photos from top to bottom: (1) breakfast in the lobby of the Shilo Inn with a view, (2 + 3) On and on the Tioga Pass, (4) tufa at Mono Lake, (5) Upper Yosemite Fall
quickly get out of the Sequoia Park and back to Visalia, where right is waiting on the highway, the Holiday Inn. The next day, get up early as we expect for a change, a road trip. A breakfast at Starbucks, as a conclusion on the finding that the Nikon has remained in the hotel room but at 9.30 clock we go really wrong direction Yosemite National Park (http://www.yosemitepark.com). And the journey goes fast, our National Park annual pass for $ 80 (per car, of course, because we are in the U.S.) will save us once again the entry fee, but then we see again Roadwork ahead.
The entire 29-mile access road is construction site, the most without paved roads and sprinkling twice changing the reference curves for lack of second carriageway as Mesa Verde and Bryce Canyon with waiting times of up to 30 minutes. The navigation system calculates that we run through here with 45 mph, but you get the 45 km only in one and a half hours and swallow a lot of dust Front people.
The mood at the entrance to Yosemite Valley is so subdued and we are: It's beautiful, but high mountains with two waterfalls, inside we have at home too. After an hour hike to the Lower Fall, we still dare to undertake the trip to Mono Lake, which lies just behind the other end of the park and the photo in the guide to me was very impressive.
It is a battle against the clock and against the centrifugal force. I hunt the Dodge on the mountain roads and U.S. drivers off the road, transgress all speed limits by up to 100 percent, overtaking motorbikes and cars on double barrier line can and yet the programmed time the Navi does not hold. Positive should be noted that the Americans pull over nice as always right when they register a faster man behind - especially when it considered for some time from top left to the contents of the trunk up close.
The trip goes through the almost 3000 meters high Tioga Pass and provides us with beautiful landscape, in which we rush by. What looks relatively close on the map, runs along the twisting road to hours. Finally we arrive at Mono Lake - presumably with a historical record time - and to find the tufa rock, which was allowed to ascend the thirst of Los Angeles water by removing the proceeds from the lake.
After a consistently sunny day Now the first raindrops fall and the expected reward for the long effort on the road literally falls into the water. In the sunshine like this bizarre tufa formations are on and in the salty lake is very attractive, they unfold under storm clouds but not the desired effect. The
actually still planned Western ghost town Bodie half an hour goes to the best will no longer, so more quickly filling up, which creates the unpleasant surprise next. Have we paid in Las Vegas or $ 2.75 per gallon average and Sun 3.00 to 3.10 $, then $ 3.75 will be charged here proud. Either go unnoticed in the past two days, the Israeli of Iranian us Nuclear facilities bombed or pricing functions in the freest market in the world a little strange. An empty tank determined but clearly the consumer behavior and I hunt the Dodge now harder to 15 gallons back up the pass.
This time we take at least time for photo stops and the sun is already very low rewards us with warm colors. However, it also brings out swarms of Gelsenkirchen already and once we actually escape into the car. We note, however, that the landscape has at Tioga Pass (probably) count on the most attractive on this trip.
The cornering of the Dodge at the limit is again tested extensively, some frightened US-Thursday shooed off the road edge and we manage to clock 21.15 in the Oakhurst Shilo Inn. The rooms are still there and the children are crying for fast food. Waiting times in the restaurant they would now classify as a human rights violation.
addition to the McDonalds is still a small market, so it requires my wife with all that effort for a beer, so the consumption on non-McDonald's. Equipped with all the plastic bags we shake it in vain at the door of the still well-staffed office. Closes at 21.30 clock and now it is 21.32 clock! Curiously, the Drive-Thru is open an hour longer and I feel like my Tame the expression to be taken literally and put the 2-ton Dodge from the counter, then by the other front glass back out to drive. So like over the loudspeaker ordered and at least the beer must be drunk rather than after the meal.
Shortly after we fall into bed, and here it should be noted that the quality of the beds of the positive surprises of the United States counts. Wide was indeed expected, but the mattresses are so good that my back never once protested. Now, after a - you can see from the nearby traffic - good night, it's time for breakfast.
This is, however, as one of the worst of this trip - and that means something - out. The orange juice undrinkable, no toaster and no jam exists and the dining room so full that we shared with some other Guests in the hotel lobby with direct views into the small gym eat. So get the half a cubic meter waste dumped in the central lobby in the containers provided and checked out.
0 comments:
Post a Comment