Mariposa is the most
southern of the Gold Rush towns and is a charming place. It is one of
those communities which incorporates the historic district into it's
living and breathing community. The motel we stayed was within
walking distance from downtown and so we were able to eat and visit
in the old town. We enjoyed the stay, ending our trek through the
Mother Lode. We headed out of town into
Yosemite.
Whoa. That's all I can say. Whoa.
Yosemite is this valley of granite. You
drive up and up and over the mountain. The terrain is the same as
you've been driving.....trees and dirt and trees and winding
roads....and then you are at the top of the pass and a wonderland of
glory opens before you. A Disneyland of grandeur. An Eden. You gotta
go there to understand.
Most people spend days, weeks in
Yosemite. We spent three hours. That's
the way of our travels. We took a valley floor tour to see and hear
all about the valley and vowed to return for a week of exploring. We
then headed out over Tioga
Pass -- 10,000 feet --
out of the valley and into the real world
again.
Well, kinda real world. The first thing we find outside Yosemite
is Mono Lake. That big sucking sound you
hear is coming from Los Angeles, the land of water need. The city
dammed the river (over 200 miles from LA in the eastern Sierras) that
feeds into Mono Lake for their own use, thus changing the terrain
forever. Now lacking fresh water, the lake became more salty. Fish
died and now only shrimp and flies can live in the brine. Strange
tufa of calcium deposits protrude from the lake.
We left the shores to spend the night in
Bishop. Nothing exciting there. Nice town.
We realized for the first time it was almost Labor Day weekend.
On to Day Six
