Missed my chance to visit the area this year due to health issues. Hard to drive that far with a movement disorder. My left hand works for steering, but my right arm wants to jerk the wheel into traffic. Can’t drive that far with one good arm.
Usually, my Dad and I meet up with some friends at Aspen Campground near Lee Vining and base camp there for two weeks. We go on hikes in Yosemite, do a float down the Klamath River, find a waterfall slide to go down 5-6 miles past the Soda Springs at Tuolumne Meadows, and see the Mariposa Grove of Redwood trees, among other things. Outside of Yosemite, we visit Mono Lake Visitor Center for the air conditioning and stop by Mono Cone for a meal. We go kayaking at Gull Lake which has a rope swing you can paddle out to and use to jump in the lake. Silver Lake is fun for kayaking too. We go down into Mammoth to see the waterfalls and go on hikes, visit Devil’s Postpile, as well as hike to a giant earthquake fault (not in the valley). In town, we check out the thrift shops. You can get some good bargains on skiing and hiking equipment, and good jackets. On Sunday, we go to church by Gull Lake. We do hikes farther south from Tom’s Place north of Bishop as far south as Lone Pine. North of Mono Lake, the Lundy Lakes trail is great for seeing waterfalls. We also visit the old ghost town Bodie. On the 4th of July, we go north to Bridgeport and enjoy the festivities including kids climbing a greased pole and their fireworks show. Fireworks are legal to purchase there so the show isn’t over until everyone has shot theirs off.
I miss that area so much as well as hanging out with friends. Hopefully I’ll be able to go there sometime again and do some of the fun things up there with some friends there too. Just seems like with everything that’s been happening with my health and what’s going on in the world, I’m wondering if I’ll be able to go back there or be able to do anything fun still.