A RIDE THROUGH HEAVEN
The overall creation of our beautiful planet took God 6 days to create. The 7th day He rested. I believe he must have rested in Yosemite. Every time I am in Yosemite I go away with a thought, “Yosemite is one of the most beautiful places on the Earth. A bit of Heaven on Earth.” Today it will be mine, seen and enjoyed like very few have or will see or enjoy it.
After a great breakfast with lots of carbs and protein I carefully packed up everything and headed out. This morning I felt great. Even with the injuries I had suffered Tuesday I was eager to get started. I had my picture taken in front of the Curry Village sign showing my bruised knees and eager spirit. I mounted my bike and settled the toosh into the cush of the saddle and again felt the comforts of being home in an easy chair. It is a blessing to never feel a tired and sore bottom. Because I was able to get half the gears on my bike working again, I could speed through the flat areas of the valley.
Out and down the Valley I went, past El Cap, The Three Brothers, and Bridal Veil Falls. On the grade up through the tunnels I was impressed to not ride that section as it is very narrow, and has lots of curves, and lots of cars. There are no shoulders or bike lanes. I got there around 11 a.m. and it took me a couple hours to get a ride. Finally, a couple of nice guys who were fishing the Merced River came up to their SUV and started talking to me and decided to give me a ride.
At the top of the grade at Crane Flat I made some adjustments on my bike and checked the air in the tires and got ready to go. I sat on a bench outside the Crane Flat store eating my sandwich with a bag of ice on a swollen and badly bruised knee. It wasn’t a picture of someone ready to tackle the high country of Yosemite. After I finished my lunch, I looked for someone who needed some ice, gave it to them and was off.
From Crane Flat to White Wolf they were finishing up asphalt work on the road. This was from. 12 miles of smooth road was great. As I arrived at the traffic control points, I would ride up past all the cars and wait to go. I enjoyed talking to people in route and then visiting with the traffic control people. They were excited for me and gave me thumbs up. The first two stops like this but at the third one I was stopped and asked to wait for a supervisor. The supervisor said she would be escorting me the rest of the way. When she drove up in her truck she asked if I would be able to give it all I got for a couple miles. I asked her how the road was. The reply was the one word I didn’t want to hear, “UP.” I told her I could give her between 5 and 7 miles an hour and that would be about it. I said a prayer and we were off. I was amazed at what I was able to do. The strength I had was incredible. I only had to stop for a short breather a couple of times. After two miles of no traffic or reason for this two-mile sprint, we stopped. I waited for final clearance from her before I could go. I couldn’t believe how fast I peddled up that road.
Now I was free to enjoy some great up and downhill sections with beautiful vistas, the smell of the forest, the magnificent trees, the fresh air, and the wild flowers. When I got to Yosemite Falls Creek, I took a break and soaked my leg in the cold water which felt marvelous.
Up and down I went and as the sun crossed the sky the colors and shadows on the majestic granite formations would change. Around every turn and over every hill there was something new and exciting. I had just crested over the hill at Olmstead Point. Wow! It was breath taking. It was as if I had never seen it before. It was about 7:00 p.m. and the Sun’s illumination was perfect. I spent time there taking pictures and witnessing the changes in the landscape.
My destination for the night was Tuolumne Meadows Campground. I didn’t have reservations but knew I could find a small plot of ground to lay my head.
I rode on past Tenaya Lake, Pywiack Dome, Polly Dome, Mendicott Dome, Fairview Dome and on into Tuolumne Meadows. By now it was 8:30 p.m. and was quite dark. I pulled into the campground and spotted several vacant campsites and picked my spot. The young couple in the site next to where I was, invited me to put my tent within their area just in case someone showed up late to that site. I shared a few stories with them, fixed a dinner of Mountain House freeze dried Chicken Teriyaki and Rice, cleaned up and went to bed. As I lay there looking into the brilliant night sky, I gave thanks for a very special day.
Good night. No injuries to report. Just lots of blessings.
View photos from this adventure in my Gallery – Yosemite Trip page.