 |
| A somewhat better selfie. |
Considering the fact that 3.5 million people visit the park every year, we all but owned Yosemite National Park today. Yesterday, every photo gawker from Modesto to San Jose was here including at least two Gonzaga fans. Today the place was so sparsely populated, the real locals saw fit to come out. We saw plenty of birds, several ground squirrels, a few little purple butterflies, and the surprise of the day: a little bear cub, which we didn't notice until we were about to shake paws. The fear of his mother's rancor prevented me from getting a picture as Judy and I backed away slowly, prompted by an unholy fear of being mauled by aggrieved mother (And I thought I was finished with the horrors of Middle School). Aside from that encounter, our 7.5 mi. hiking total included a very pleasant wilderness trail experience up to Mirror Lake, which this time of year reflects only the glitter of its sandy bottom. In the old days, there was a lodge and dance emporium nestled there at the mouth of the canyon. The road remains and a few stone steps to the foundation, but the revelers are high stepping somewhere else. Along the way, whenever we craned our necks we felt dwarfed by the granite walls, and as we curled up, over, and through the vehicle sized boulders scattered astride the trail like so many pebbles, we were greeted with the brilliant fall yellows of this season's dying oaks. Simply awesome! We enjoyed our lunch under the watchful eye of El Capitan. We also toured the high class Ahwahnee Hotel, enjoying some complimentary coffee on the stone veranda like we were royalty. The walls of the hotel are draped with authentic Ahwahneechee Indian tapestries, which our friend Dinah Coble would have enjoyed even more than us. The vibrant colors, intricate weaves, and elaborate patterns gave sacred presence to the place. Galen Clark, guardian of the Yosemite Grant once proclaimed, "I have seen persons of emotional temperament stand with tearful eyes, spellbound and dumb with awe, as they got their first view of the Valley from Inspiration Point, overwhelmed in the sudden presence of the unspeakable, stupendous grandeur." We didn't get to view the Valley from Inspiration Point, but we did walk through an area once populated by the indigenous people. I got the same sense I did when I walked under the cliffs in Mesa Verde last year. To think people lived here well over fifteen hundred years ago makes me even more aware than I usually am of the tenuous hold I have here, right now, in this place, especially when all is left of them are a few rugs, a few holes in the stone, and a plaque begging tourists to respect the ancestors. It also reminds me that I'm not promised tomorrow; therefore, life is good, especially today.
The foyer of the grand Ahwahnee Hotel.
Just one of the six foot tall stone fireplaces in the hotel.
Just one of several weaves hanging from the walls and protected under glass.
These holes were made by the Ahwahaneechee women as they ground acorns into flour.
If you look closely (just off center right), you can see a speck of blue and red hanging from the back of the climber.
Quite a nice silhouette of the rare Wily Cager, seldom seen in these parts.
Imagine Mirror Lake brimming and shining come spring.
Shadow selfie.
Lunch on a log.
Tim on a log.
PP&J jaws. (Scarier than bears!)
Art log.
Frac posing for his Toyota ad under the face of El Capitan.
The view near our lunch log. Not a bad table.
God Bless America.
No comments:
Post a Comment