For milder temperatures, I started early in the morning driving from my hotel in El Portal toward the Arch Rock entrance to Yosemite, which is only about 2 miles away. I had downloaded an app obtained at TripAdvisor.com, called the Action Tour Guide app and included the Yosemite Valley audio tour that I had purchased for less than $20. (Yesterday, I had forgotten to download the paid tour while I still had WiFi. Mistake!) The tour narration is GPS activated which worked well most of the time. My first stop was to park for Bridalveil Fall.
Here, the narrator told the legend of a girl named Norita who fell in love with a warrior named Grey Eagle. Alas, they were from rival tribes. The elders discovered their plot to elope and told Norita they had killed Grey Eagle. She threw herself over a mountain out of grief but Mother Nature turned her into a veil of falling water. When Mother Nature found Grey Eagle, he had not been killed but had turned himself into the mountain itself so he could watch over Norita for eternity.
My next stop was to enter the large, beautiful meadow on the valley floor, where I spent considerable time walking, meditating, and taking in magnificent views of El Capitan and the Three Brothers. A deer walked nearby for added pleasure.
Alex Honnold became the first person to free solo the Freerider Route, as documented in the film, Free Solo.
Back in the car, my next stop was the parking lot for the trail to the base of Lower Yosemite Fall. The first video below shows both Upper and Lower Fall from the trail. The second video shows Lower Fall, where there were far more people than anywhere else I’ve been on this trip to Yosemite.
It was time for an early lunch, having started so early and walked so long. I arrived at the Grill in Yosemite Village just as they were opening at 11:00 am. Ah, a nice pulled pork sandwich and an Arnold Palmer.
Then, I took the shuttle one stop to get to the parking lot and walked back to the trail. I had taken a picture of a sign to help me orient myself to find my car. Ok, there’s the sign, now delete the photo. No wait!! Is that Half Dome peering over the sign?
Unexpected treasures! Now to drive the final leg around the valley floor, stopping at the Valley View pullout.
I leave you and Yosemite with my version of this iconic view. On the left is El Capitan. On the right are the Cathedral Rocks. Notice the thin ribbon down the dark cliff; that’s Bridalveil Fall. The River in the foreground is the Merced River — the same as the one running behind my hotel room deck, where I’m headed now.
