Exploring California’s Scenic Routes: From Lone Pine to Yosemite
In September 2010 we embarked on our first USA Road Trip, from Las Vegas to Los Angeles, taking in Death Valley, Yosemite, San Francisco and the coastal Route 1. These are our Road Trip Travel Diaries.
Breakfast in Lone Pine
A 7am alarm call. We drag ourselves over to the Alabama Hills Bakery & Café for breakfast. It seems like our sleep patterns are finally adjusting to US time. The breakfast options are “egg-heavy” as usual, so I’m excited to spy a “No-Egg” Breakfast on the menu. Which means, biscuits and gravy. I miss a full English breakfast. I’m still unsure what this “gravy” actually. Or maybe I’m better off not knowing. The hash brown & bacon are great though, and Mr Fletche enjoys his ham & egg sandwich immensely.
It’s time to leave lovely Lone Pine behind. Mountains dominate the view from our rear window. We didn’t get time to visit the Film Museum or climb Mount Whitney. Instead we point the Fletchemobile north towards Yosemite.
On the road again
We make quick stop in Bishop, although we can’t be tempted by Erik Schat’s Bakery so soon after breakfast. The Mammoth Scenic Loop is closed, so after a quick detour through Mammoth Lakes Town itself, we turn off the 395 to take in the June Lake Loop.
We can’t visit this part of the country without seeing Mono Lake, and thus standing in the footsteps of one of Mr Fletche’s heroes, the great Sir David Attenborough. The car park is under construction, so we park the Fletchemobile as directed and walk to the Lake via the Visitor Centre.
This is a fascinating place, and the tufa formations are amazing. It would be nice to spend a little more time here but Yosemite – and Whoa Nellie Deli – are calling…
Mr Fletche can’t understand why I’m so keen on purchasing lunch from the equivalent of a motorway service station back home. But once we park up and see the views over Mono Lake, it’s clear why this gas station is nothing like a Welcome Break on the M42.
We pick up supplies, including freshly made sandwiches, and head back to the Fletchemobile. We decide to savour our huge sandwiches once we get to our destination, and head off onto the Tioga Road.
It’s impossible to describe the journey into Yosemite on the Tioga Road. Every twist, every turn, every incline reveals yet another breathtaking view; we pass lakes, meadows, mountains, more trees than I could count in a lifetime… This is simply the most stunning drive I have ever had the good fortune to witness. Every corner provides another photo opportunity.
We stop at Tenaya Lake to stretch our legs – it would be so easy to spend hours here at this serene, peaceful lake, dipping our toes in the ice-cold water – and then scramble up the rocks at Olmstead Point to get our first proper view of the Valley and Half Dome. We consider this to be our very first Yosemite hike.
Valley View is the little sister of the more famous Tunnel View, and provides an amazing sensation of the elevation gain – lots of people were taking photos. It seems a shame that if you were driving in the opposite direction out of Yosemite then you just might miss this spectacular vista.
We save the Valley itself for another day, and head on the CA-140 to the Yosemite View Lodge. The road to the Lodge from the Valley continues to be twisty and turny, and follows the Merced River. The size of the “Lodge” surprises me… it’s like a small holiday resort, not the one or two buildings we were expecting.
Its 6pm, the whole evening is ahead of us! Except – we’re exhausted. We tuck into our Whoa Nellie Deli sandwiches – which are excellent by the way, and feels like the equivalent of a three-course-meal – crack open a beer and contemplate if it’s really too early to go to bed…
7:30pm. The Fletche’s are tucked up in bed fast asleep. Tomorrow we’ll be ready to explore more of this beautiful National Park.
