This and That ...

Yosemite National Park is the third most-visited nat park in the US, BUT the number of people visiting during the winter months account for only 10-15% of its annual visitor count. Having visited Yosemite in July as well as February, I can say I've visited two entirely different parks having the same name. Trust me, if you haven't seen the Yosemite in snow, you haven't seen Yosemite at all. That said, here follows my travelogue..

First some history. After hearing almost every other Californian speak great about Yosemite, we decided to pay a visit during the July 4th weekend. After an exhausting day, the park just left a just-another-park kind of an impression on me. Why? maddening crowds and pathetic restrooms. A friend of mine who travelled to Yosemite during the long weekend in May often complains that he didn't get a chance to get out of his car to tour the park. Multiple rounds of looping around the valley was all he could do. That's so true because like I said, 85% of the people visit during the summer months. The only good, rather terrific thing about that trip was me purchasing a magnet that had a picture of Yosemite in snow. I'll forever be grateful to myself for buying that, since it was that small souvenir which gave me a taste of what heaven might feel like, 6 months later.

From the day we moved to the bay area, I was looking forward to re-visit Yosemite in winter. If you've read my other posts, you'd know what kind of a travel planner I am. I try to do a virtual tour of what I plan to see by searching on YouTube and Google images. :) "yosemite in snow" were the search keywords this time, and this was the reference album. Everything seemed so damn inviting until I Googled for "driving in snow". If you've been to Yosemite before, you'd know the road conditions that lead you to the park. So winding, so narrow, rimless, at an altitude of about 3500ft overlooking the valley.... even in July, I was scared. Once snow comes into the equation, the drive becomes more complex. Yes, there are chains, but that's a pain too. So, for about 15days before the planned travel date, I used to check the weather and road conditions every morning on the park website. Until three days before the President's day weekend, chain usage was enforced. I should really be thankful to God 'coz there was no snowfall, and tire chains rule the day before we were supposed to go, and the forecast for the next couple of days was "sunny". So, Yosemite it is!

Can't go further without putting up some pics.. People say, Kashmir (a state in India) is like Paradise on Earth. Haven't been there myself, but this sure felt like Paradise to me.

For many of you, the above shots might seem like throwing in some white color to your mental images of Yosemite. True, but let me tell you snow brings a drastically different beauty to the park. Above all, if you were to visit in winter, you'd be sharing this beauty with just few other people. When we went during the Presidents day weekend in February, there were some view points where we were the only ones present. Imagine being surrounded by awesome beauty, no noise whatsoever, besides the downstream flow of the Merced river, just the two of you (if going as a couple) - can something get more romantic? Even though the Grand Canyon occupies the first place, its Yosemite (in winter) that qualifies as a Honeymoon destination amongst all the places I've been to in the US.

Talking about what all places we've been to inside the park, well, for the most part, the park roads remain open in winter. You have the entire valley to yourself - the valley view, tunnel view, Yosemite and Bridalveil falls and the sentinel/swinging/El Capitan bridges. If I were to pick my favorite vista point, I'd say its the half-dome view from the sentinel bridge (2nd row, 2nd column above). El Capitan bridge is great too.. There's this bridge. El Capitan and the Cathedral rocks facing each other. Both over 7500ft mass of Granite. I might sound weird, but as I looked above standing at the bridge, felt as though two mighty warriors were standing face-to-face. Yes :) go see yourself. You're there, the El capitan (3rd row, 1st col above) stands with pride next to you, I don't know, to me it was as though the cliff had something to say to me :) FYI, I'm a perfectly sane human :P

The Yosemite valley loop can be toured in 5 hours time, but you can spend several days in the park too. Most people only scratch the surface by touring just the valley. There's lot more to do. The Wawona grove of Sequoia trees, Badger pass ski area, and many many hiking trails. Accommodations inside the park fill out like two months in advance, but there are some decent hotels within 20miles of the entrance which are pretty much fully booked too. So plan ahead! We usually try to catch the Sunset views whenever we travel. The last rays of the Sun expose a different perspective of the scene, something more elegant and something unseen during the day. For Yosemite, Sentinel bridge is the place to be for Sunset.

Been there about a week ago, but it feels like a land far far away. But it only took us a little more than 3 hours to be transported from the spaghetti junctions of the bay area to the place I call heaven. If you live in/around the state of California, and if its still winter as you read this, go plan your vacation. You don't want to miss what Yosemite has got to offer you. Those towering granite cliffs, the fresh smell of pines, the roaring Merced river, with a little snow all over the place - miss you all, promise, I will be back!