When we got up this morning, the winds had died down, and the sky was beginning to clear. By 8:00, nearly all the motorhomes in our row of the campground were already gone. By 11:00, we would be gone too.
It's always hard to cut a vacation short, but yesterday was so miserable with the smog, heat, and the motorhome A/C cutting out throughout the afternoon, that we continued with our plan to drive home today. Looking up toward South Lake, it looked like the haze and particulates in the air had cleared along the Sierra Crest. We may have been able to escape the heat up there and had a couple more good days, but at the end of the day, we would have to return to the heat of Bishop. We will save Bishop and the Eastern Sierra for next fall or early next spring.
Although we hit a few pockets of wind on the drive home, it was nothing serious. Cajon Pass was quiet, and we had no issues getting home. We drove through San Bernardino and Riverside just before the traffic peaked and got home shortly after it peaked here. It seemed a little strange to get home before dark on the final day, but it made it easier to get everything unpacked.
We had an interesting trip to Yosemite. The highlight had to be the bear in Cooks Meadow tearing into the log looking for grubs. But the hike down to the Tuolumne River cascades just below Pothole Dome was the best day. It was a beautiful day with cumulus clouds floating across the sky, and we found a new area that was gorgeous. Temperatures in the 70's, mostly blue skies, a pristine river, playful marmots, and very few people made for a fantastic day. It was a reminder of the backpacking days when I would hike into the back country and see areas like this every day.
The strange thing about this trip is that we photographed only about 1/2 the days of the trip. Three days were spent driving, and we lost another day when we weren't feeling well. We normally have general "tourist" days when we drive around to photograph the main spots in the park. We did that on the May trip. This trip, our plans centered around one or two locations to shoot on the days we were out and about. By the time we finished with the Budd Lake and Tuolumne River cascades hikes, the day was nearly gone and we were too tired for more hiking.
I'm disappointed that the controlled burn prevented climbing Sentinel Dome and shooting from there, and that we had to cancel hiking up the Little Lakes Valley near Tom's Place in the Eastern Sierras. They will have to wait until next time.
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