Northern California Trip (June 2017)

Though we have been living in the country for a while, haven’t really planned a good long vacation in California. We’ve been meaning to see the giant trees, lush green valleys of Yosemite and scenic Pacific coast, we kept postponing for several reasons. In a way, it was good that we didn’t plan there in the last 5 years though. The drought struck California and its effect on Yosemite waterfalls was so evident from the pictures. Luckily, the rains and snow during the last year had made the valley to come back!
Day 1 (San Francisco):

We started off in San Francisco and quickly drove away from the city after a day. The day that we spent in the city was a bit disappointing because of the heavy fog engulfing the Golden Gate Bridge. It was so bad that we could not see bridge even from a distance of about 100ft! Well, it wasn’t atypical for Golden Gate Bridge and we weren’t lucky enough to beat that.

Downtown San Francisco had lot of things to offer - food, road-side chai shop and things to do along the fisherman’s wharf. The variety of food offerings was amazing - catering for every palette. The road-side chai reminded us of the mobile tea kadais outside the colleges in India. After the city tour in a bus, picked up our rental at the airport and drove straight to my friend’s place whom I haven’t met for more than 10 years.

Day 2 (Pacific Coast Highway):

Our first stop was the Hanuman temple in Mt.Madonna, recommended by my friend, before hitting the coast. It was recommended especially for the location and the drive to that location. On the way, we saw a farmstand LJB Farms. We picked up some strawberries and nuts to munch on. This is literally the first time to experience how strawberries taste when they are picked after ripening! Just like it says in their web-site (“Nothing at LJB Farms is force-ripened or frozen”), the strawberries tasted so delicious. It was certainly a wonderful drive to a serene location. We visited the temple surrounded by relatively big redwood trees and that has a good view from the top of that mountain.

From the temple, we headed to the 17-Mile drive on the Pacific Coast. It was an awesome drive with eye-catching scenery all along the way. Can’t resist making numerous stops along the way. Ocean waters embracing the cliffs, birds and animals of the ocean, with flora along the coast - all this cannot be fully described with a simple language. It was a visual treat that can arrest you in certain spots, at the same time relaxing your soul to an extent that you can easily spend hours together in one spot.
If only, we could continue our journey south along the coast, it would’ve fulfilled our wishes. The landslide around Big Sur area had forced road closures. So, we had to depart from the coastal highway to inland roads to get to the Sea Breeze Inn in San Simeon that we had planned to stay for the night. We drove through the Paso Robles (Hwy CA-46) area brimming with vineyards and wineries. Since we wouldn’t be able to visit Napa, we thought, maybe, we can hit this area while there. By the time we reached the hotel, it was around 11 p.m. The only thing that was evident during that time of the night was that it was located in a serene location with not much activity around.

Day 3 (PCH & Central Valley):

The next day morning, we woke up to find out how near the shore was. Walked up and down the shore for some time devouring the relatively deserted beach with awesome weather of sunshine and crisp wind. Could’ve spent a few more hours easily, just chilling on the beach.

Then, we decided to drive up north along the PCH with a goal to go as far north as possible until we see the road closure due to the landslide. Along the way, within a few miles from the SeaBreeze Inn, we came across the area called Piedras Blancas where for some reasons the elephant seals decide to come ashore and lay around for the visitors to see! A non-profit organization Friends of Elephant Seal does a good job of putting up small unobtrusive tables in that location to educate the visitors about the elephant seals. There were probably hundreds of them lying on the beach. Apparently, a bunch of them were molting, a few were engaged in some brawls and some just lying like a huge piece of soft blubber. While the appearance of them from a distance makes you think that their skin is so smooth, the actual skin felt rough to the touch. No, we didn’t really touch a seal in the wild! The volunteers of the friends of the elephant seal had a few things for display and sale. A piece of skin that was collected from the molting was on for display for the visitors to touch. That showed how rough that skin was.
Then, we continued the journey up north along the PCH past the Ragged point. We would’ve gone, probably, for a few more miles where we were stopped by the actual road closure. Thus, we came back and stopped at the Ragged Point for some rest and food. That location had a restaurant, fast food, cafe and a trail that led down the cliff to the beach. It was a beautiful location, with a troupe performing live music. The hyperlink above is for the TripAdvisor link where you can see the mostly nice reviews of this location.

After some food and relaxation, we continued south, again passing through the Piedras Blancas area. There was a trail along the coast where we met a local couple from Morro Bay. Talking to them made us aware that in addition to Hwy 46, Harmony, CA also has a winery (though not a vineyard) that is supposed to be good. So, we decided to hit the Harmony Cellars. Did some wine tasting - some of them that we liked and bought to bring back to NY. Then we continued on to Morro Bay and it was time to get off the coastal drive and get to Three Rivers, CA, just outside the western entrance of Sequoia National Park.

Along the way, we got to see the central valley of CA where there were humongous farms with a variety of crops including both fruits and vegetables. While passing through the mountains when moving east from the coast, the entire landscape seemed so dry with brown grass. But, every inch of that landscape was fenced and could see hundreds of cows grazing. Overall, we didn’t see much of corn or soy plantations, but everything else seems to be there, with a bunch of hoardings lobbying for water for farming.
Day 4 (Sequoia National Park):

Next day, we drove to Sequoia which wasn’t that far from Three Rivers. The drive inside the park started off with a lot of narrow winding roads up the hill. There were no signs of huge trees for the initial few miles. The forest got denser and greener after a certain point and it was spectacular once we started entering the area with huge trees. If one has not seen such tall and big trees, it can be a huge awe-inspiring surprise, which was for us! Couldn’t stop ourselves making several stops wherever possible. The roads being narrow, one wouldn’t be able to make many stops, anyway. With narrow roads and hairpin bends along, the slow driving itself can be a treat to the eye. Taking it easy and being careful would itself be a delight along the way. Once we reached the visitor center, the main parking lot was too full that we had to drive to an adjacent parking lot that was farther. But, the walk from that lot brought us through a gorgeous vista point with an open view from the top of the mountain!
The park was running free shuttle service to access different trailheads and vista points. We took the shuttle to visit the Giant Forest and The General Sherman Tree, as these seem to be the most visited attraction in the park. Sherman tree is supposed to be the biggest tree by volume. It was so magnificent to see and can be very humbling to know that the tree is almost 2000 years and still alive, well and growing! 

In a way they seem to be defining what immortality is - "I never saw a Big Tree that had died a natural death," John Muir wrote of the giant sequoia. "Barring accidents they seem to be immortal, being exempt from all diseases that afflict and kill other trees. Unless destroyed by man, they live on indefinitely until burned, smashed by lightning, or cast down by storms, or by the giving way of the ground on which they stand." It is very interesting to read about the facts of Sequoias that are posted all over the park at different areas. The NPS site also has a lot of facts about these magnificent trees. With the blue skies as the backdrop, if you look up the canopies of these trees, one cannot take the eyes off that easily. It dwarfs all the man-made structures and the incomprehensible awesomeness of nature!
After visiting the General Sherman tree and taking a stroll, we caught up another shuttle going to Moro Rock trailhead. I wasn’t so sure that we wanted to hike up to the top because of the fear of heights, but NPS has done such a great job of building that trail with safety rails, that most people could walk up without fear. It’s a relatively short trail of 0.4 miles that climbs up 177 ft. The rocky nature of the trail can be moderately challenging, but the views along the way can make it so breezy that you won’t realize any difficulty. It is a must-see spot in Sequoia park. The view from atop provides a 360° view that is so beautiful to watch. It helps if it was a clear day. This being a summer day, though it was clear, the haziness reduced the clarity. Even with that, the mountainous landscape was great to watch. We just have to make sure you have enough water to hike up and back down, especially on warm/hot days like this. After the Moro rock trip, we still had some time to pay a visit to the Crescent Meadows. This is something that is not a great spot, but if time permits, would be a worthwhile visit, especially for the lush greenery surrounded by big trees. 

Day 5 (Yosemite National Park) :

Next day was the drive to El Portal for the stay at Cedar Lodge. This location just outside of the western entrance to Yosemite National Park. We traced our way back to Visalia, CA and headed north. Again, this path through Hwy 99 to Fresno showed a taste of the California’s farm country on either side of the highway. From Fresno, we were supposed to take Hwy 41, switch on to Hwy 49 and get on Hwy 140 to go to El Portal. But, we decided to continue on Hwy 41 into the park and go through Wawona. With a beautiful weather out there, this turned out to be a very good decision. We visited the Glacier Point and Washburn Point on the way to Glacier Point. These two locations provided an amazing view of the Half Dome and several of the Yosemite falls. The magnificence of the Yosemite valley along with all its falls was a treat to watch from a distance. One can easily dedicate few hours between the two vista points, not to mention the scenic narrow windy roads that lead to these two points.
From there, we traced our way back to Wawona road to get to El Portal. But, on the way, we saw the trailhead for Sentinel Dome. We decided to check out to see if we could complete it before heading to El Portal. We saw that it was a 2.2 mile RT, but we didn’t know much about the elevation or the type of trail that led to the dome. We just thought of winging it as we saw a few people going in and out frequently, though not a lot of crowd. While talking to a guy coming out, he mentioned that it was mostly an easy hike with a bit of rocky uphill towards the end. Gotta mention that the final portion he mentioned was quite rocky without any set trails. We just had find an easy path of your preference to get to the top of the dome. The rocky surface provided good grip by itself, but one wouldn’t know until you start climbing. A good pair of hiking shoes would be helpful, but one of us had just a regular walking shoe and didn’t have much of a problem. But once you get to the top, you can’t hold your surprise, as the entire Yosemite valley, Half Dome, El Capitan and the numerous waterfalls - all were exhibiting their magnificent appearance right in front of your eyes in a 360° view! On a clear day with pristine blue skies, the only drawback was the haze when you look in the direction of the Sun. Again, one cannot expect anything but on a summer day like that. On colder days in Fall, it might be better, but that would have had its own drawbacks like colder temperatures and snow at higher altitudes. Sentinel Dome hike is must-do for averagely fit people like us who cannot imagine hiking the half-dome! What a satisfaction to one’s soul!

From there, headed down to Wawona road and to catch Hwy 140 to El Portal. For this, we had to come down the hill towards Tunnel View point. But, before we could reach that point, we saw the brightness of the Half Dome with the Sun setting and pulled over to spend some time to see the bright colors that were reflected by the mountains by the setting Sun. Nature has its way of communicating complexities in a way the beauty of which cannot be completely expressed by words.

After this, we headed down and went through a tunnel, without actually realizing that we are getting to the Tunnel Viewpoint until just about exiting the tunnel. Just as you exit, the gigantic structures of Yosemite just drops right in front of your eyes. They had ample parking/viewing area dedicated for this and we just can’t avoid pulling over especially it being a twilight time. The beauty of it required us to come back again in the next couple days that we were planning to stay in the area. By the time we got off that area, it was getting dark and we headed straight to El Portal. On the way, it took us into a lot of windy roads with the sounds of several falls and the Merced River all along until we reached the Cedar Lodge. While we had cellphone signals going through the valley and vicinity, there was literally no service by the time we reached the hotel. Even the hotel had limited wi-fi, provided by satellite and not cable. So, one has to be prepared to stay disconnected for a couple of days. It was a good break.

Day 6 (Yosemite National Park):

The next day, we set off to Yosemite again, this time we parked the car in the valley and took the park shuttle, first to Vernal Falls via the Mist Trail. The trail up to the Vernal falls footbridge is in itself can be a considered a moderately difficult one because of its steepness. But, after this point, the trail along the vernal falls is something that is very interesting and one cannot avoid the mist from falls water. On a good summer day like that, it was a wonderful thing to experience. You got to be careful about the wet/slippery rocky steps near the falls. It was a good year that has had good snowfall in the winter that has led to a lot of water in the falls, and it is so nice to feel it so close to you.

From the Vernal Falls, we decided to go to the Mirror Lake. It was a relatively short hike, at the beginning of which we saw a black bear very close to the trail. It was just minding its own business while the whole bunch visitors silently kept staring at it with relative silence not to attract the bear attention unnecessarily. By the time we reached the Mirror Lake, we had to make sure if it was indeed the mirror lake. It was not an impressive spot. 

Day 7 (Yosemite National Park):

On the third day in Yosemite, getting parking started being difficult as we were approaching the July 4th weekend. We found a spot on the street and got to get to the Bridalveil falls. The position of the bridal veil falls is such that it appears spectacularly beautiful next to Half Dome when viewed from several different locations.
After this, we went to the village and found a spot near on the southside drive a bit past the swinging bridge picnic area. The view from the Swinging Bridge is another spot that we wanted to cover. Though that area is not very crowded, the view from here was amazing. One can see the El Capitan, Half Dome and the Upper Yosemite Falls all together right in front of you. While the tunnel view provided a view from atop, this one provides a view from the valley looking up. We decided to have our picnic lunch there and proceeded to the Lower Yosemite Falls. Lower Yosemite falls is something that’s hidden with all the foliage and becomes visible only when you get closer.
After this, we decided to walk back to the car through the Cook’s Meadow. It is a beautiful serene atmosphere walking in the Cook’s Meadow, though there are so many vehicles running along the Northside and Southside drives! You can witness the grandeur of the mountains and falls around you when you look from the grassy grounds of Cook’s meadow. You gotta be careful not run into the marshes of Merced river and Yosemite Creek that runs through the Cook’s meadow. Better to stay on the trail and not to venture off-trail! With that, we called it a day and ended our Yosemite days.

Day 8 (Ebbett's Pass & Lake Tahoe):

We decided to ride through the park and get onto Big Oak Flat Road to catch Route 120 going west. Our plan was to hit 120, get on Hwy 49 and Hwy 88/89 to get to our final destination which is Lake Tahoe. The drive through the Route 120 was another one that had lots of beautiful views in store along the way.

After getting onto Hwy 49, our GPS directed us to take Route 4, which we diligently followed. To our surprise, Route 4 took us through the Big Trees for a while, which was an amazing drive in itself. After a distance, suddenly the two-lane road became a road without a dividing line. Unknowingly, we diligently followed the GPS and came to find out that this was a road that runs really narrow with steep hills without any guardrail for miles together. It kept climbing and we started seeing snow in the wooded areas along the road and eventually seemed like we had stepped into a winter wonderland, in the middle of summer! At one point, we stopped to see that we have reached the highest point called Ebbett’s Pass. We met a biker who had biked from Carson City. Talking to him told us that the road was opened only that day in the afternoon because of the all the heavy snow. Luckily, we were passing through that road during broad daylight and in summer. Otherwise, it would have been a bit of a hassle to venture out in that road unknowingly. But, what a beautiful road is that Route 4. This is definitely a must-see and must drive through if given a chance. Thanks to our GPS. But, on the other hand, it is better to have a GPS with real-time traffic and road closure information, especially, when the cell phone is pretty much useless in these areas.

We reached Lake Tahoe in the evening and found that our hotel Beach Retreat & Lodge had a private beach of its own. We can see that the town is getting flooded with the visitors due to the holidays. That same evening, we walked along the shore and tried the Sprouts Cafe. We packed the food and walked back to a picnic area from where we were able to watch the sunset in Lake Tahoe. The haze of summer didn’t bode well for the sunset even on a cloudless day, but the aftermath of the sunset was beautiful as well with all the mountains surrounding the Lake.

Day 9 (Lake Tahoe):

We ventured to the Emerald Bay and found out how crowded the area is. Couldn’t find a single parking spot neither in the parking lots or along the road. We drove back and forth and finally found a location almost a mile away. From there, we decided to try the Eagle Falls trail. At the trailhead, the volunteers gave some directions and mentioned about the Eagle Lake Trail. While we didn’t really expect much about it (especially with all the beautiful falls in Yosemite and Alpine ponds/lakes along Route 4), we decided to try it for the heck of it. There was a lot of foot traffic and we continued along. Along the way, there were beautiful views of Lake Tahoe, mountains around and not to mention, waterfalls. Finally, when we reached the Eagle Lake, it was so beautiful because of its serene location on top of that mountain. Around the lake, there are big boulders/rocks that can be a good place for resting and picnicking. It was a good relaxing location.
From there, we came back to the trailhead to find out that there is another trail that can take you down to the beach at Vikingsholm. This was a completely paved path, but with a high gradient, making it very easy to go down, but can be very difficult climbing back up. Since we had some time, we decided to give it a try. Combining this with the hike on the road to get to the spot where we parked the car made it a really difficult task for us.

We returned back to the hotel and decided to try the Indian place as we had skipped lunch and were starving. The Curry and Grill Indian place was about 3 miles from the hotel and the place was pretty busy. The food was worth the wait and quite filling!

Day 10:
Next day, we drove back to San Francisco via Sacramento. Lunch at Amrutha Appakkadai in Fair Oaks, CA was great and then we drove to our friends place in Dublin, CA for a get together before catching our flight from SFO back to sweet home! The get together with friends was a wonderful feeling as we were meeting after more than a decade and we were glad to have made it possible before ending the vacation!