6 POINTS OF YOSEMITE THE UNUSUAL

Giving Big Ed a big hug. Who’s a tree hugger? Yosemite climber.

More Than El Capitan, More Than Half Dome, Yosemite Brings Added Value.

1. A bear made front page news.

At least the man it attacked made front page news when he saved himself by flashing back to Vietnam.

He went face to face with the Viet Cong and a bear and won both times.

2. Squirrels tested for plague.

Children came out of the park tested positive. They think it’s squirrels.

Plague squirrels and bear attack? Pack the bag and gas up the car.

3. The Fresno Bee.

The paper of record for the region, at least the one outside my hotel door, is still in the newspaper format instead of tabloid style like the new Oregonian.

Does it make the news any different?

Not where bears and squirrels are concerned.

4. Glacier Point.

It’s the darkest night you’ll ever see. A map of light pollution shows it.

Yosemite is a black out zone for light at night and some cell phones all the time.

T-Mobile is as dark as Glacier Point.

If you’re there at night, bring a flashlight. Or use the light on your phone. It’ll be fully charged since you can’t make call.

5. Back roads.

Make no mistake, this is country at it’s finest. SUV country if there ever was one.

From paved roads with wheel breaking pot holes you avoid by driving skillfully, to dirt road detours fit for all wheel travel, you can do it in your rig.

6. Big Ed.

That’s Big Ed at the top. A Giant Sequoia.

Big Ed sits where other giants once stood. Only their stumps remain.

One baby boomer climbed a stump to celebrate the image he’d seen in his View Master as a kid. He and his son were on a sentimental journey.

Conclusion:

Go to Yosemite in the right frame of mind. Coors Light, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and a full tank of gas is all you’ll need.

You’ll find more than you bargained for, like a 35 mph speed limit through out with a double yellow center line.

So keep your beer on ice, drive slow when you go, and wash the views and vistas down when you get back.