It was a beautiful calm cloudless day in South Lake Tahoe, when we prepared to set off for home. Mark and Andrea were heading south on 395 as far as they could go today, and I decided to join them to the eastern end of Tioga Pass.
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| The lake was calm and clear as the sun rose |
The drive south on 395 was wonderful. There was little traffic, and the scenery of the mountains was beautiful.
We took a short break in the small (population 575, altitude 6463ft) town of Bridgeport. This is fishing country.
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| Burgers, Burritos, Ice Cream, and....Massage. OK, slightly unusual combination.... |
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| If I was to open a Surf Shop, I think I might have chosen somewhere a little closer to sea level.... |
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| Deer Processing. Home of the "Roadkill" Sandwich. Yumm, delicious..... |
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| Driving south on 395 |
At Lee Vining (6781 ft), on the shores of Mono Lake, the convoy broke up. Mark and Andrea continued south on 395, and I turned west onto 120 and over the Tioga Pass which had opened that morning after the winter break.
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| Tioga Pass rises steeply on the East Side and then slopes more gently to the West. The views are amazing... |
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| Frozen lakes, and snow-capped mountains. The summit of Tioga Pass is at 9,943ft |
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| Peaks over 10,000ft too numerous to mention |
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| Tenaya Lake at 8,150ft |
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| Above Tenaya Lake |
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| Approaching the West End of the Pass. View of Half Dome from Olmstead Point |
At the west end of Tioga Pass traffic became busy. The news was out that the pass was open, and everyone wanted to take a look. As I drove down CA-120 towards Yosemite, the traffic got even busier. We were lucky to have witnessed the valley during the week when it was much quieter. I did not go into Yosemite Valley itself, but headed back out towards Fresno on CA-41. Of course, I had to stop at "Tunnel View" on the way out for the mandatory last look at the valley in all its magnificence.
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| El Capitan on the left, Bridalveil Falls on the right, and Half Dome guarding the end of the valley |
As I had missed the opportunity to visit Glacier Point on our day in Yosemite, I took the one hour (driving) detour and (untimed) staring detour when I arrived. Hundreds and Thousands of people, but nothing could spoil the view.
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| Half Dome feels so close that you can almost reach out and touch it. The camera does not do the view justice.. |
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| Yosemite Falls from Glacier Point |
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| View East to the High Sierra. Nevada Falls (center left), Vernal Falls (lower left) |
With that, I headed to Fresno to spend Mother's Day with my family. I will return the E-Type to the coast later in the week. Thanks to everyone for the company, and drive safely home...
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