September 22
There is some pretty country to view on US 395 from Alturas to Mammoth Lakes. And the Reno skyline was quite impressivem looking almost as extravagant as the Vegas Strip. Looks different from when I was there thirty years ago. The town of Bridgeport is 40 miles inside the California border after I left Nevada. Regular unleaded gas was $6.74/gallon. Can anyone say “ouch”? The stations at Lee Vining, the east entrance portal for Yosemite NP, were $6.54/gallon. Ohio is around $3.70/gallon. Good thing I filled up in Nevada at $4.99/gallon.
CA120 is the road which goes west out of Lee Vining, climbing to over 9,000 feet elevation for entry into Yosemite NP. Gorgeous scenery. My objective was Tuolumne Meadows and the resident VC. Might as well get the unique Passport Cancellation stamp. As I approached the parking lot for Lembert Dome I saw a couple waving at passing cars with a sign which read “TOWN”. I stopped and gave them a ride to the VC. They needed to get to Yosemite Valley at the west end, but it was felt they would have a better chance flagging down another car at the VC instead of at a side parking lot. They are hiking the Pacific-Crest Trail (which goes by Lembert Dome). They began at the Mexican border in May, came north a ways into California, then went up to the Canadian terminus to hike southward. They are now eight days from connecting the two directions. What an adventure and accomplishment. This afternoon’s objective, though, was to get to the valley and enjoy some food.
I wished them safe travels, stamped my book, and headed back to the Lembert Dome parking lot. If you like to walk or scramble on 30-deg rock face for a few hundred yards, this dome is for you. Getting up was not much of a problem, except I could not find any markings of a trail which left the forest. I decided to just start heading upwards. Be sure you have footwear which grips well on rock. A couple from France were at the top, enjoying the sight, which was stunning. This is an unobstructed 360-degree view of the entire Tuolumne Meadow area, which includes the surrounding mountains, some still with small snow fields on their slopes. Now, getting down was a different story. The couple said they came up in a direction which would take me away from the parking lot, which I could see below quite some distance away. I figured since I saw no marked trail coming up, why not find my own trail back down. I wound up on steeper slopes, a few requiring me to sit on my rearend to inch downwards. But I made it. The adrenaline was flowing. I hope the Pacific-Crest Trail couple made it to the valley. And I am now in Mammoth Lakes, ready to be at the Red Meadows at 6:44 AM when the sun rises. The park told me they are blasting the roadway and replacing sections during the week. Figured I had better have some sunlight to help me stay on the path.
Oh, on a side note, if anyone is wondering, the last park on my Quest will be Abraham Lincoln’s Birthplace NHP in Kentucky. The date will be November 19 (10 AM), on the 160th anniversary of Lincoln giving his Gettysburg Address. The National Park Travelers Club will hold a Meet-Up (an official club event when a sufficient number of members agree to meet at a specific park to tour/visit the unit) that morning at the park to help me celebrate. Any and all are welcome to attend… you do not have to be a club member, but this would give you a chance to learn about the club and maybe you might decide to join at some point.