Yosemite National Park
On Thursday we travelled to Yosemite National Park. What an awesome place! The Park is in a high valley surrounded by towering granite cliffs that shade the Merced River. Right now the river is swollen with snow melt and rages over the rocks and rapids. The locals say it is the highest the water level has been in the river for 30 years, so we have taken lots of photos and video to show you. Most of the area is covered in a forest of oak and pine that is truly rich and beautiful. We took a tram ride through the main area of the Park and were very lucky to see a Black Bear and her two cubs up fairly close – a rare treat by all accounts.
On Friday we travelled to San Francisco through the wine country of the Sonoma Valley. Our lunch stop was a winery, which was more interesting for Sue than Phil, though we both appreciated the beauty of the vineyard. That afternoon we crossed the Golden Gate Bridge into the city. No wonder the bridge is one of the seven engineering wonders of the world! In the evening we had dinner in a restaurant in Chinatown.
Saturday was pretty special. We did a city tour and in the afternoon took the ferry to Alcatraz. Phil saw lots of gaols during his time with the NSW prison officers’ union, but the appallingly cruel conditions of that place were a real eye opener. Then we returned to the city and the fun began. The 14 of us who took the trip were supposed to meet the rest of the group at the hotel by 6pm and it was about 4pm when we got back to the pier. Our tour director had told us where to pick up the historic cable car to get back the hotel – it was “just up there”. Well just up there was eight of the longest city blocks you can imagine. Once we got to the terminal the line was so long we wondered if we would ever get a tram. To make matters worse only a couple of the cable cars can run at any one time, and they don’t collect the fares until people have been loaded onto the tram. So our much anticipated cable car ride was fraught with anxiety till be got back just five minutes late. Whew! We finished our Western Tour with a really good dinner at Fishermans Wharf. It has been an “awesome” tour. We have met some really great people, and it was sad to say goodbye to most last night.
On Thursday we travelled to Yosemite National Park. What an awesome place! The Park is in a high valley surrounded by towering granite cliffs that shade the Merced River. Right now the river is swollen with snow melt and rages over the rocks and rapids. The locals say it is the highest the water level has been in the river for 30 years, so we have taken lots of photos and video to show you. Most of the area is covered in a forest of oak and pine that is truly rich and beautiful. We took a tram ride through the main area of the Park and were very lucky to see a Black Bear and her two cubs up fairly close – a rare treat by all accounts.
On Friday we travelled to San Francisco through the wine country of the Sonoma Valley. Our lunch stop was a winery, which was more interesting for Sue than Phil, though we both appreciated the beauty of the vineyard. That afternoon we crossed the Golden Gate Bridge into the city. No wonder the bridge is one of the seven engineering wonders of the world! In the evening we had dinner in a restaurant in Chinatown.
Saturday was pretty special. We did a city tour and in the afternoon took the ferry to Alcatraz. Phil saw lots of gaols during his time with the NSW prison officers’ union, but the appallingly cruel conditions of that place were a real eye opener. Then we returned to the city and the fun began. The 14 of us who took the trip were supposed to meet the rest of the group at the hotel by 6pm and it was about 4pm when we got back to the pier. Our tour director had told us where to pick up the historic cable car to get back the hotel – it was “just up there”. Well just up there was eight of the longest city blocks you can imagine. Once we got to the terminal the line was so long we wondered if we would ever get a tram. To make matters worse only a couple of the cable cars can run at any one time, and they don’t collect the fares until people have been loaded onto the tram. So our much anticipated cable car ride was fraught with anxiety till be got back just five minutes late. Whew! We finished our Western Tour with a really good dinner at Fishermans Wharf. It has been an “awesome” tour. We have met some really great people, and it was sad to say goodbye to most last night.
What did you think of the cable car once you had managed to get on one? Did they have people hanging off the side on the runners?
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