had no idea what it would be til I saw it. I'd tried to move the boys along so we could arrive before dark, but they dawdled. It was not too difficult to find Curry Village. On the way we saw lights at various elevations on El Capitan. Climbers strapped in for the night.

Curry Village has a large parking lot. It was easy to find the office and check in. We were given wool blankets and directions to the tent cabin. I was not being too pleased. When I saw the tent cabins I was less pleased. Found the cabin, unlocked the padlock, opened the door, found the one bare light, turned it on to see 4 cots and not much else. The cabin was wood framed with a wood floor with everything else made of canvas.

I told everyone I thought I'd make it through one night, but I might be in the mood to bail in the morning. It was a noisy night. And there was this constant roar. When the sun lit up the place I opened the door to see what was making the roar. A huge waterfall was crashing down the valley wall a short distance away. My spirits lifted.

With daylight helping, unlike the night before, I could see that Curry Village was quite large. It sits in the shadow of Half Dome and Glacier Point. There are several eateries and one big cafeteria. Huge restroom facilities to handle the large crowd. I found it all a bit too developed. But Yosemite has had a strange mix of private development and preserving nature from its start.

There is plenty of outdoor patio area at Curry Village. This makes for some pleasant beer drinking and snack munching in the evenings. A bar was overfilled with viewers watching the final episode of Cheers.

Yosemite Village is another unnatural thing on the valley floor. It's like a mall. With big parking lots. Traffic at Yosemite is a bit congested. There is a free shuttle bus to zip you to the various attractions that is very easy to use. Since my last visit I believe the park service has implemented multiple methods of cutting down on the traffic. There are paved trails for biking all over the valley floor. The tent campsites look fun. I want to return with a tent and a bike.

Yosemite Valley is only about 1% of the actual park area. It is easy to get away from the valley crowds by taking a hike. The hike to the top of Yosemite Falls was fairly easy. Yosemite Falls is the highest in North America. The famous falls you see from the Wawona Tunnel, that being the classic Yosemite view (picture at the top), is Bridal Veil Falls. So much water was falling over the veil that you could only make it so far up the trail before being overwhelmed by the pounding mist.

You can also walk among the 3 groves of Giant Sequoia in Yosemite.

The springtime trip to Yosemite turned it from one of my least favorite National Parks, to one of my favorites.

Seasonal Yosemite Information

• Rivers & Waterfalls: Vernal, Nevada, and Bridalveil Falls are flowing with typical autumn (low) flows.
• Yosemite Falls has water once again.
• Bears: Bears continue to be very active in campgrounds and parking lots in search of food: be sure to store your food properly!
  

Lodging & Other Concessions

• In Yosemite Valley, Yosemite Lodge, Curry Village, and The Ahwahnee are open.
• The Wawona Hotel is open.
  
• Housekeeping Camp, Tuolumne Meadows, and White Wolf Lodges are closed for the season.

Reservations are available up to 366 days in advance. Visit DNC Parks & Resorts' website for more information.

Campgrounds

• Yosemite Valley: Upper Pines and Lower, Pines Campgrounds are open; reservations are required.
  
• Camp 4 is open on a first-come, first-served basis.
• North Pines Campground is closed for the season.

Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park

October 18, 2009 Road Report Update:
Currently 29.0 miles of the Going-to-the-Sun Road are open for travel.

Visitors can drive 15.5 miles from the West Entrance to Avalanche, and 13.5 miles from the St. Mary Entrance to Jackson Glacier Overlook.

The section of the road between Avalanche and Jackson Glacier Overlook is closed due to road construction and weather. Hiker/biker access is available to the Loop, approximately 9 miles past the vehicle closure.

The Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park was built in 1921. It is such a feat of Civil Engineering that the road is both a National Historic Landmark and a Historic Civil Engineering Landmark. It is also what may be the most nerve-wracking road I've ever driven, on any of the Roadtrips I've been on.

I drove the Going-to-the-Sun Road on a Roadtrip that started by heading across the North Cascades on Highway 20, continuing east on 20 til it became Highway 2 heading into Glacier National Park.

Highway 2 becomes Going-to-the-Sun Road and then turns into Highway 89 when it leaves the park. After the Going-to-the-Sun Road this Roadtrip went on to cross Montana, stopping at Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument, the site of Custer's Last Stand, then on to Wyoming and Devils Tower, then South Dakota and Mount Rushmore, Deadwood, Wall Drug Store, Badlands National Park and Wounded Knee, then back to Wyoming through Casper and Yellowstone, then back to Washington.

Glacier National Park and the Going-to-the-Sun Road were definitely one of the highlights of this Roadtrip. The Going-to-the-Sun Road is very narrow and twists and turns, with the portion of the road west of Logan Pass being the most challenging.

Part of what makes the Going-to-the-Sun Road nerve wracking is the lack of guardrails. Due to the amount of snow that piles up, as high as 80 feet at the Logan Pass summit, and numerous rock slides and avalanches, guardrails get wiped out. It takes about 10 weeks to plow the Going-to-the-Sun Road free of snow every year, with the road usually able to be opened by early June with the snow closing it again by mid October.

My drive on the Going-to-the-Sun Road occurred in early October. Fall had Glacier National Park's deciduous trees, like aspens, being a brilliant color of yellow.

Due to the narrow winding nature of the Going-to-the-Sun Road there are points on either side of Logan Pass where no vehicles longer than 21 feet are permitted to continue. I imagine that can be a bit upsetting if you are driving an RV and did not know this. That could make for a long detour. I vaguely remember my sister complaining of this when she took her RV to Glacier National Park en route to South Dakota.

For those who are unnerved by the idea of driving a road like this, the park has a fleet of tour buses that will take you over Logan Pass.

Going-to-the-Sun Road is named for Going to the Sun Mountain, which dominates your view as you cross Logan Pass from the west. Going to the Sun Mountain is the peak you see in the picture directly above.

Get A Water Car For Extra Roadtrip Options

I saw a Water Car dive into Lake Grapevine, in Texas, a few years ago. I'd never seen such a thing before. In the water that Water Car did not move too fast. The Water Car in the above video is able to keep up with a speed boat speeding on Lake Havasu in Arizona.

I can see where a Water Car would expand ones Roadtrip options. Just drive to Lake Powell and then drive into the lake. No need for a houseboat.

I'm thinking the novelty of a Water Car might quickly wear off. A Water Car is a rather expensive carboat at $200,000. You could get yourself a nice big boat and car for $200,000. Then again you'd save on the expense of renting a marina space, because you could just park your carboat in your garage.

I wonder what sort of mileage the Water Car gets? 20 mph on land? 5 mph at sea?

Roadtripping & The Casinos Of The American West

I don't remember when it was that casinos started to proliferate in America outside of Nevada. I do know that what had been a trickle, by the 1990s, had become a flood.

Now, in 2009, on a Roadtrip across the American West you will find casinos in almost every state, the biggest casino exception being Texas. But, the states that surround Texas all have legalized casino gambling, with Oklahoma having the world's 5th biggest casino, that being WinStar World Casino Resort, right across the Red River border from Texas.

Oklahoma has dozens of casinos. I would guess only Nevada has more casinos than Oklahoma.

With the 3 west coast states all having legalized gambling, times got tougher for Nevada. Las Vegas had to amp up its uniqueness to remain a destination. Reno has had a much tougher time of it. I've lost count of the number of Roadtrips I took to Reno over the years, back when Nevada was unique.

Nevada being so unique ended years before I moved to Texas. The valley I lived in in Washington, that being the Skagit Valley, has two large casino resorts, those being the Skagit Valley Casino, owned by the Skagit Tribe and the Swinomish Northern Lights Casino, owned by the Swinomish Tribe.

Many of the casinos in the west rival Vegas quality in their theming and architecture. The two photos you see here are from the Tulalip Casino Resort in Marysville. In front of the casino there is a large water feature with Orcas, a giant Tulalip Indian spearing giant salmon, waterfalls and sound effects. You walk into the Tulalip Casino with large waterfalls crashing around you.

Click to see more Tulalip Casino pictures and a list of Washington's Casinos.

One nice thing about the proliferation of casinos throughout the west, pertaining to Roadtripping, is you are usually not far from the next casino, where you can take a rest stop, find cheap eats, usually a good buffet. Or, if you are just thirsty, most casinos I've been in have free drink stations where you can get coffee, tea or sodas.

Roadtripping The Hana Highway On Maui In Hawaii

On the island of Maui, in the state of Hawaii, there is one of the best Roadtripping drives you can go on anywhere in the world. That being the Hana Highway. The Hana Highway, also known as the Road to Hana and the Hana Road, is a 68 mile section of Hawaii State Highways 360, 36 and 31, connecting Kahului with the little town of Hana in east Maui.

After you cross Kalepa Bridge the Hana Highway becomes Hawaii Highway 31, continuing on to Kipahulu.

Even though Hana is only about 52 miles from Kahului, the Roadtrip to Hana takes at least 3 hours. Usually more. The Hana Highway is a very winding road, crossing more than 59 bridges, 46 of them one way bridges, like the one you see us standing on in the picture.

You navigate around 620 twists and turns as you make your way to Hana. You will likely run into a traffic jam or two at the one lane bridges, as you wait your turn to cross.

Hana Highway is on the National Register of Historic Places.

You'll see many waterfalls as you Roadtrip the Hana Highway. Some of the waterfalls may be on private property, with no trespassing signs. All beach property on the Hawaiian Islands must provide public access.

At the end of the Hana Highway you'll find the most famous of the waterfalls, 'Ohe'o Gulch, more commonly known as the Seven Sacred Pools. The waterfalls and pools are in Haleakala National Park. An earthquake, in 2006, closed the dirt road that took you to the Seven Sacred Pools. That road reopened in October of 2008.

There are a lot of scenic lookouts along the Hana Highway. Stopping at all of them will make the Roadtrip to Hana and back an all day affair. I highly recommend making the Hana Highway Roadtrip an all day affair..

Below is a high speed YouTube video Roadtrip on the Hana Highway. Not suitable viewing for those prone to motion sickness...

Roadtripping Chuckanut Drive In Washington

Chuckanut Drive was built, I think, in the 1920s, to connect the Skagit Valley with Bellingham, in Whatcom County, in Washington state. An Interurban train ran between Mount Vernon and Bellingham, above Chuckanut Drive. The Interurban train has been long gone. What remains is known as the Interurban Trail, an excellent bike ride that runs from Larrabee State Park to the Alaskan Ferry Terminal in Bellingham.

Chuckanut Drive twists and turns in places. If you are at all acrophobic this road may make you nervous. In places it is a steep drop off to Samish Bay below. There are several scenic overlooks where you can pull off an enjoy the view.

The fact that I lived most of my life in the Skagit Valley and drove Chuckanut Drive 100s of times is why I can be a bit non-plussed when Roadtripping over roads famed for their difficulty and danger. Like the Million Dollar Highway in Colorado. That one really disappointed me. Or the Going to the Sun Road in Glacier National Park. Very scenic, but not too scary, though way more so than the Million Dollar Highway.

The road I have been on that totally out does Chuckanut Drive in terms of drop-offs and twists and turns is the Moki Dugway in Utah. Just like with Chuckanut Drive, every once in awhile a vehicle goes over the edge to a bad end.

If you drive Chuckanut Drive you will find a couple good restaurants along the way, perched out over a drop off. You will find an oyster farm. There is a very good state park, that being Larrabee State Park. Be sure and stop and make your way to the beach. You will be glad you did. Or hike the trails up Chuckanut Mountain to Fragrance Lake. I used to do that regularly and miss it a lot.

Eddie McStiff's Restaurant Brew Pub & Bar In Moab Utah

I've mentioned before that Moab, Utah is one of my favorite places. I've got a lot of reasons why. I love mountain biking, redrock, beautiful scenery, beautiful people and good restaurants. Moab has all of that and with the beautiful people part, they come from all over the globe to the Mountain Biking Capital of the World.

I don't know how many good times I've had at Eddie McStiff's in Moab. Eddie McStiff's is a sprawling, very colorful, very lively, very loud, very fun restaurant, brew pub and bar. McStiff's makes very good pizza.

The first time I was at Eddie McStiff's they had a bottomless pitcher of homemade root beer on the menu. It was very good. On subsequent visits they no longer had the homemade root beer, so we had to switch to the homemade type beer that has alcohol in it. I tried to develop a taste for the stuff.

I am not alone in Moab being s favorite town. I read a book called Ghost Rider by Neil Peart, he being part of the Canadian band called Rush. Peart traveled 55,000 plus miles all over North America on a motorcycle. He had 3 or 4 towns that he came across that he absolutely loved. Moab being one of them. He had stays in Moab twice during his long journey. Peart's reasons for loving Moab mirror my own.

I was surprised when I looked for information about Eddie McStiff's to learn that it was for sale. I hope this does not mean that Eddie McStiff's and Moab have fallen victim to these tough economic times we are going through. More likely the owners want to retire and know they sit on a gold mine.

You can go to Eddie McStiff's website and watch a video about Eddie McStiff's and check out the menu or watch the YouTube video below, which also shows you several of the reasons I love Moab, including Arches National Park, redrock, the Slickrock Trail and other stuff.