Yosemite... or Manhattan

Aaj ka Arjun
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After a night like the one we had, no one expected to be up and running early morning. Infact some expected not to be up and running at all. Slowly, as the day dawned and few early risers gossiped over tea and beer, we had to do something in the day. The drive to Yosemite had dropped from being a fixed plan to a 60-40 consideration. The fact that few had never been there won the argument. It was going to be a drive to Yosemite in about 100 degree temperature. Fun!

We loaded ourselves with sunscreen and water and began the drive, which was gong to be longer and a lot longer than expected. Secondary plans were dropped as we continued the drive and soon realized that we might hit some traffic. I must mention that before we started, it was quite an exercise to reverse the SUVs down the narrow slope that led upto the house. It took two to guide the poor driver who driving nearly blind. With things flipped around a bit Gaurav and Namita were with Ekta and I while the other five led in the other SUV.

We still did stop, many times, and watched in awe this nature's creation

At the Bridalviel falls
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While the drive seemed slow as we entered the park, we were quite tired and hungry by the time we actually got to Yosemite Village. We still stopped at Bridalviel falls, walked upto the falls and even walked up some rocks, took our shoes off and got out feet wet. Its quite a short walk up and makes for a really pretty site, especially with the towering flat rock faces.

Once we reached close to the village, the nightmare began. The traffic where was worse than my worst memory of peak time Manhattan traffic. It took us about 40 minutes to travel about 2 miles and then one wrong turn and it was all back to square one. After a real long struggle with the traffic, we all met up for pizza on the deck at Curry Village, the camp site. By the end of this I was ready to head back. I was not alone! A scoop of icecream each and we loaded into the SUV and got at the end of the traffic line, again. for a small patch, few of us walked faster than the traffic would move.

SLR at work
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On the way out someone spotted the turn off to Glacier Point, one of the highest peaks in the valley, a nice 40 minute drive, with no traffic. We decided to do it, the sunset was going to be a spectacle as it reflected on the Half Dome. After some adventures with a tail gating car and some debates on if it was the right decision, we got to the top. The view was spectacular. A park ranger talked us through the sunset and while the talk was passable, the sunset was glorious. All the money spent on SLR cameras was put to really good use over the 15 minutes that dusk showed its colors.

A toast to a lovely couple
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Once we got back on the road, we were worried that we might miss out last chance to have a long night out since everyone was so tired. To add to it, tomorrow was going to be Penta and Pranita's first anniversary. While it was really nice of them to agree to spend it with us, we had to be nice to atleast do something special. We stopped for some wine, cake and flowers on the way and made it back just in time for the midnight champagne.

The grill was lit-up and drinks flowed and let to some good conversation and games that are best kept off any such boards. As more wine went in and we continued to chatter, it must have been around 4 am when we we hit the sacks. I wouldn't say we all went to sleep, because I think a few (like me) passed out. After such a hectic day, I hadn't expected so much fun in the night, but it was awesome. After a day of Manhattan Traffic we were sleeping at the Manhattan hour, while being near Yosemite all the time.

Nearly everyone at Glacier Point
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In all the discussion, there is not much talk of the beauty of Yosemite. No doubt its one of the prettiest parks I have seen, but 4th July weekend is not the time to visit. Its packed to its limit. Sights that have a serene beauty don't look as attractive when you are standing in a crowd. We still did stop, many times, and watched in awe this nature's creation.