I recently returned from a brief visit to Yosemite National Park. I would have loved to spend a few more days, but unfortunately I only had a long weekend tacked on to the tail end of a trip for work. Here is my journal entry for day 1...

Leaving South Lake Tahoe. I accomplished my good deed for the day before 10:00 a.m. When I stopped to fill up before heading into the Nevada desert, I was able to help a New Zealander open up the gas tank on his rented Mustang. We looked all over the interior for a release mechanism, no luck. Turns out you just push the fuel door and it pops open (my idea). Who knew...

It was a beautiful sunny day, about 65 degress. After an uneventful drive, I entered the park through the eastern gate, via Tioga Pass. On the advice of some people I met in Tahoe, I pulled off the main road to visit Saddlebag Lake. About half way up the road to the lake, I had an uncomfortably close encounter w/a bicyclist who was careening down the middle of the road and an altogether unsafe speed. Luckily, my reactions were good and I avoided him.

I pulled into a small trailhead to take a few pictures, and was approached by a young man needing a little help w/his truck. It wouldn't start, and I tried valiantly to jump start it, but my rented Hyundai compact car just didn't have the juice. I offered to take him to to a lodge about a mile back so he could call a tow-truck, but it turns out that he was a park employee and needed to go into the park, so I took him w/me. He was a nice guy and gave me some good tips on what to see and some interesting park trivia. We passed a bicyclist and I commented on how many I had seen in my short time there. He agreed and said that he had just finished a ride when he asked me for help. I told him that I almost killed a biker not too long ago near Saddlebag lake. He said, "I think that was me..." I apologized for almost killing him (even thought it was his fault...)

I pulled off at another turnout to take some pictures, and as I was pulling back into traffice I almost died at the hands of some monster SUV barreling around a curve at more than double the park speed limit. Can't trust anyone in this place...

I finally reached the valley about 4:3o p.m. and visited some of the famous monuments. I wanted to make sure I got some good shots before the sun went down, mission accomplished. Total of about 600 pictures for the day.

Finally arrive at my hotel and when I turn on the TV I find out there was a minor earthquake less than 100 miles south of the park's western entrance in El Portal. Never felt a thing. Worse than that, the weather forecast is for snow overnight.

Tomorrow's big plans: Mariposa Grove of big trees, a waterfall on the way that supposedly still has water in it, Glacier Point, Sentinel Point and the Taft Fissures.