Yosemite National Park has been on our bucket list for several years. Actually, my interest began in the 1970s, when I got my first 35mm camera and started monkeying around with photography. Ansel Adams’ photos sparked both my desire to capture better images and also to visit the place that so inspired his work.

Booking campsite reservations in the National Parks is a high tech sport in itself. On-line reservations for mid-June opened on February 15, at 7am, PST. With an early morning set-up of phones and a laptop, we felt ready to pounce. A quick computer scramble when the site went live, and we managed to snag a reservation before everything sold out – in fewer than eight minutes. Our summer calendar for 2024 would now center around driving into Yosemite on June 25th.

We planned a southern route to California, and started from the East coast in late May. Here are some of the highlights encountered enroute:

Virginia
Sherando Lake State Park – lovely lakeside hikes. Late spring in the mountains, just in time for a hike dotted with Mountain Laurel. Feels good being back on the road.

Tennessee
Knoxville – University of Tennessee Gardens. Ruffly day lilies, lemon-scented magnolias, and quirky garden displays.

Arkansas
We spent the night at a campground in downtown North Little Rock, right on the Arkansas River. An after dinner stroll across the Clinton Presidential Bridge brought us to the Clinton Presidential Library and surrounding park. This former railroad bridge is interesting both historically and architecturally. In comparison, the Library is certainly more futuristic.

What a different sort of building for both Little Rock and as a Presidential Library. I’m sure there’s a story there. Perhaps for another visit?

We enjoyed a lovely sunset from our campsite by the river. We also noticed that the temperatures were on the rise. Little did we know that this was just the tip of the iceberg. (I know, I know. A chilly way to describe a blistering heat wave.)

New Mexico
Two quick overnights in Texanna, OK, a zip across the Texas panhandle, and we wound up in Logan, New Mexico. Similar to other states in this part of the country, New Mexico has several ‘climate zones.’ Here the landscape feels more like the desert. Sagebrush and cacti are the roadside plants. The wind never stops. It rolls the tumbleweeds through barren fields and across the roads. This wind isn’t a friendly, cooling breeze. With temperatures well over 100 degrees, it feels like someone aiming a blowdryer on high heat, full blast right in your face.

Arizona
Quartzite is a popular snowbird destination, but by early June, it’s a ghost town. There were a few other campers at our campground, but we never saw any of the staff.

At 108 degrees, it was just too hot to cook outside, so we went to the local pizza spot, Silly Al’s. It was busy with other locals, who were also enjoying the air-conditioning and, really, very good pizza. Our server told us that this weather was tolerable; it’s worse when it hits 116 to 120 in August. And there are folks who live there year round. Beats me.

Southern California, finally
San Diego County has some great regional campgrounds. We stayed in three: Guajome in Oceanside, Willam Heise in Julian, and Sweetwater in Bonita. Guajome was best; we could ride our bikes to the beach at Oceanside.

The beautiful San Luis Rey Mission is also within the park.

The day we visited, we observed a pow-wow complete with drumming, dancing and elegant costumes.

And we had our first homemade horchata. Horchata is a cold drink, usually made from rice milk, flavored with cinnamon, vanilla, and sugar. In southern California, the Mexican and Indian cultures overlap. Horchata is a typically Mexican beverage, but it was at the pow-wow, along with flautas and fry bread.

Julian is a sweet, mountain town that was settled during the gold rush. Today, it’s a destination town, known for its history, and also shops, a brewery, and eateries.

Near Sweetwater Park, we drove to a trail and rode our bikes around Coronado.

Heading north…
Before heading inland to Yosemite, we stayed at Hearst San Simeon State Park in Cambria. The campsite is rather primitive. Like many California state parks, the facilities are minimal, outdated, crowded, and pricey. Sites are usually non-electric and showers are coin-operated. A quick four minute shower can cost $3 or more. That’s my rant. The saving grace (and how they get away with sub-par facilities) is being nestled between the Pacific and the mountains.

And in this case, being just a stone’s throw away from Hearst’s Castle on the hill.

What a contrast in accommodations for guests! Being a guest here must have been amazing. The castle really is worth seeing. The craftsmanship and artworks are stunning.

Yosemite National Park

Worth the trip! Staying inside the park, whether camping or in a lodge, is the key to a great experience. You can rise early and see the most popular areas, while folks are still waiting in line at the entrance booths. The early morning light and sunsets are yours. Our campground was busy, but doable.

Sadly, many visitors go to noteworthy spots, snap their selfies, and move on to the next photo op. If you hike a little further and get away from the crowds, you can have a less-crowded, really lovely experience. We found quiet meadows and places we had all to ourselves.

Teddy Roosevelt said, “Wildflowers should be enjoyed unplucked where they grow.” Indeed.

We packed three days with touring and enjoying great views: Glacier Point, Half Dome, Mariposa Grove, Tuolumne Meadows, Bridal Veil Falls. Lakes, streams, meadows, mountains. You could certainly stay longer, but I wouldn’t want to stay fewer than three days. It was a wonderful first visit. We left feeling that we’d seen alot, but we left a lot to see another time.

Next up: Northern California