Today’s program is a piece of Chinatown before heading to Alcatraz. Chinatown is as expected; I think it’s a consistent experience all over the world but it’s always nice to walk in neighborhoods with strong identities. We have mixed feelings about Alcatraz. It smells like a tourist trap but still it’s an emblematic place that is worth seeing once. The first experience is extremely touristy with the pictures being taken in front of a giant poster of Alcatraz, with the long lines of tourists waiting to board…
San Francisco
The plan is to spend the last few days in San Francisco. We don’t really need a care there so we decide to return it earlier. Easier said than done though, we struggle a bit to find a gas station and then to find out where to return the car… Back to the city by train, we lost half a day with all that but it had to be done, driving around in San Francisco would have been too much of a pain.
Gulliver
Still sore from yesterday’s expedition and after another cold night in Yosemite, we pack and hit the road again. We’re not done with the park though, before going to San Francisco, we planned on stopping by to see Bridalveil Fall, Inspiration point and more importantly, the giant sequoias of Mariposa grove.
Stairway to heaven?
On today's menu, Upper Yosemite trail. We tried to get permits for the Half-Dome to no avail. Access to the last piece of the Half-Dome trail is limited to a given number of people a day. You either get your permit months in advance or you try your luck with the lottery 2 days before your hike... I guess I'll have to come back a 3rd time in Yosemite! Today's hike is far from easy though.
Call of the Wild
After the short stopover in Mono lake, we get back to intensity with Yosemite national park. To enter the park from the East, the only way is through Tioga pass (3000m above sea level). It's June but the road has been open for a few weeks only and some years it's not yet opened by then because of the snow. It was one of our worries planning this trip but the weather and climate change (very bad drought in California the last few years) are with us.
Ghosts
For once, the program of the day is rather light. Not far north is a ghost town named Bodie. The only way to get there is via a gravel road, but after Death Valley we're ready for anything. In 1859, gold is found in these hills. Mines are dug and a city is founded shortly after, gold rush style. The town is abandoned in 1920 but some people keep on living there until 1942. It's a strange feeling to walk in the streets of a ghost town.
Fangorn forest
Sadly it's now time to leave Death Valley and to get back on the road. We are 400km away from Mono lake. When we leave Stovepipe Wells, we're 3m above sea level and it's already 40C. Half an hour later, at Towne Pass, We're 1500m above sea level and it's less than 30C... It's very weird to see the temperature dropping so fast on the car's thermometer. We stop a few times to enjoy the views and take a few pictures. The Sierra Nevada is in front of us and the promised land of California is on the other side of these mountains. We stop in a parking lot which has a vista point that is supposed to be exceptional...deception !
Zabriskie point
It’s 4:15am when the alarm clock goes off and it’s not a mistake! We want to enjoy dawn from Zabriskie Point after having enjoyed sunset when we arrived in the park. It’s 45min away and when we get there it’s still dark. A few people are already there, waiting; and of course some photographers with their tripods. The show is once again magical, we lose the stars little by little, then the sky turns from black to dark blue, then to herald the sun, red tints are added to the mix. We stay for about an hour, admiring the light-show on the surrounding mountains. People keep on arriving but the best of the show is already over.
Fly me to the moon
The original plan was to get up early and avoid the intense heat of the desert. Sadly that didn’t work, we overslept! Hopefully we’re not too late for breakfast. Just waking there makes us realize the heat is going to be a problem and it’s only 9am. The first attraction of the day is Mesquite Flat sand dunes. It’s on the way to Furnace creek, a 10 min drive. On these dunes, 30ish years ago, were shots the scenes of Star Wars IV when the droids land on Tatooine in the escape pod (shortly followed by storm troopers).
On the road
The night before leaving is always filled with a gazillion things to do. We know we should go to bed early but there is always one last thing to take care of and, of course, the excitement; so it never happens. When the alarm rings at 4:30am, it feels like we had a nap, not a night’s sleep. Cursing the alarm clock, we grab our stuff and are on our way to the airport; a taxi across town to Port Authority and a bus to Newark. Time-wise, we’re good. Quietly seated in the bus and waiting for the departure, my travel partner (amongst other things) realizes she left her wallet home. Hopefully she has her passport but not a single credit card. Of course it’s too late to go back. On the bright side, it’ll make accounting much easier :D