After breakfast at the camper’s dining pavilion, I walked over to the meadow to watch the sun rise.
The northern wall of the valley was already mostly in full sun; the face of Glacier Point was still in shadow as was the face of Half Dome, which would only begin to see the sun late in the afternoon.
While the visual environment was splendid, the audio certainly wasn’t.
It sounded like someone was repeatedly slamming the door of a shipping container; the reports echoed across the entire valley. Road crews were already at work, diesels droning, mills grinding, backup alarms bleeping. Buses and other traffic, including aeronautical, were in a constant parade.
I realized there was a solution at hand. Late the previous evening I’d succeeded in getting my new iPod functional. I knew it and the Bose active noise cancellation rig were fully charged. I strode purposefully back to my tent cabin and gathered up the devices, then went out for a short walk.
Despite my complaints about how all I really wanted was another Shuffle, it really was nice to know that my entire library was now available on my portable device. It was also very nice to be able to select my Grand Canyon Suite playlist. That collection, which I’d carefully compiled as the soundtrack for my hike of the canyon a couple years ago, has been the playlist most commonly loaded to my Shuffle ever since. It had turned out to be a particularly pleasing set of music, especially well-suited for walking in the woods, and was just the ticket for strolling in Yosemite.
While the visual environment was splendid, the audio certainly wasn’t.
It sounded like someone was repeatedly slamming the door of a shipping container; the reports echoed across the entire valley. Road crews were already at work, diesels droning, mills grinding, backup alarms bleeping. Buses and other traffic, including aeronautical, were in a constant parade.
I realized there was a solution at hand. Late the previous evening I’d succeeded in getting my new iPod functional. I knew it and the Bose active noise cancellation rig were fully charged. I strode purposefully back to my tent cabin and gathered up the devices, then went out for a short walk.
Despite my complaints about how all I really wanted was another Shuffle, it really was nice to know that my entire library was now available on my portable device. It was also very nice to be able to select my Grand Canyon Suite playlist. That collection, which I’d carefully compiled as the soundtrack for my hike of the canyon a couple years ago, has been the playlist most commonly loaded to my Shuffle ever since. It had turned out to be a particularly pleasing set of music, especially well-suited for walking in the woods, and was just the ticket for strolling in Yosemite.
I returned to the meadow, the noisy horribleness vanquished, replaced by my personal nominations for the best music ever recorded.
My footfalls led me to the Ahwahnee.
Along the way I discovered (no big surprise) that my new iPod has a much better camera than my iPhone 4S.
My footfalls led me to the Ahwahnee.
Along the way I discovered (no big surprise) that my new iPod has a much better camera than my iPhone 4S.
At the Ahwahnee I ordered a coffee from the bar, then went to the great hall and settled into an exceedingly plush armchair by the fireplace, where I very nearly fell asleep.
While that would have been a perfectly reasonable use of my time, I finally got up because I felt I was squandering my opportunity to revel in the perfect day outside.
While that would have been a perfectly reasonable use of my time, I finally got up because I felt I was squandering my opportunity to revel in the perfect day outside.
When I’d started the walk to the Ahwahnee I was assuming a need to return within an hour or so to be out of the tent by checkout time.
But at some point I’d realized that the things which were true yesterday were even more true today.
Yosemite was in my pocket, and riding away from it would still be just plain stupid.
I went back to Half Dome Village and held over the tent for another night.
Then I converted my tank bag into a knapsack, stuffed it with most of the 15 essentials (only 12 of the 15 are transportable objects), and spent the rest of the day wandering aimlessly around the valley.
A substantial chunk of the afternoon was spent dozing in my hammock where I’d slung it in a shady, secluded spot I’d climbed up to near the base of Lower Yosemite Falls.
But at some point I’d realized that the things which were true yesterday were even more true today.
Yosemite was in my pocket, and riding away from it would still be just plain stupid.
I went back to Half Dome Village and held over the tent for another night.
Then I converted my tank bag into a knapsack, stuffed it with most of the 15 essentials (only 12 of the 15 are transportable objects), and spent the rest of the day wandering aimlessly around the valley.
A substantial chunk of the afternoon was spent dozing in my hammock where I’d slung it in a shady, secluded spot I’d climbed up to near the base of Lower Yosemite Falls.
At the end of the day I once again had dinner in the Ahwahnee bar.
And once again wrote my dispatch from the great room.
One other thing I did was plot out the ride for the next two days, which will end when I meet Larry and Gary (another charter member of PHASTR) in Laughlin. From there we’ll ride back to Phoenix together on Thursday.
Google calculates the route I’ve selected as taking nearly twice as much time as the recommended default, although the distances are about the same. It will be grueling, due to all the twists and turns, a very physical workout muscling that big machine around all those curves.
Even if I don’t get lost.
I’m planning to shunpike all the way down the southern Sierra, avoiding the central valley almost completely, on a series of often small and ridiculously serpentine roads until I finally run out of mountains and have nothing left but a mostly straight flat dash across the desert.
I’ve used Googlemaps satellite view to zoom in on the most remote of the roads selected, and they all appear to be paved. Let’s hope.
Here’s where to start looking if I don’t show up in Laughlin:
And once again wrote my dispatch from the great room.
One other thing I did was plot out the ride for the next two days, which will end when I meet Larry and Gary (another charter member of PHASTR) in Laughlin. From there we’ll ride back to Phoenix together on Thursday.
Google calculates the route I’ve selected as taking nearly twice as much time as the recommended default, although the distances are about the same. It will be grueling, due to all the twists and turns, a very physical workout muscling that big machine around all those curves.
Even if I don’t get lost.
I’m planning to shunpike all the way down the southern Sierra, avoiding the central valley almost completely, on a series of often small and ridiculously serpentine roads until I finally run out of mountains and have nothing left but a mostly straight flat dash across the desert.
I’ve used Googlemaps satellite view to zoom in on the most remote of the roads selected, and they all appear to be paved. Let’s hope.
Here’s where to start looking if I don’t show up in Laughlin:
PLANNED ROUTE - IMAGE IS A LINK TO GOOGLEMAP ITINERARY
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