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West Coast USA Road Trip: Yosemite and Death Valley

21 July, 2015 By Anna S E Lundberg Leave a Comment

One of my favourite places in the world is Yosemite National Park in California. Somehow it caught my imagination when I went there once with my dad and then again a second time when I visited while he was living and working in San José. I think it was the vastness of it all, the mythology of the Native Americans who had lived there, and the simply breathtaking natural beauty.

My aunt and I had booked the whole trip quite late, by which time the accommodation inside the Park itself was already full, so from Napa Valley we drove to Mariposa, just outside the Park to the west. When we arrived in the evening at our little hotel, we were greeted by a blackboard with our names and the message, “Keys in the door!” – and so they were. You have to love these little towns where crime seems not to be much of a concern. In fact the owner was still around and we gratefully accepted “some leftover wine”, which turned out to be a whole unopened bottle of Chardonnay, along with homemade cookies. The personal touch! And in the evening, there was live music out on the terrace under the stars.

Our first destination was Glacier Point, a couple of hours of driving from Mariposa. The weather didn’t look promising so we headed up as soon as we could in the morning. Just as we had gone round and taken all our photos, the clouds closed in about us, blocking any view of the world below as the rain started pouring down. We were incredibly lucky to have timed the visit so well, and the only downside was that I had to spend a few dollars on a bright yellow poncho to cover my optimistic shorts-and-top outfit I had chosen for the day. As the rain continued, we weren’t really tempted by further exploration of the park so we had a quick lunch down in the village and then drove back out to our hotel.

Half Dome, Yosemite
Here you can see the Half Dome off to the right, one of the most iconic sights in Yosemite National Park. It rises 5,000 feet up from Yosemite Valley and the adventurous among you can either hike the curved side (a 14- to 16-mile round trip) or climb the Northwest face over a period of 3-5 days. Good luck!
Yosemite
Pride Rock! And beyond that you can see Yosemite Falls. On a map, it looks like these are right next to Glacier Point but of course it’s a long drive back down and around…
Yosemite Falls
The next day, we made our way back through the Park taking the opportunity to stop off at Yosemite Falls. These waterfalls were burned into my memory from my first visits to Yosemite, though the power of the water varies depending on the time of year and the amount of rain.
Yosemite
It would have been nice to have had this weather up at Glacier Point the previous day, but what can you do?!
VW Beetle
Our second stop of the day was unplanned, as road works meant a 30-minute stop in the middle of the forest. We briefly considered climbing up the banks to find a private tree for a toilet break but our common decency prevented us from doing so and we decided to wait for the next actual toilet stop.
Tioga Lake
As we were finally permitted to continue our drive, the scenery changed to become even more dramatic as we passed some great climbing spots and the beautifully serene Lake Tioga.
Death Valley
From the lush green world of Yosemite, we drove on until we reached the valley of death…
Death Valley
I felt incredibly small in these vast landscapes, both Yosemite and Death Valley. In Europe we simply don’t have this scale; if we were to drive as far as we did in the States we would be crossing several smaller countries and many more towns and villages on the way.
100 feet below sea level
Death Valley actually encompasses the lowest point in North America, Badwater Basin (sounds like something from Doctor Who, no?!) at 282 feet or 86 metres below sea level.
Furnace Creek
We spent just one night in Death Valley – we had to break up the journey – in Furnace Creek, which according to Wikipedia “holds the record for the highest reported air temperature in the world”, 134 degrees Fahrenheit or 56.7 degrees Centigrade in July 1913.
Death Valley road
The road stretches out ahead for miles and miles with no sign of life on either side.

From Death Valley we continued on, past Las Vegas and on to our grand finale: the Grand Canyon.

 

The practical bit:

River Rock Inn – This calls itself Mariposa’s oldest motel, although there is a new owner who has taken over this year. I can also recommend Charles Street Dinner House, where we had yummy dinner both nights.

Furnace Creek Ranch – This is the cheaper of the two hotels that make up Furnace Creek Resort, the other one being Furnace Creek Inn. As usual since we booked late we didn’t have a lot of choice but this was a fun place to stay, it felt very “wild west”.

Filed Under: North America, Travel, United States Tagged With: death valley, furnace creek ranch, mariposa, river rock inn, road trip, travel, USA, yosemite, yosemite falls

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Anna Lundberg is a success coach and business strategist who helps experienced corporate professionals reimagine success outside of the 9 to 5.

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