Friday, May 18, 2012
Yosemite to San Rafael, via Hetch Hetchy
This was our last morning in Yosemite Valley. We had coffee and
sandwiches, showered, packed up, and moved on. As we left the
valley around 10:30, the weekend crowds were rolling in. Great
timing! Weekdays in mid May avoided the dumb masses, and we were
blessed with mild weather and open roads. What a great visit!
We next went to Hetch Hetchy, about an hour and a half drive from
the valley crowds. The Hetch Hetchy Valley, Yosemite Valley's
“twin,” was flooded in 1923, much to John Muir's chagrin, to
provide water and power for the City of San Francisco, 150 miles
away. This valley was not ruined, however. The reservoir and its
surroundings are beautiful. I wish I had my fishing rod!
The quiet side of
Yosemite
Hetch Hetchy
Reservoir
We parked at the O'Shaughnessy Dam, walked across it, reading the
interpretive signs along the way, and got a look at the Teeulala
and Wapama Falls, each more than 1,000-feet high!
O'Shaughnessy
Dam
Water over the
spillway
Man-made
waterfall
Teeulala and Wapama
Falls
With only one day of vacation remaining, we left Yosemite behind
and headed for the coast. Along the way we passed some picturesque
reservoirs and quaint historic towns, including the town of Angels
Camp, in Calaveras County, home of the Jumping Frog Jubilee, being
held this very weekend!
New Melones
Lake
Angels Camp,
California
Roadside
America
At 6:30 we checked in at a Motel 6 in San Rafael. This wasn't our
first choice of hotel, but as it turns out, it was prom night, and
we were lucky to get a room at all. Nor was this the nicest Motel 6
we'd ever stayed in, but with two limos and a Jaguar sitting out
front, apparently we were in good company.
We had a great dinner at Celia's
Mexican-American Restaurant, in walking distance of our hotel. It's
a local chain – We ate at one near Stanford a couple of years ago.
It freaked us out when they served coleslaw with our Mexican food,
but it was actually quite good.
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