San Francisco to Yosemite
10/03/99
The hardest days on the type of trips that my wife and I often take are what we call travel days. We have to pack up at one location and move to the next stop on our trip. Today was a travel day.
I woke up early enough to take a walk along Fisherman's Wharf, before the big tourist crowds arrived. Fisherman's Wharf is an entirely different place in the early morning. Shop owners are just opening their stores and setting up their sidewalk displays.
Photo by John Fischer
The curbside restaurants are beginning to cook their selections of fresh fish even before most folks have had their breakfast.
I love to take walks in the morning air when most folks are still in bed or just rising. If you ever get to San Francisco, take an early morning walk.
Eileen and I ate breakfast at the Boudin Sourdough restaurant at Fisherman's Wharf. Eileen decided that she had to experience clam chowder served in a bowl made of sourdough bread. For me the thought of fish at 9:00 am was a bit too much. I had a cinnamon roll and a coke. OK, I know what you're thinking.
We finally left San Francisco at around 10:00 a.m., making our way east through the city to the Bay Bridge. which has got to be one of the longest bridges I have ever driven. I have a friend who would be absolutely terrified of this bridge. Crossing on the lower level was not easy either. I kept thinking of the 1989 earthquake when part of this bridge collapsed. I really was happy to make it to the Oakland side of the bridge. It didn't help that a big story on the San Francisco news over the last couple of days has been the ten year anniversary of the big earthquake.
The drive from San Francisco to Yosemite took about four hours, if you eliminate the many stops we made to rest, eat or just stretch our legs. From Oakland to Modesto you really get an appreciation for the complex ecology and economy of this area of California.
Photo by John Fischer
Within a few short miles you pass ranches where cattle are grazing among windmills that generate electric power, fields of trees full of almonds, and even vineyards.
Modesto is the town where film-maker George Lucas was born and it is said that Modesto was the inspiration for his first big film, American Graffiti.
California is a state of great ethnic diversity. I was still, quite frankly, surprised by the number of people of Hispanic descent who live in central California. My wife correctly pointed out to me that this is likely a by-product of the agricultural economy which has brought many people from Mexico north to work the farms and ranches.
From Modesto, south to Merced, and then northeast to Mariposa, we began our climb into the mountains. This area, between the Coastal Mountains of California and the Sierra Nevada is prone to hazy conditions as the by-product of modern society (smog) gets trapped in the central valleys of California and obscures what were once, surely, amazing views of the Sierra Nevada.
Mariposa is a welcome town in the middle of the mountains. If you're headed to Yosemite, it's a good idea to stop by the Visitors Center in Mariposa to get the latest information on the park and road access. You can pick up a lot of free literature here which will help you plan your visit to Yosemite.
From Mariposa, for us, it was about an hour drive to our destination for the day, Tenaya Lodge located at Fish Camp near the southern entrance to Yosemite.
Photo by John Fischer
Tenaya Lodge is a truly elegant resort for what are, quite frankly, absurdly affordable rates. They have special Internet rates almost every week.
Eileen and I have stayed at many excellent hotels. Tenaya Lodge offers all of the amenities of the big city hotels that you might find in Honolulu, Philadelphia or San Francisco and for well under half the price.
Tomorrow we visit Yosemite National Park. Check back tomorrow for a report on our day.
John Fischer is the About.com Guide to Philadelphia