Day 25, Wednesday March 25th: Moving on to Yosemite National Park

Wednesday we took our time leaving camp and got on the road about 09:30, then stopped at a Walmart for some food and DEF. Then we stopped at Tractor Supply to fill with propane and Micky's for an Iced Coffee :-), it was about 11 by the time we really got on the road. 

We drove past miles and miles of orchards east of Monterey; we finally pulled over to inspect the crop, they were olives, miles and miles of them. California is really the primary fruit and veggie basket for America, it is amazing how much farming we have seen here. 

As we left the coast we climbed and climbed and although the scenery was not coastal, it was still quite stunning, California is just beautiful. It is no wonder there are about 40 million people (over 10% of the USA) living in California. 

Lunch on the way to Yosemite

We stopped for lunch on the road, it was another scenic stop...and we did not plan it 

Merced River

We had the same problem we had on the coast, it was hard to make progress when you keep stopping to take in the sights, as we entered Yosemite, the scenery just compelled us to take the time to stop, it is jaw dropping.  

As you enter Yosemite on CA=140, there are a few places that make you hold your breath when you are driving an RV. At least it is one way traffic.

Ribbon Fall

The farther we went into the park the more impressive it became, it is no wonder Teddy Roosevelt was so enamored with this place. At one stop you can see Ribbon Fall coming off the West Side of El Capitan and Bridal Veil Falls. 

Bridal Veil Fall

We stopped at  Bridal Veil Falls and had a tourist take our picture, then I took theirs...let's just say I am a way better picture taker than that dude.....

Bridal  Veil Falls

We hiked the short trail to Bridal Veil Fall and it got cold and wet...we were not even that close....it was awesome.

In the words of our tour guide from Ireland, "This place is lousy with Castles Waterfalls".  Ed, Jean, Donna and Bob will get it! There are over 25 named waterfalls in Yosemite.

We parked about a mile from the Visitor Center, my god there are a lot of people in California, all visiting Yosemite.  We asked the nice park ranger at the visitor center about camping, much like the response we got at Joshua Tree, she said you are pretty screwed, but you can try Hodgdon Meadow Campground. It is an hour drive and then you can try xyz....not too helpful. So we set off for Hodgdon. 

We climbed to over 6000 feet and passed through 3 tunnels, lowest said 10'3" clearance, the Serenity is exactly 10'3" in height, but I am sure that number is on the edges...right.

At 6100 feet there were patches of snow on the ground. 

Hodgdon Campsite in Yosemite

We arrived at Hodgdon Campground about 4PM, as in JT, there were plenty of sites.  They are not very level but for $14/night (Senior is 1/2 price), we were happy.

When we arrived there was another Leisure Travel Van in the campground, a Unity.  Phil and Janie were from Alaska and we had a nice chat. Then Bob and Melissa from North Carolina arrived with another Unity, it was like a Leisure Travel Van Rally! All nice peoples.

We walked the campground and then settled in for the evening, we are at about 5000 feet and it is noticeably cooler than the valley

Thursday we plan to do a few hikes, but are having trouble finding loops. I prefer loops, I don't like back tracking, we will see.