As we continued north on Highway 99, I couldn't help but notice how much farming had changed in the Central Valley. When I first moved to California the crops around Bakersfield were mostly cotton and alfalfa. We used to watch the crop dusters flying over the fields, but that is around Selma, the self-proclaimed raisin capitol of the world. Now, even the smaller towns have at least one mall and a Home Depot.
After we turned off Highway 99, we passed a field of white egrets, rolling hills of serpentine, and the Ponderosa pines of the foothills. We wound along the Merced River in canyons that will be clothed in California poppies in a couple of months until we reached the border of Yosemite National Park. The rapids of the Merced and the appearance of snow reminded us that we were climbing to reach Yosemite Valley.
We made a quick loop around the valley to check out Valley View and then Tunnel View. The lighting was very poor in both areas, so we only took a few shots with our iPhones.
We checked in at Yosemite Valley Lodge, and after only twenty trips back and forth to the Explorer, we settled in for lunch and a quick nap.
Valley View for sunset can be a magical experience as the final light of the day paints El Capitan orange. Today wasn't that kind of day. We had some warm light right after sunset, but it was nothing compared to what I've seen in the past.
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