serenity

serenity
Originally uploaded by rod lewis

I have to confess that midst all the hype and hoopla surrounding the fantastical Yosemite since I was a kid, I’ve often wondered if I’d be disappointed if I ever got to go. Honestly, nothing could have prepared me for what I saw there. Well that is, if you don’t count the hundred miles of Sierra skirting I did to reach the park.
The exit to Mariposa was equally beautiful and exciting. Thirty miles of twisting turns, descents and climbs. I was stopped once for a ten-minute wait while east bound traffic crossed the two one-way bridges built to temporarily move traffic across the river and back after a rock slide completely obliterated the existing road.
(This event took it’s toll on the nearby town of Mariposa, whose sustenance depends on tourists exiting Yosemite, or holing up there during their Yosemite area vacations.)


Last week’s fires also changed the face of Yosemite a bit. Though I didn’t notice much on the main road through the park, once I dropped down toward Yosemite Valley, trees were scorched in large areas. Yosemite valley is perhaps one of the most spectacular places to visit. Towering monoliths rising straight up thousands of feet from the river, gorgeous meadows, and the evening sun cast a beautiful luminance on the rock faces. I timed my descent perfectly.

I tend to forget to eat. I’m not out here to eat, after all. I realized today, about halfway through the park, that I had not eaten since Saturday, save a half sandwich at brunch on Sunday. So when I arrived at my destination, the fine supper and conversation was most welcome. I was treated like a king by my friend, Michelle’s parents. I was sent away with another meal (an absolute first for the trip) and rode off into biker heaven of central California.