November 1, 2015; Yosemite National Park

NOVEMBER 1, 2015, SUNDAY; Yosemite Park

WOW, what a fantastic day!  It was sunny and warm all day.  First we moved our clocks back one hour so I was up at 7am new time.  We headed south on Hwy 49 with the Jeep to Oakhurst then north on Hwy 41.  I am glad we took this road as I was planning on leaving this way but not anymore.  It was tortuous and up and down.  Fun to drive with the Jeep but NOT the Beaver.  First we stopped at the Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine Railroad, an interesting place where there was an old steam train with rail cars to take people on a one-hour tour however we didn’t go.  At the Park entrance we paid $25 to get in and found that our first stop, the road to MARIPOSA GROVE, was closed due to repairs so we continued on.  We stopped at the Wawona Hotel and visitor Centre, took a look around then back to the road.  The drive to GLACIER POINT Rd was very picturesque but not many places where we could stop to take pictures.  We turned onto Glacier Point Rd and went up and up to 7300 feet and had a majestic view of the valley and the surrounding.  We took dozens of pictures of the area, the famous HALF DOME and the Vernal falls and the Nevada falls.  This whole area was formed by glaciers millions of years ago.  We spent generous time in this area and walked around to explore.  Then we drove back down to the WAWONA Rd (Hwy 41).  From this point, we began our descend to the Village in the Yosemite Valley.  We drove through a one-mile tunnel and stopped on the other side to take pictures of the Valley and the river.  From this point on, the road was one-way so we didn’t have to worry about meeting traffic.  We stopped at BRIDALVEIL FALLS, a very interesting area.  We had to hike up to the view point.  As you watch the water coming down (almost a free fall), the chute would move from side to side and form a veil hence the name.  I even took a short video of it.  We had to park away from the village and walk in.  We had lunch here (very expensive), looked around and walk back to the car.  Time was moving on and we had to get back before dark so we headed out.  We took more pictures of EL Capitan, Lower Yosemite Falls, The Sentinel rock and a few other sites.  The road back was called Northside Drive and El Portal roadway.  Again it was one way but eventually became two ways!   We eventually reached Hwy 140 and Mariposa.  We stopped for some groceries and it was dark by the time we arrived home.  It was a FANTASTIC DAY and I recommend it to anyone.  It is a dream road for motorbikes!!!