From Yosemite National Park To Big Sur

Back on the road, again!

We left home for a two week road trip, late in May on a Sunday midday and suffered through some Los Angeles traffic before stopping for the night near Bakersfield. Spring is the ideal time to shake off the dust and hit the road for some new adventures! Just a short trip planned, up the center of the state to visit Yosemite, then westbound to spend some time along the Big Sur Coast and Monterey. Before completing this trip we will have one more stop planned to visit the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.

Having gotten through the LA congestion and a peaceful overnight stop, we had a leisurely 84 mile trip to our Gold Country destination, SKP Park of the Sierras, near Coarsegold, CA.  We have stayed here one other time and once again parked in a lovely spot with a great view of the grounds. The RV park is located about 60 miles from the South Entrance to Yosemite but because of the narrow winding roads the trip takes about an hour and a half. Our plan was to head out the next morning for a full day of driving and enjoying the National Park.

Yosemite National Park

Our Tuesday trek to the national park started with a delightful coffee shop stop for a latte and pastry. If you have followed our travels you know we love to find quaint and unique coffee shops. Bees Cafe and Bakery in Oakhurst has now made it to our Top Coffee Shop list 

 

Living up to their name as a Bakery we were met with an extensive assortment of delicious pastries.  Our latte was prepared very flavorfully as well. The decor of the restaurant invites a trip back in time to the 70's with very retro signage, orange and yellow furnishings, vintage rugs, wall hangings and lamps. The peaceful restaurant invites one to linger and enjoy the assortment of amazing antique sewing machines and notions. 

We enjoyed the Cafe so much we came the next day for breakfast! 

We had a beautiful clear day to enjoy our drive leading up to our first glimpse of the massive granite formations of Yosemite from the Valley View pull out, followed by the iconic Tunnel View!

Our previous drive which we took several years ago, through Yosemite held memories of bumper to bumper traffic through the one way valley loop with no place to park to enjoy most of the sites. That trip had sadly made me a bit hesitant to try for a visit to Yosemite. Our hope was that we were coming in May, not the summer, and also it was midweek! The East Entrance to the valley was not yet cleared of snow or opened, so we hoped that the Park would be only 'moderately' busy. 

During this spring trip we were able to find parking at the above view spots as well as at Bridalveil Fall, where we enjoyed the misty cloud created by the full flowing fall of water!

Continuing down the short Bridalveil Fall trail we were treated to some valley views including the seasonal Ribbon Falls, which is known for being the tallest single-drop waterfall in North America. 

Spring snow melts have filled the rivers and streams, so the waterfalls were showing off all over the valley! We enjoyed a picnic lunch beside the meadow that runs the length of the valley, with views of Yosemite Falls! After enjoying this view over a picnic lunch we strolled over the boardwalk to the other side of the valley. Here we walked along the stream and had more views of Yosemite Falls with a reflection in the river.

As our day progressed the number of visitors to the park had increased so parking was becoming a bit more challenging, but still doable. We had spent some time at the visitor center, where we had enjoyed a ranger talk and some time in the gift shop and the cafe.  In the speaking with a volunteer we discovered that Mirror Lake, which we saw on our prior trip was now only accessible by use of the park shuttle. Conveniently we could get on the shuttle across the parking lot, so we headed out for a final hike of the day.

Mirror Lake is located at the base of Half Dome. The trail took us along a stream (of course!), beside massive boulders that have fallen through the centuries from the face of Half Dome, under beautiful dogwood trees in full bloom, arriving at the seasonal Mirror Lake at the end of the trail!        

 

 

Big Sur and the California Coast

'Big Sur is a 90 mile stretch of rugged coastline on California's central coast south of the Monterey Peninsula. California Highway 1 provides the only access to Big Sur and hugs the coast along the Santa Lucia mountain range revealing awe-inspiring views at every turn. The sheer beauty and abundance of nature can leave one captivated for a lifetime.' -according to the Big Sur Chamber of Commerce

 Highway 1 is closed for a massive landslide north of Ragged Point, as you can see from this picture from the internet. We have enjoyed the coast to the south of this landslide, but we have not been in this northern section in many years. During our stay in a small campground surrounded by Coastal Redwoods, we enjoyed drives along the coast, hikes among wildflowers, beach combing on purple sand, and some shopping and dining! Photos can barely capture the beauty of this narrow coastal strip of highway and all the wonders to be discovered there! I'll leave you with a few pictures to enjoy!

From the beautiful Big Sur Coast our Adventures on the Road will take us north to Monterey for a couple nights before heading back to the central California Highway 5  to head south and home.  We enjoyed some sights along the way...check back for our adventures in Monterey, and Simi Valley, where we visited the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library!