Last month, my dad said that we would be going to Yosemite on the 22 of July. For those of you wondering,
“But we’re in the middle of a pandemic, how did you go to Yosemite at a time like this?”
Well, in order to get into Yosemite, you must make a reservation in advance(about a month or so)and it’s highly likely that you won’t be able to go on the date you were expecting. But on a different date. You aren’t allowed to enter Yosemite unless you made a reservation online previously. If you don’t then they won’t let you in. And the park is open between 5am to 11pm. And you can’t be in the park past 11pm. Also, please wear a mask and protection, and of course stay home if you are sick or feeling ill.
With that, my dad had gotten a date for us to go, this is what’s it’s like traveling to Yosemite during the pandemic:
I woke up at 6:15, my dad rushing in and out of my room to make sure I didn’t go back to sleep(even though I desperately wanted to). My mom had spent the night before and the morning of our departure prepping for our day trip. It took me about 15 minutes to completely function properly. But my eyes were threatening to close shut and my bed looked so welcoming…
But no!
I had to wake myself up and get ready, so I stumbled clumsily out of my bed(my warm, empty bed ), and went to brush my teeth and shower. I came back out, still really sleepy and tired. But out of bed nonetheless. I grabbed my glasses and put on my watch before heading to the living room where my dad was sitting on the couch while my mom bustled around the kitchen. I picked up a book and read while we waited for my brother to get up.
My brother had risen and was showering, while my mom finished up our meals for our trip, and my mom being, well, my mom packed the following for us to eat:
- Idli
- Tomato Chutney
- Chapathi
- Fenugreek Chapathi
- Tomato Rice
- Vegetable Stir-fry
- Homemade Tortillas
- Burrito Ingredients(Guacmole, veggies, yogurt, etc.)
- Crackers
- Oreos
- Gummies
- Pita Chips
- Corn Chips
- Gatorade
- A bunch of other stuff that I don’t remember :’)
All this for one day. ONE. But hey, it’s food so I’m not gonna complain.
My sister woke up about 20 minutes before we were supposed to leave so my mom went and got her ready as well before we all stuffed ourselves into the car and started the three hour drive to Yosemite.
Now, I would tell you, my lovely, dear readers, an extremely detailed, description of the morning drive, but unfortunately;
I was asleep nearly the whole time.
Haha oops.
When I opened my eyes every now and then, the scene changed. Tall buildings that gleamed in the sun, transformed into rolling hills, which flattened into vast fields.
At one point, my dad received a call from our across-the-street neighbor.
“Hey Hari!”
“Hey John! What’s up?”
“Well, your house’s alarm is going off.”
Oh dear.
Turns out that my dad had been tinkering that morning with our settings of our security system and ended up making the alarm react to the most mundane things. Like a leaf blowing in the wind, or the rustle of bushes. Which would then proceed to set off the most annoying alarm sound ever.
Our neighborhood is usually pretty quiet, not too loud but just right. Unless there’s a huge event or something happening nearby. So the fact that our house would cause such an abrupt disturbance to our neighbors made me feel sorry for them. But also made me laugh a little bit at the prospect of the obnoxious siren piercing the quiet air.
By the time we stopped for breakfast, we were in a location where buildings and people seemed to be sparse. We drove around for a a couple minutes to find a spot where we could sit down and eat. There were a few houses here and there, and a school house too, but there wasn’t really a place where we felt was right to sit down and eat.
We continued driving around for a bit more, until we finally found a building that looked like a sort of office, and there was a parking lot. So we parked in a shady spot near a couple trees and my mom took out our breakfast and some paper plates.
Since I’m prone to motion-sickness, being in a car or plane doesn’t really do well for me. I don’t get seriously nauseous, but I always end up feeling slightly uncomfortable. So I leaned against the side of the car for about a minute to regain my composure and drank some water before walking back and sitting with my siblings.
My mom had brought a sheet to put on the ground and we all sat down with a plate for each of us. My mom then got out a container with which she filled up with the idlies she made the same morning and gave each of us a few, along with the spicy tomato chutney. We ate and talked for about 30 minutes before we clambered back into the car to finish our ascent to Yosemite.
I felt much less tired and sleepy after eating a good meal, and was a bit more energetic throughout the car ride.
The scenery around us was slowly turning from fields of yellowed grass to countless trees and deep valleys. We drove deeper into what soon was Yosemite. The road was caressed by the dips in the lowland. The road twisting and turning and bringing vivid green into our vision.
The trees stood like a never ending army, some fallen, some burned, some with scars but standing tall, or some with scars but broken down. The larger tree’s looked on proudly, while the little saplings tried to reach their branches up high. The entire valley was covered with tree’s of miscellaneous conditions. Giving the entire landscape the look of a massive green porcupine.
What surprised me the most was the fact that there was literally no one else on that road except for us. Usually, it this point there would be a significant number of cars in front and behind us, causing the drive to be anything but smooth. But that wasn’t the case during Covid-19.
The road was absolutely clear as we drove, no other car was in sight. And the only other cars we saw were one or two in front of us waiting at the entrance.
When we arrived at the official Yosemite entrance, we went through the booth to where a ranger asked us for our reservation paper, once we were clear, she gave us a pass to stick to the car window and bid us a good day.
The plan was to go straight to Glacier Peak and then ascend down and into Yosemite Valley and visit the waterfalls. BUT, that plan would slowly start to change as we traversed through Yosemite.
We first stopped at “Washburn View Point” which was about an hour into Yosemite and showed a great view of Yosemite’s Half Dome.
While we drove, I started thinking about how hyped up both El Capitan and Half Dome are, and how they are usually the most anticipated landscape in Yosemite. Which I find completely understandable, both are quite unique and and defiantly a sight to behold. But we also have to understand the history of how they were formed.
If you think about it, those two are kind of like siblings. El Capitan is the bigger more regal one, being nearly 220 million years old, while the Half Dome is 65 million years old.
El Capitan was formed when North America had collided with a nearby tectonic plate located under the pacific ocean. The constant friction triggered the rocks below to become blistering magma. The molten rock clambered up through the sears in the Earth’s crust. For millions of years, the Merced River weaved through Yosemite Valley, and shaped El Capitan to it’s best form, before the recent ice age(three million years prior)added the last bits of glam to the towering form that stands now.
The Half Dome was created some hundred million years later. With a process similar to my buddy El Capitan. You know all the molten rock flowing up through the Earths crust and making it’s way to the surface and blah blah. You know, all that jazz. But the attraction with this one that seems to be entirely different from El Capitan’s, is it’s unique curves.
Trust me, I’m just surprised as you are to be writing that a solid mountain is as curvy as a melting bowl of ice cream.
When someone says the word “mountain” your first instinct is to probably think of one. Like Mount Everest. The jagged lines and peaks, unforgivable surfacing, and the classic picture perfect dusting of snow on it’s insta-worthy summit. The picture perfect norm that we’re all used to seeing. In retrospect, Half Dome, is quite literally a dome(thus the name)but contrary ]popular belief, it was never whole in the first place.
Even though it looks like someone decided to take a butter knife and sliced it’s other half clean off, like a hunk of cheese. The massive rock was formed in that shape, so the “Half Dome” had never been the “Whole Dome.” The name is just misleading.
But it does make it fun to imagine the entire mountain as a massive slice of cake.
Great, now I want cake.
In our past trips to Yosemite, we always found a way to connect ourselves with the water, playing in the element and rejuvenating our skin. Whether it be to visit, the waterfalls, rivers, or even little streams. So I wasn’t surprised when the whole ride to Glacier Peak consisted of my brother asking when we would go to the “Mini Lake.”
The lake my brother was referring to was in Yosemite Valley; it was a body of water with patches of sand in various places around the perimeter, with a boardwalk as well. We had gone there the very first time we went to Yosemite with some close relatives, and immensely enjoyed it.
But I think my favorite part of the evening spent there was watching a mother duck leading her young ducklings while they trailed behind her, one or two faltering slightly but quickly finding their pace once again. They seemed unafraid of the constant trespassers of their environment and payed no mind.
But my little sister seemed to take a completely different approach to what my brother had said and interpreted what he said as “the Minnie lake.” You see, my little sister is an avid lover of the Disney character Minnie Mouse, so it was inevitable that she would meld together the two words “Mini” and “Minnie” into one thing she is familiar with. The unfortunate part of all that was soon made clear with my sister’s constant babbling of now wanting to go to the “Minnie Lake”.
When we arrived at Glacier Peak, we expected that it would take about 10 to 15 minutes just to find a decent parking spot. But we had seemed to find one right away! It seemed that the parking lot gods were smiling upon us that day. But really, it was the fact that Yosemite doesn’t want too many people in the park at once. But either way, we were happy that we didn’t have to waste time finding a parking spot.
We all grabbed our masks and sun hats from the trunk because it was quite sunny outside and the sunshine assaulted our eyes. Personally, I thought I looked a bit odd wearing a sweatshirt and a sunhat at the same time, but there wasn’t much I could do about it so I was stuck that way.
I was pretty excited to go to the Glacier Point mainly because the views are amazing, plus there is also a little walk that you have to go through in order to get inside one of the best viewing points. Plus there’s always little critters scurrying around and between the rocks and sizing up the humans that come in.
The little trail that lead to the view point was a quite steep so it took a bit of effort to get up their quickly without brushing up against anyone else. But breaking a little bit of sweat was definitely worth it, as we were met with a view we felt blessed to see.
The view is absolutely insane when your a significant height above the ground. Glacier Point has an elevation of 7,214, thus the protective railing all around the cliffs and such. We first went to a little corner where you could look over Yosemite Valley.
The meadow below looked like a child’s play mat with toy cars running in and out of it. Even the massive trees looked like playthings rather than giants. Of course, we tried not to lean over the ledge too much, because that could lead to very dire consequences.
After admiring the view from the railing, we went to the main viewing area where there were numerous boulders and concrete, in the center. Our family always sits in a little nook with our back against this massive rock like a family of little critters. But it’s always there waiting for us, bare of anyone else, as if it know’s of our presence. Plus, you get an undisturbed view of the Half Dome and it’s gorgeous surrounding landscape. When we sat down, we immediately set our eyes onto the familiar picture before us, completely nestled into the valley’s bosom.
Many people came and went, admiring the mountains or just taking pictures. Some only took pictures and then left, though I have no right to judge them only after mild observation. They have their reasons. Many stuck around for quite a bit of time, just like we did. Unable to remove ourselves from the comfort of the warm, sun-kissed stone, and the enticing view before us.
As much as we wanted to stay longer, we couldn’t with the amount of people continuing to trickle in and out. And we didn’t want to expose ourselves even more to other people. (Even if everyone’s wearing masks, it’s better to still keep your distance at all times when you are in public and avoid contact. )
We left our little spot on Glacier Peak and slowly made our way down the little trail before heading back to the car. While walking, we discussed where to go next, since we saw that Yosemite falls didn’t have that much water(it was only a trickle due to it being summertime here in California, and temperatures are rising). I was a bit disappointed because seeing Yosemite Falls is always one of my favorite things to do when we visit Yosemite. Though I hate to admit this childish perspective, the prospect of not seeing the beloved falls in the flesh until our next trip; hit me harder then it should have. But it couldn’t be helped, so we had to kind of create a trip plan as we went along.
By the time we reached the car, my dad said there was a place called “Mariposa Grove” that was close by and we hadn’t gone to before, so we all buckled up and drove there.
Since the word “mariposa” literally translates to “butterfly”(from Spanish to English). I assumed that the place we were going was a butterfly grove inside Yosemite. Or perhaps a walk through a garden or little grove. But when we arrived there, my assumptions were completely contradicted.
We parked in a shady spot near some fencing that lined along what seemed to be a grove of massive trees, possibly red woods. After parking, we ate a bit of lunch, which consisted of vegetables, tomato rice, and some snacks so we could fuel up. After that, we walked to what appeared to be a little visitor’s center with a massive display of a tree’s cross section. We walked over and took pictures against it, the wood was sanded down with no course texture to beseech it’s adherent’s. There were hundreds and hundreds of rings, impossible to count if I let my mind wander too long. But just from looking at the bark on it’s side, you could tell that this was one tough tree before it had been cut.
My dad and I both looked at a map that showed the expanse of Mariposa Grove and what it contained. But it wasn’t exactly what we were expecting.
There were three trails, each increasing in difficulty and length. I read about the “easiest” trail and apparently it was roughly 1 to 2 miles. And my immediate thought was
“Haha no.”
But my dad said we should at least see what the trail was actually like so we could go again some day fully prepared. With that, we all just went with it. We went back to the car to grab Thulasi’s stroller, water bottles, bug spray, and hand sanitizer, before making our way.
…So…
It wasn’t exactly what we were expecting.
Obviously, we aren’t professional hikers or anything, but we knew for a fact that it wasn’t exactly a good idea to go in a completely isolated area where bears and other freely roaming animals could be close by and ready for it’s next *friendly* meeting and your completely under prepared for a long walk.
The trail wasn’t exactly a trail. It was more of a road with free spaces to walk on the sides. I think if we had gone farther into the “trail” then there would’ve actually been a grove of large red woods for us to see. But where we were walking was a bit scary, especially knowing that it really was only us walking(quite slowly)on the side of a road.
We had walked quite far off from where we had started, but we weren’t getting any closer to any type of grove, and if we continued walking it would start getting too dark. So we bailed and decided to go back to the car. But before we could, we had to get my sister to put down a stick that was literally 2 feet taller then her, that she had found while we were walking. She was trying to use it as a walking stick, but it was so tall that she had to drag it along the road instead.
While going to and from that road, we saw plenty of people geared up with bikes and set to go on a ride through the trees. I envied them for coming up with the idea for bringing bikes. But then I remembered that I don’t know HOW to ride a bike.
Yup, that’s right, I can’t ride a bike. You can stop reading this now. I’ve disgraced you enough with my inabilities.
I’m kidding, please continue reading.
As we went back to the car, we finalized our next destination in Yosemite, which was the little beach that I mentioned a few paragraphs prior. I was excited for that of course, but I hate to admit that I was also terribly exhausted. Being in cars for long periods of time really does things to a person.
Once we reached the visitor’s center again, we took a couple pictures with the massive tree cross-section before strapping ourselves into the car and going down to the beach near Yosemite village.
It took quite a long time to climb down the mountain, but thankfully there was no traffic for us to rage over like we usually did. So it was quite smooth sailing, er – I mean – driving; from there. It was quite soothing to watch the tree’s as I listened to music, it was therapeutic in a way that made me feel like everything in the world would be okay soon. That like many things in life, this too will pass.
Before I continue on with my recollection of this recent trip, I would like to add on to what I just said about the world right now.
Everyday when we wake up, something new seems to have happened. Completely unpredictable, but predictably breaking our hearts and darkening our minds further. That darkness in our day overshadows the little things that make up for the bit of happiness that we lost. We may forget to savor in the taste of our favorite tea, or seldom our appreciation for the new blooms rising in their pots. Or perhaps we spend more time dispiriting ourselves more with the day’s news rather than visiting the deep undergrowth of our favorite books.
Going to Yosemite made me realize that the world won’t be like this forever. That sunlight still streams through the tree’s like stained glass. That water still runs fiercely. That the birds will sing, and scream if they so need to. We will rise, we will fight this, we will support each other even when it feels like nothing will support us.
This pandemic, these disasters, it makes all of us feel sad and helpless. But it’s going to make us stronger, and it’s going to make us realize that we are much tougher then we give ourselves credit for.
It’s just gonna take each of us some time to realize it.
When we reached the beach, we decided that we would play around a little bit before coming back to the car and eating our dinner while driving back home as it was getting a bit late into the day. So we made our way through the spaced out trees and onto the bridge that looked over the river. Which was shallow now that it was summertime. But there was quite a lot of water nonetheless.
I excitedly walked through the bridge(carefully to avoid people of course)and carefully clambered down a steep step of stairs before I heard the distinct crunch of sand and pebbles move under my feet. The air felt wonderful and the breeze was like something out of a dream. Soft and mellow, but rough enough to tousle your hair at the edges.
My dad and my siblings had gone ahead of me already and were my siblings were dipping there bare feet in the shallow water. My mom laid a blanket on an empty patch of sand and she and my dad sat down.
I proceeded to take of my shoes, socks, and started to rolled up my jeans until they were below my knees, before dipping my feet into the very cold water. At first, it was absolutely frigid, and the pebbles and rocks underneath my feet felt like tiny little knives stabbing me with each move and I had immediately regretted putting my feet in. But then, the water felt absolutely euphoric.
After a whole day of being the car and walking, it felt like heaven to dip my feet into the refreshing
cool water, while the pebbles and sand massaged my sore soles.
Soon enough, my siblings and I started collecting rocks and pebbles within the waters, and my parents made me in charge of making sure my siblings didn’t go to far into the water. Which was a bit difficult when I kept tripping and stumbling among the uneven floor of the river.
There was quite the variety in rocks color-wise. There were dusty blush pebbles, and deep greys, some were a muddy brown with specks of white and black, and reminded me of chocolate. And there were many other hunks of chocolate just like that one scattered everywhere.
Our individual rock piles were becoming bigger and bigger on the blanket my parents were seated on, each mound containing different kinds of rocks, either in color or shape. But unfortunately my parents deemed that it was time to get back to the car, after about thirty minutes of playing in the water.
I clumsily made my way back to the beach blanket and dried my legs and feet, before putting on my socks and shoes. Patting out any sand that got in it before slipping them on. Then we ushered the other two children out before we gathered up all the rocks we had collected and started the little trek back to the car.
When we got back to the car, my dad told me and my siblings to wait while my mom prepped our dinner. I assumed that my mom had already pre-made them before we left, but what I was met with told a completely different story:
My mom started to pull out little tubs of diced tomato, avocado, onions, plain yogurt, olives, and other ingredients, along with homemade tortillas. Then my mom pulled out a knife and cutting board(a small knife don’t worry)and started to rapidly mix and dice everything.
Right in the seat of the car.
My emotions right then were a mix of awe and being flabbergasted at the sight. For one, I didn’t expect an entire farmer’s market to tag along with us on our trip. I also questioned why I was surprised in the first place when this was a completely predictable thing when it comes to my mom. If I going to be completely honest, I think my mother would bring along our entire fridge and pantry if she had the capability to.
Anyway, since we had to get on the road soon to head home, my mom transferred all of the food and cooking utensils into the front seat, which is where she usually sits. I asked if she was going to make them all at once so we can eat them in the car. But she said she was going to be making them IN the car WHILE we were driving. On her LAP.
Am I the only one who is appalled by this?
My mom is a superwomen, that’s all I’m gonna say. Her dedication to keep those she loves healthy and and happy is on a whole other level.
While she did that, I drank a bit of Gatorade to ease my throat from being so parched, while my dad and siblings hung out near a couple of huge trees. And can I just say that trees growing in forests are insanely huge. Sure, we’ll see trees in parks or nearby by open spaces, but the tree’s that grow naturally in preserved places and other natural parts of the world are a stellar height.
I walked over to one of the tree’s and pressed my front against, craning my neck so I could see the top. But I couldn’t. My neck started to hurt and I was losing my grip on the rough bark. And even touching that bark felt like I was touching something that held more wisdom then anything else. Even with the course texture rubbing against my cheek, I couldn’t resist giving the tree a hug, even if my hands couldn’t even reach the other side, it was a fulfilling hug.
Once my mom finished setting everything down in her spot, we all climbed into the car, bidding goodbye to our tree brethren as we drove out of the picnic area and onto the road leading out of Yosemite. And just as promised, my mom made the burritos in the car. But what was amazing was that she was making them on the fly. All the while feeding my dad spoonfuls of a burrito bowl while he drove. The burrito itself was super good as always, and I polished it off after about five minutes because I was quite hungry.
The heavy food also made me feel very drowsy so I dozed of in 30 to 40 minute intervals, which was okay since the drive back home was around 3 hours. The entire car ride for me was the drowsy state between being asleep and being awake, to the point where I could barely process the scenery that rushed passed the window with each blink of my eye.
At around midnight we arrived back home, without a word, I walked straight into my room, grabbed pajamas, and went straight to bed. I slept so deeply that night as I dreamt of trees glowing with sunlight, and rivers gushing with freshwater.
Here’s a video my dad took from one of the viewpoints: