Day 104: Arriving at Yosemite
Posted by the girls on Monday, July 18, 2011
We've been thinking about Yosemite for quite a few weeks now. Today was finally the day that we arrived!!! Our host, Eddie, drove us to the Amtrak station in Merced where we caught the regional bus to Yosemite (YARTS). It was only $25 roundtrip and even included the park entrance fee. After seeing the windy, narrow road into the park, we knew we made a good decision not to bike in.
After about 2 hours, we were dropped off at the Visitor's Center in Yosemite National Park. We wanted to pick up some maps and talk to the rangers about where to camp. We knew we'd have to do some sweet-talking in order to find something. The camp sites need to be reserved at least 9 months in advance and the first-come, first-serve sites fill up by 9am (people wait in line as early as 4am)!
The ranger we talked to was telling us what we already knew: everything was full. However, when we mentioned that we were touring cyclists and that we took the bus in, he immediately changed his story. He let us in on a little secret that we'd be able to stay in the backpackers' campground, but only for one night. We were pleased and figured we'd have a good 20 hours or so to find something for the following night.
The backpackers' campground was located behind the North Pines campground. It was a really beautiful, secluded spot. The best part was that everyone went to bed early and was quiet. By the time we set up our tents, we were ready for lunch. We ended up eating at the grill near the visitor center; the food was surprisingly decent.
After that, we were going to inquire about standing in line for the first-come, first-serve camping. However, as we were standing in line for the shuttle bus, we met a nice couple, Gene and Joyce. We told them about our dilemma and they quickly offered us space at their camp site in the Upper Pines campground. We gladly accepted!
We wrapped up the day by doing a little hike (more like a walk) to Mirror Lake. As the name suggests, beautiful reflections of the surrounding mountains can be seen in the lake. There was also an area there with lots of brave swimmers (the water was ice cold).
As usual, we went to bed early. We wanted to wake up early the next day so that we'd have plenty of time to move to our new camp site and still get an early start on our big hike.
After about 2 hours, we were dropped off at the Visitor's Center in Yosemite National Park. We wanted to pick up some maps and talk to the rangers about where to camp. We knew we'd have to do some sweet-talking in order to find something. The camp sites need to be reserved at least 9 months in advance and the first-come, first-serve sites fill up by 9am (people wait in line as early as 4am)!
The ranger we talked to was telling us what we already knew: everything was full. However, when we mentioned that we were touring cyclists and that we took the bus in, he immediately changed his story. He let us in on a little secret that we'd be able to stay in the backpackers' campground, but only for one night. We were pleased and figured we'd have a good 20 hours or so to find something for the following night.
The backpackers' campground was located behind the North Pines campground. It was a really beautiful, secluded spot. The best part was that everyone went to bed early and was quiet. By the time we set up our tents, we were ready for lunch. We ended up eating at the grill near the visitor center; the food was surprisingly decent.
After that, we were going to inquire about standing in line for the first-come, first-serve camping. However, as we were standing in line for the shuttle bus, we met a nice couple, Gene and Joyce. We told them about our dilemma and they quickly offered us space at their camp site in the Upper Pines campground. We gladly accepted!
We wrapped up the day by doing a little hike (more like a walk) to Mirror Lake. As the name suggests, beautiful reflections of the surrounding mountains can be seen in the lake. There was also an area there with lots of brave swimmers (the water was ice cold).
As usual, we went to bed early. We wanted to wake up early the next day so that we'd have plenty of time to move to our new camp site and still get an early start on our big hike.
