42 Miles | 1.5 Hours
Depart Fri 8/15
Day passes are Yosemite are completely Unobtanium during the height of the season and with limited numbers available during the pandemic, but based on a tip we received if you pass through the gates at Tioga Pass l, depending on the ranger you are generally allowed to come through as long as you can show proof of your destination on the other side and you are allowed 3 hours for passage.
We decide not to chance getting an unfriendly ranger by doing our best to get through the gate pass before they open, given we are passing through for the day which is technically allowed, but a bit more difficult in the current conditions. We pack up and have wheels rolling by 5:30am, coasting through the gates with no-one there at 5:55am -- 5 minutes to spare.
The Audi and The Gypsy make it up and down the steep grades easily and just like that we’re in Yosemite. It’s still early when we get to the valley floor, there’s hardly anyone yet on the road, we find a relatively quiet and out of the way spot by the valley chapel (which is only open on Sundays) away from passing traffic.
While parked there, we each crank out a 2-hours of work while Sibri attends her second day of school on Zoom, and laugh as her new teacher realizes that her Zoom background is the real Yosemite, not a virtual one.
With our day’s work done, we decide to take a quick tour of the surroundings, so we get the bikes down, pack some water and provisions and hit the bike trails of the Yosemite valley, leaving the airstream parked by the church.
It’s a perfect day and we ride our bikes through the village and stop for brunch at the cafe before heading out to see Mirror lake (which is dry) and the Happy Isles, which have a waterfall-fed stream that flows around 3 islands connected by bridges that are perfect for riding bikes across.
We get to the end of the trail and enjoy wading into the center of the stream where we enjoy a snack on the rocks amidst the tranquil setting with nobody else around.
On the way back to the Airstream we see things are starting to fill up and as we near the trailer we see a popular swimming hole where a full-size stag has decided to join in the festivities and is bathing in the water a few feet from the surrounding crowd who are giving him a little space but not that much. Before getting back on the road we grab our swimsuits along with Bella the cat and head back to the swimming hike to take a cold soak to help beat the heat for our drive out.
Bella has been cooped up in tbe trailer with only one fan on in temperatures approaching low 90s so the girls bring her into the cool water as well to help ensure she doesn’t get kitty heat stroke.
After an accelerated day of adventuring we head once again for the exit, and we see our first rangers the day passing by the other way on our way out. A few minutes later we do a rolling stop through the exit gate and are officially through the park and on our final stretch back to Mercey Hot Springs, where we had officially kicked off our trip 2 months earlier.
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