First stop at Yosemite was to see the giant sequoias, members of the Californian Redwood family. The sequoias are the largest living things on the planet, and the one shown in the photo, the Grizzly Giant, was a seedling 3,000 years ago!The spectacular scenery of the Yosemite Valley is the result of ancient glacial activity, and the view from Glacier Point was mind-blowing. We stayed overnight in a tent cabin in the park, and had to put all of our food in locked steel boxes outside. This is active bear country, and the bears have become extremely clever in making off with unsecured food. The visitor centre has a riveting video of a bear breaking into a car to steal food. These creatures are very strong and they don’t use a coat hanger to gain entry. The one in the video smashed the windows, then shredded the interior before throwing the back seat from the car. Not the sight you want to see after returning from a long day’s hike looking forward to the chips and wine you left in the boot.
Tioga Road traverses the northern part of Yosemite Park, giving access to the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada Range. This was our preferred route to head down to Death Valley and Las Vegas. But overnight there was a heavy snowfall causing the road to be closed. We waited until 1pm before giving up, and driving back down the mountain to stay overnight in the pleasant town of Mariposa. On the way we had to follow a short detour at one point to bypass an impressive landslide that had wiped out the entire road.
Next morning we optimistically returned to Tioga Road, and in the early afternoon our patience was rewarded when the snow-clearing was completed, and the Ranger re-opened the road. An hour later we crossed snow-covered Tioga Pass at 10,000 feet on the eastern side of Yosemite and left the park to continue our journey to the south.
