RETIREMENT TRIP #6

          ALONG THE TIOGA ROAD         

                   September 2015



Jets painted pictures above us as we headed to Yosemite.

Yosemite Day dawned cool and clear with a beautiful sunrise in Lee Vining at 6:30 a.m., but by the time we drove the 12 miles to the national park, temperatures even at 8,000 feet were in the mid-60’s.

Huge white puffs of jet streaks crisscrossed the sky over the Sierra peaks.
“Those are from planes going into San Francisco,” said Andy.



A chill in the air is the first hint of fall
as we drive into the high country.

We headed up the canyon toward the park entrance under gorgeous blue skies.  White puffy clouds moved in and out of the jet streaks.  Tioga Pass was a nippy 58 degrees, but the bright sun made the temperature feel refreshing more than bone chilling.

“We aren’t going into the Valley,” said Andy.  “We’re only doing Tioga Pass on this trip.  Last time we were out here, many years ago, I turned around at the entrance, because I didn’t want to pay the fee.  We only came in to see the canyon then.”



High above the world on Lembert Dome, we can see for miles.

He pulled into the Lembert Dome parking lot.  “This is the area I want to hike, but I’m not sure this is the right trail.”  He checked a map, found his glasses on top of the car, and drove to the next Dog Lake parking lot.  “It’s much easier from here,” he assured me.

The Lembert Trail to Lembert Dome was only 2.8 miles round trip but an 850-foot climb to Lembert Dome.  The trail rises steeply for .75 mile to a signed junction.  Very dusty and dry, it climbed through pine forest over tree roots and small boulders.  I noticed footprints in the powdery dust of a shooting star—a man’s sneaker print. At first I couldn’t figure out which way it was going.  Then I realized the star was shooting both directions.  Lembert Dome was a one-way trail.  I focused on the prints and my own heavy breathing.

Majestic peaks rise just across the road from the
Lembert Dome Trail head.

Descending from the Lembert Dome
is almost as tricky as climbing it.



Impossible to see from the picture, three men free climb
near the top of this dome ledge.

We turned left at the junction and climbed the granite face to reach the top of Lembert Dome for spectacular views of the surrounding peaks.  Andy continued to the very top, where he had a 360-degree perspective that included Tuolumne Meadow.  I stayed below in a crevice out of the wind.  We guessed it was at least 30 m.p.h. sustained. Going down with the wind to our backs was a little less precarious, but the rough granite surface offered good footing.

Coming down, we headed across the granite for a view from the other side and more picture opportunities.  The sign at the bottom said the park included 750-miles of hiking trails.  We only did about three, but they are reputed to be among the most spectacular.
We stopped at several pullouts for shots of the Sierra peaks.  Beautiful Tenaya Lake sparkled in the late morning sun.  The water level seemed almost normal.  “It’s higher than I thought it would be,” said Andy, “even though you can see dry grasses on some of the edges.”

In every direction majestic peaks rise to the sky.

Right across from the second Tenaya Lake pullout, men scaled one of the rock faces.  Hundreds of feet above us, I never would have noticed them except that one had on a bright red shirt.  They were only tiny specks.

Olmsted Point draws flocks of tourists
who can walk out on this dome.

“Isn’t this a gorgeous road?” asked Andy, getting back into the car after one of the many pullouts.  Tioga Road weaves along the canyon high up on one cliff face.
“That’s the Valley way in the distance and the peak is probably Half Dome.”

We stopped for shots of Mount Hoffman at 10,850 feet.  A lake without a name on the map was nestled at our feet.  I snapped picture after picture, fearing I might miss something and knowing that nothing I could do would adequately preserve the majesty of this special place.

Willing tourists even trade pictures with us at Olmsted Point.

The scenic Tioga Road, Route #120, crosses Yosemite’s high country.  Built as a mining road in 1882-1883, the road was realigned and modernized in 1961.  It passes sparkling lakes, fragile meadows, polished domes and lofty peaks that only 10,000 years ago lay under glacial ice.  Overlooks offer breathtaking views.

“We’ve only been here once,” said Andy.  “It was in the early summer, and everything was covered with snow.”
At Tioga Pass the road crosses the Sierra Nevada crest at 9.945 feet, California’s highest automobile pass.  It is closed from late October to mid-spring or longer.  Andy reminded me how many years ago we stayed with the kids in a rented tent at White Wolf, one of the higher spots, were given one small bundle of wood, and woke up with frost on everything in late June.  A bear checked out the neighboring dumpster during the night.  It was bear proof, but he made lots of noise in the attempt.
We stopped again at a pullout.  “This side is greener,” said Andy. “It gets more rain.”
I wondered if the tree down the hill in my picture could be a Giant Sequoia.

Climbing onto one of the ledges along the road,
in the distance we can see Tenaya Lake

We pulled into White Wolf to remember old times.  The tents were all down and the entire complex was under construction.
We drove all the way to Crane Flat, where Tioga Road joins Big Oak Flat Road into Yosemite Valley.  Turning around to head back the 56 miles to Lee Vining, Andy said, “You should have some incredible shots going back now that it’s an afternoon sun.” 
But first we sat in the grove parking lot, nibbled on trail mix and shared a glass of wine.  What a romantic treat for a Friday afternoon.
When we crossed the 8,000-foot level on our way back at 1:30 p.m., the temperature read 74 degrees.  You couldn’t ask for more perfect conditions in late September.
“I have to give it to California for climate,” said Andy.

But then again a month or so from now this road will be impassable and closed.

Tourists wade, sunbathe, kayak and picnic in and around
Tenaya Lake on the beautiful Friday afternoon.

Lukens Lake, a mile in, had shrunk.  The trail wound in among very tall pines and a great deal of forest debris.  The fallen giants were old, some rotted out and others grey, dry logs and stumps.  We climbed and then descended sharply.  Andy figured the lake was down at least three feet, so we walked farther just to reach the water.  All was quiet, even though a gigantic pile of sticks on the opposite shore offered possible evidence of beaver.  We thought the return climb would be harder.  Maybe we’re acclimated to the altitude.

All the waterfalls along Tioga Road were dry as could be, but the scenery was still fantastic.

At Olmsted Point the smooth granite cliffs met the road.  It was a perfect place to scale for views of the canyon.  We climbed to the top and took pictures near the lone tree, using the rock crevices to balance in the wind.

Tuolumne Meadows spreads out before us as we scale
Pothole Dome near the entrance to Tioga Road.

A pullout or two later, when Tenaya Lake came into view, I told Andy we could see more blue water if we were higher.  Mistake!  Holding my hand, he pulled me up the rock face 12 or 15 feet.  The even greater challenge was getting back down.

Tenaya Lake drew many visitors in the late afternoon.  People kayaked, waded or sun bathed in the cold mountain water. Andy said it wasn’t freezing, but he only dipped his fingers at the very edge.

At the very summit of Pothole Dome we can see 360 degrees.

When an accident blocked the exit road at 4 p.m., we turned around and drove back to Tuolumne Meadows.  Earlier I had wondered if we could scale the enormous granite wall on the other side of the meadow.  Now Andy figured it was worth a try—especially given the alternative of sitting on the road in a traffic jam at Cathedral Peak parking area.
I read the sign: Closed for Restoration. But only the meadow was blocked so people didn’t cut across.  We set off along the Tuolumne Meadow Trail, a generous half mile around the meadow to the base of the dome.  The granite surface rose hundreds of feet in an alpine zone climate.  Stepping carefully on the patches of stone that gave us the best grip, we made the ascent all the way to the top.  From there a 360-degree view spread out before us.  Wind whipped by, forceful and mighty, but not cold.  We could see the world, and it was magnificent.

From the road Lembert Dome is just
a giant rock, and we made it to the top.

I wonder how many people get a view of the world from Pothole Dome.

As we drove out of the park, Andy stopped again at Lembert Dome.  “We were up there,” he said, pointing at the sky.  “We actually made it all the way up there.

Tuolumne River skirts the base of Lembert Dome.

The sun dipped as we headed through Tioga Pass at 9,945 feet and out of Yosemite.  Temperatures suddenly dipped as well—62 degrees when we stopped at Tioga Lake, just outside the park.

As the sun dips in the western sky, shadows spread across Tioga Lake.  

In spite of the beautiful day, winter is coming to the mountains.