The landscape was different again in the valley.
It was early enough for the deer to be visible.
So I was told that a recent death in the park was due to a deer being fed by a child. Cars slammed on their brakes to get a glimpse of the deer, and I noticed them too, but didn't flail to look at them. I stood on a rock near a path next to where the deer were and waited and watched the mother and 2 fawn for a while. This human family went like this: Lets stand here, wait no lets get closer. That wasn't close enough and the kids were freaking out crying either because they were scared or they wanted to pet them. So the husband had the bright idea to go around them and move towards them to drive them closer to the kids...ugh. Now it would have been a delight to see the man get racked or something, but the mother might have went ape shit and whipped out her nine. I told them that it illegal to approach and harass the wildlife.
The meadows allow the cliffs all around to be enjoyed.
The sun beamed down and lit everything dramatically.
Yosemite Falls was the goal for today. I headed for the trail coming through the meadow.
Tucked away from sght but right near the shuttle stop were two more deer relaxing.
The oaks remind me of Indiana. More appropriately NW Indiana since I visited there so much for what WAS my extended family.
Working my way up a very winding path up the cliff I glanced back to see the valley get further and further away.
Looking back to where I had come up didn't look as rigorous as it actually was.
I probably notice it more because natural versus artificial has always been a fascination for me, but what looked like insulators for power lines were in the trees every so often.
Half Dome came and went my whole visit to the valley. Sometimes it was clear all day, and other days I could not see it at all.
My first view of the falls from the trail. The ice pack from the spray was really tall at the base and I would have very much liked to hike and see it, but it was passed 4 so it was getting dark. I started to head back and boy was i glad that I had turned back when I did.
The sunset shining onto Half Dome onto the clouds set them on fire.
The was able to see the fog slowly roll into the valley as it got darker and colder.
The valley before had maybe one tiny bit of fog. It was gorgeously eery.
When I started back it just getting dark but the brush below covered the rocky path and was very dark already. I could faintly see the light colored stones against the dark soil and stepped as carefully as I could, but the darkness took over and I had to trust my legs.
By the time that I got off of the trail it was pitch black. It was nice to almost alone in the valley, all but headlights shining in my face bouncing off the fog
For those of you I practiced my sugar pick up line on, I've never used it, I found this superior sugar packet.
Vegetarian lasagna was not bad at all. The closest sizable town is Mariposa over and hour away, so I checked the prices at a hotel right outside the park, $175 screw that, but I was hungry for somethin other than chips and crackers. The hotel restaurant was the kind of place that the visibly snubbed me as I entered, but it wasn't ritzy at all, just expensive. So you know about my bad water experience out of Mariposa, this place had well water and the Coke was the best freaking thing ever. I have always looked more forward to what I am drinking at a meal than what the food is, and this Coke was great. I told the waiter about my Coke orgasm and he expressed that their water came from a spring and that Mariposa treated their water with a lot of chlorine. That's why I had vomit on my lips, tasty.
I ended up at the same turnout I had slept at the night before and this time I was sharing my quarters with the locals. Next time you're zooming down a country road at night think of this: the deer are waiting for you right next to the roadside.
My beard is quite longer than I'm used to. I am almost finished with my trip, and that leads me the final posts and me riding off into the sunset.
