Track 19: Into the Wild

Hello from Yosemite Bug Mountain Resort! I'm staying at the hostel here. Right now I'm in the cafe/lodge sitting on a big, leather couch right next to the fire, and I'm TOO HOT. Really, it's not cold enough to warrant a fire, but I appreciate the ambiance. There are lots of people (a lot of families, actually) reading, talking, eating. The food at the cafe is supposed to be really good, but I'm not too hungry and I've got a cooler full of fruit, bread, and whatnot in my car. There's a nice feeling here. I haven't seen the dorm where I'll be sleeping, but as long as it's heated, I'm happy.

I just had to write about the drive here. It seemed pretty straightforward -- 49 South to Mariposa, then 140 East for about 9 miles -- and I was under the impression that it would take a couple hours. Wrong! It took me 4 hours. During the first half of the drive, I went through some really cute towns: San Andreas, the only fault (yeah, I said it) being that it was pretty boring; Angels Camp, the self-proclaimed Home of the Jumping Frog (I think they have frog-jumping contests there); and Sonora, which had the best historic main street full of shops, bars, and cafes. It was nice to drive the country roads instead of roaring down an interstate at 70 miles an hour.

But then, 49 South turned into the curviest, most mountainous road I have ever driven. At first, I felt like I was in a car commercial. Then I realized that it was like playing one of those race car games at the arcade, where you just turn the steering wheel back and forth and back and forth. Second gear, then third, then fourth -- oh no! -- back down to second. It was CRAZY. The worse thing was, I couldn't take my eyes off the road to look at the gorgeous scenery! I did manage to stop at one "vista point", as they call them, but I was worried about it getting dark, so I didn't stop anywhere else. But I made it in one piece, and I'm planning on taking a bus into the park tomorrow.

It's supposed to be sunny and 67 degrees tomorrow -- perfect! I hope to channel the spirits of Ansel Adams and Edward Weston. Hopefully I'll have some great photos to post for your viewing pleasure. Stay tuned...










They ain't kiddin'!