Days before the family’s trip to Yosemite, a good friend of mine offered me an opportunity to whet my appetite. It was one of these great opportunities to be part of something western you can’t turn down. My friend owns three horses and two dogs. His dream is to recreate some of the most famous western movies characters with his look. He invested in his attire which consisted of faded, ragged blue Jeans, cowboy boots, a pipe which he keeps on the corner of his mouth without ever taking a puff. In fact, he is a non-smoker. But he told me that he had to have this long cigar or pipe just to be authentic in the back country. While we were going up there, he could not stop telling from his large repertoire. He has been doing this type of back country expeditions for more than 15 years now. Being a free-spirit type of guy who will travel at the drop of a hat, I thought this was the greatest fellow to have around. His only rewards are to set loose his dogs on the trail, cause a backpacker to smile and ask questions. He answers them with a grin and a spit to the dirt. Very scatacco. Brief answers as if cowboys don’t want to waste their precious meditation time having a deep communion with Mother Nature.
Once I got up there, I realized the serenity of this trip. As you stand, for example, in front of the Tioga Pass, in front of this vast wilderness, your mind just goes bunker. You suddenly realize your own finite self. My friend seemed to have created his own paths. He does not care that much about the most traveled areas of the park. The horse he lent seemed to know its way more than a true park worker. His dogs run ahead as if they wanted to make sure that we were safe all along. In fact, since the most recent incidents, strong policies are set in place in an effort to provide a sense of security there. Horse riding in the back country is so exhilarating that you should try it some day!
Two weeks later, my family and I traveled to the most commonly visited sites of the park. As we drove up the mountains, we could not avoid stopping on our way to take pictures of the vast expansion of lands covered with wild flowers. My daughter preferred the daddofils to all the others. This was just gorgeous! This year, the Spring is not like any others I can remember in a long time. As we approached the park, we were suddenly reminded that we were not alone in our adoration of Mother Nature. This year has brought so many changes in an effort by the park authorities to regulate traffic in Yosemite Valley. We had to leave our truck behind and board the Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System or YARTS.
This new has been controversial in that some of the business owners have been complaining about loss of profits caused by the automobile reduction in the park. A lot of them have been coping with the new system. As my family got down to the floor of the valley, we realized that the crowd got bigger with our recent busload. I could spot people from all over the world. Different languages. Different cultures. Different shapes. Everybody was in awe of the Yosemite Falls.
If you want to go visit this park, don’t hesitate to check out the Half Dome and El Capitan! No matter when you go, you will find that Yosemite is splendid.