2016 California Vacation
My vacation arose on somewhat short notice when I realized how much PTO time I needed to use or lose before year end. With just under a month to plan I jumped onto the NPS (National Park Service) websites to research Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks. I upgraded my AAA memership to take advantage of premier services. And, I purchased my airline tickets and car rental. I would fly into San Francisco, pick up the rental car, do a little city sight-seeing, get overnight accommodations outside of town, and the next day begin my road trip in earnest. The plan was to spend most of my time exploring Yosemite, get acquainted with Sequoia, and enjoy part of the West Coast on my way back up to San Francisco to fly home.
El Capitan from Southside Drive
"El Capitan (Spanish for The Captain, The Chief) is a vertical rock formation in Yosemite National Park, located on the north side of Yosemite Valley, near its western end. The granite monolith extends about 3,000 feet (900 m) from base to summit along its tallest face and is one of the world's favorite challenges for rock climbers and BASE jumpers." (Wikipedia)
On a personal note, I found my sense of scale distorted from the valley view of the Yosemite peaks. The granite structures seem so close that you feel you could reach out and touch them. This also makes them seem smaller than they really are. When you look at the El Capitan rock face in this picture does it seem that you are really seeing something 3,000 ft tall? So, once I completed the valley view drive, and having seen the major Yosemite peaks from this distorted view, I kind of found myself thinking "Is that it? Is that all there is to this thing? I just saw it all. What I am going to do with four days here!"
Little did I know then just how much there is to see! The more you explore Yosemite valley (especially on foot) the more you begin to realize you are looking at giants. And the routes of discovery for each one of them seems almost endless. It also helps to get out of the valley by taking one of the overlook drives. Perhaps to the Sentinel View Overlook, or to the Glacier Point Overlook where from a 7,000 ft elevation you are able to look down on the amazing Half Dome rock. Don't let the Valley View illusion cause you to underestimate Yosemite. You could literally spend decades exploring the valley and these mountain ranges. And many have!
