2020 Journey …Not Quite Canada

Our plans changed dramatically from the original tour of British Columbia and Alberta, Canada we had scheduled for this month. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we canceled those plans because of the Canada/US border closure. We are lucky that we live in one of the most beautiful and diverse states in America – California. We decided to take four of the originally planned ten days and go to one of California’s most beautiful treasures – Yosemite National Park.

Tom and Cathy at Lake Louise a few years ago. Maybe next year, we’ll see it again.

We have visited Yosemite several times but there are still places we have not seen. We will go to Hetch Hetchy Reservoir which is located at the northwestern area of Yosemite. In the early 1900s, a dam was built that flooded the Hetch Hetchy valley and now the 1,200 acre flooded valley supplies water to the San Francisco Bay area. This was quite the controversy at the time and still is today. We also are looking forward to seeing Glacier Point which has always been inaccessible due to the time of year we have visited and the Mariposa Grove which is home to the largest Sequoias in the Park

The logistics of this year’s trip(s) are going to be a challenge.  We’ll have to make room for masks (California has a mask mandate while in public places), sanitizers, etc.  We’re hoping to be able to find places to eat but may survive on Clif Bars for four days. On a recent day trip we learned that public bathrooms are not as accessible so we’ll have to keep that in mind and watch our liquid intake while staying hydrated in the California heat.  

We’re still riding the Yamaha which has served us well. We have it dialed in to be a very comfortable ride. Tom hurt his knee a few weeks ago and we weren’t sure we would ride for this trip. He feels a little better so we’ll take it easy and keep the walking to a minimum and plan on many stops to rest and stretch.

We are traveling through the Sierra Foothills and avoiding the main roads. We will enter the Yosemite from the west tomorrow, take the next day to tour around the park. On the third day we will take Tioga Pass, another first for us. We will exit on the east side of the park and stay in Bridgeport before heading home.

Our plan

The weather looks perfect considering we just finished a long stretch of 100 degree days. We’re off first thing in the morning. Until tomorrow!