Majestic Yosemite
There are times when nature offers up magical moments worth revisiting.
There are present among us giants born from a marriage of solid rock and hot magma flowing beneath terra firma. Shaped by winds, moved to their location by ice and polished to perfection by the element of water over millions of years, these silent rock “giants” came to rest over a part of the Sierra Nevada Mountain range and are now known as the Yosemite National Park.
Mortals like us call these giant rock formations glaciers. Spanning an area of roughly 1,500 square miles, Yosemite welcomes millions of visitors every year. Yosemite came into being in 1864 when President Abraham Lincoln took a breather from the Civil War and declared Yosemite Valley and Mariposa Grove (that cradles Giant Sequoias) as protected land. He placed this national treasure under the trust and care of California. This paved the way for the establishment of the National and State Park systems of the United States, and in 1916, the National Parks Service was created. It is currently celebrating its centenary.
Our adventure here started when we drove through a natural rock formation open gate after the Park’s main gate. It was wide enough and tall enough to fit a large SUV. We drove through the famous Tioga Pass that goes through one of the most scenic wonders Yosemite offers. This 120-state route is only open from the months of May to October for it is impassable in winter due to the snow. Snow that becomes so deep that it takes three months for transportation crews to clear by spring.
The panoramic view on Olmstead point along the route pass is nothing less than ethereal. Majestic granite mountains and glaciers made us feel so insignificantly small compared to these ever-present rock giants spanning hundreds of miles. We were among the many viewing these majestic pillars of God’s creation, and like other explorers before us, we marveled at their majesty. Tioga Pass brought us to Tuolumne Meadows, a naturally formed meadow that cradles grass and California wild flowers, most of which are indigenous to the state. The road itself was quite a drive. But we made it through to the other side where another wonder of nature revealed itself.
Mono Lake is literally a stone’s throw from the exit of the Tioga Pass. Mono Lake derives its name from “Monaki,” the Yokut tribe’s name for this lake, but local folks say it is Mono Lake because of the presence of Mono flies that stay within the lake area shores. Limestone formations jut towards the sky from its basin as though asking the heavens for much-needed water. Though devoid of fish because of its high alkali levels, this lake isn’t lifeless, for millions of brine shrimp call it home. The brine shrimp have no human consumption value but are a source of food for the millions of birds that migrate to the lake, balancing the fragile ecosystem this area offers. Much like the conservation efforts done for Yosemite National Park, Mono Lake’s unique ecological importance is also conserved with passion.
Driving back from Yosemite gave us another view and perspective. The winding road towards our lodging gave us another treat for our eyes and senses as a prominent granite cliff called El Capitan towered beside the road. This site is very popular among hikers and mountain climbers. We, on the other hand, decided to marvel at the cliff that changed colors depending on the angle of the sun. Eventually the road led us to our place of lodging, called Half Dome Village. It is here that we settled our weary hearts from traveling through the mountain range under the heat of the summer sun. Our lodging was near the foot of a mountain glacier called Half Dome. Many travelers like us have made similar lodging arrangements. However, I couldn’t help but wonder who had come and gone here before us.
The first settlers of Native Americans to Yosemite were the Ahwalneechee Tribe, first called Half Dome, or Tis-se-yak, which means “face of a woman stained with tears” because of the numerous black and brown lichens that look like vertical drip lines along its face. At the end of its tear-stricken stone face, on flatter ground lies a tent city known as Half Dome Village. It is here that we had our first adventure of “glamping” in every sense of the word. Our cabin had canvas walls, a ceiling, and fresh air flowed through the netted windows of our canvas walls; comfortable bed cots also welcomed us. Our canvas cabin had electricity and a safe to store our valuables. There was no refrigerator or microwave oven in the tent because food is not allowed in the cabins, lest visitors end up having uninvited guests — bears, that is — wander into their humble abodes. Our hosts, the National Park rangers, provided us with towels, warm blankets, pillows and bottled water. Yvette, Reesa and I freshened up in one of the common showers and the shared bathrooms this lodging facility offered.
Dressed up in our Sunday best, we took a short drive to the Majestic Yosemite Hotel. This is the only four-star diamond hotel in the park. Built in 1920, this hotel has its own rustic features meant to blend into the background of the park itself. The architect Glibert Stanley Underwood was also the brain behind the hotels in other National Parks, earning him the name “Parkitect.” The hotel itself is considered a masterpiece of “parkitechture” and gives the lodger breathtaking views of Yosemite Falls, Half Dome and Glacier Point. The irony — coming from our humble tent village cabin — made our visit here surreal but very memorable.
Where else would we have our fill but in the Majestic Dining Room? Its dress code required leather shoes and trousers for men, preferably dresses for the women, so we conformed to the style. We started our dinner with Giola artisan burrata, a soft mozzarella cheese on a bed of arugula. It was absolutely delicious. Our main course was divine: the king-cut, slow-cooked beef ribeye roast served with buttermilk mashed potatoes, summer squash and Yorkshire pudding. What better way to end dinner with a plate of California artisan cheese including Humboldt Fog, Purple Haze and Fiscallini cheddar with fig cake and membrillo, a sweet thick gelatin cube made from the pulp of the quince fruit, and candied walnuts. What a fitting way to sate our famished appetites. It was finally time to call it a day as we drove back to our humble abode in Half Dome Village.
We slept so soundly through the night in our village cabin, waking up once to cover ourselves with warmer blankets, for the temperature drop in Yosemite can be extreme. Temperatures ranging from 25 to 35 ? during the day can drop down to 10 to 14 ? at night. This particular night our camp was 12 ?, offering a slight nip in the air but not cold enough to activate the electric heaters. As morning broke our slumber, we decided to start early enough to grab breakfast. After which, we traveled back to the city of San Francisco where we will continue our next adventures in the Golden State of California. At the end of the day, these moments worth revisiting will last more than a lifetime.
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Email the author at miladay.star@gmail.com.
