The Roblee Blog: Yosemite 2012

August 22, 2012 - (Carlsbad, CA) I have traveled to the bottom of Death Valley and the top of Mt. Whitney (twice) and almost everywhere the Sierra Nevada mountains offer in between. For some reason it just never worked out for me to get to Yosemite and boy have I missed out. The only thing I can liken it to was seeing the colossal buildings in Mahattan, the only difference being these "buildings" were made by God.

It all started in front of our house in Carlsbad on a sunny, warm morning in August. Dane, my Dad and I were about to embark on a trip I couldn't have imagined...a trip to the fabled Yosemite. Those who have been there know exactly what I mean. For those who haven't, I hope this narrative will inspire you to go because the only word to describe it is AWESOME! We packed up the ol' F-150 and headed on our way - first turn, Fresno. It didn't take long to hear the first "Dad, how much longer?" In fact we hadn't even left Camp Pendleton! We devised a plan to break it into minutes. This calmed the beast. It went from 500, to 392, to 397, to 270, to 295, to 222 and so on (we just made it up but Dane was happy). After a fairly uneventful cruise through L.A., we made it to Fresno.

After you pass through Fresno you head to the Valley, wind your way through some hills, pay the $207 day fee and your in! If you enter from Hwy 140, you get to a .8 mile long tunnel. Seems a little random but when you get through, there it is, the view we have all seen and Ansel Adams photographed; the Yosemite Valley! It is hard to imagine the glacial movements cutting through the granite, creating this valley with El Capitan at your left and in the distance, Half Dome. This was like nothing I had ever seen and also something that Dane, a fifth generation Roblee visitor, observed in awe (more on that soon). We pulled into the parking lot, snapped numerous pictures, took in the sierra air and gawked at what it is to see one of the seven natural wonders of the world.

I mentioned earlier that Dane is a fifth generation Roblee to visit Yosemite. My dad's grandfather (my great, Dane's great great) first visited Yosemite in 1891 while in Medical School at Berkeley. They traveled by mule, horse, foot and anything else to get there (see the accompanying photos). Today it takes 7-8 hours from San Diego by car. It took them two days from Stockton, a mere 50 or so miles. Generations of Roblee after have visited and enjoyed the splendor of this valley.

Back in the truck we made our way to the campsite to meet up with long time scout friends Don and Bob Wood. I have been camping with Don to the remote areas of the West since about 1984 and this trip was just like old times. We set up camp, cracked a coldie and started getting ready for dinner. The meal was easy tonight - just some dogs and chili to get us in the mood (see photo for Bob and the chili cheeto hot dog). Dane was super excited for the campfire (read s'mores) so we got it going. A couple of s'mores in, and we were ready to hit the hay! A good first day.

August 23, 2012 - (Upper Pines Campground, Yosemite Valley, CA) We awoke to a crisp, cool late summer morning. The smell of last night's campfires hung in the air and Dane and I decided to go for a walk. We headed out to the mighty Merced river (not so mighty this late in the season) to do a little exploring and sight seeing. When we got down to the river, we were amazed by...nothing. The river was pretty low so there wasn't a whole lot to see; however, looking up at the sunrise over North Dome was quite spectacular. The height of these granite monoliths is really something to behold. After 30 - 45 minutes we headed back to camp to get ready for breakfast. Granddad made some good ol' Spam and eggs to get our bellies full for the day.

The Rangers throughout the park put on a number of good shows and displays for kids and adults alike. This particular morning was a Junior Ranger hike at the Happy Isles station. We showed up and met Ranger Eric for our trip. It was an interesting tour. He wanted us to be quiet the whole time so we could experience the sights, sounds, smells and feel of the forest. We headed out and came to an interesting plant that was a bit furry (touch!).

Side note - on this hike we had spectacular views looking up to Glacier Point.

Continuing on, we found plants to smell, a log being eaten by termites and multiple crossings of the Merced River. All of this was cool, but the highlight was when Ranger Eric found fresh horse muffins...just kidding! The coolest thing was a wild plum tree with fruit for us to eat! MMMMMMM yummy. Dane also earned his Junior Ranger badge on our hike and was super stoked to be a naturalist and Man among the Trees!

The cool thing about Yosemite (among many) is you can park your car and leave it for days at a time. Most people bring bikes (future reference) or there is a shuttle that will take you all over the valley. After our morning with the ranger, we grabbed the shuttle to head to the "Village." Dane was pretty excited to say the least, especially just going on the shuttle (bus). In the village are the museum, shops, cafeteria and more. You can also take the shuttle to the Awanee Hotel, but we didn't make it. We got to the village and Dane found an Indian redwood teepee right off the bat. Although this was pretty cool, what was even more interesting was a slice of a tree that was cut or fell in 1919. This tree had been alive since the crusades, so it was close to 900 yrs old!!! We took a tour of the museum (great artifacts, photos, paintings and the like), grabbed a drink and headed back.

Our mornings were always a new adventure and in the afternoon we usually ended up at the Stoneman Bridge for a swim in the river. This spot had a nice little beach to spread out, play and enjoy the wilderness. Dane would invariably meet a new group of people, and this day was no exception. While Dane was playing on the beach and I was swimming in the river, a family came up to test the waters. We had noticed there were tiny little fish (inch or less) in the water, but thought nothing of it. Well another family did think something of it. In fact, they were determined to catch one. So they grabbed a ziploc bag and proceeded to try and catch one of the 3/4 inch fish. Ha! Never going to happen, or so we thought. You go through life thinking you know things, and then all of a sudden someone catches a fish with a ziploc bag! Needless to say, Dane was impressed and they were nice enough to let him have it.

Back at camp, after Dane showed off his fish, we settled down for dinner (not the fish, he was released back into the mighty Merced). On tap for tonight was foil dinners. For those who don't know, a foil dinner is just that - foil. Wad up a chunk of aluminum foil and eat. So good! Ok, not really. You take meat, veggies and spices and fold it up into a piece of foil and plop it directly on the coals of the fire. Wait 10-15 minutes and bing, bang, boom - dinner! It was very, very good and brought me back to my days of scouting. Another round of s'mores and off to bed.

August 24, 2012 - (Upper Pines Campground, Yosemite Valley, CA) Another cool, crisp morning and we decided to head up to the Happy Isles Ranger Station to try and retrace our steps from the nature walk of the day before. After hiking around, and getting some wild plums, we headed back for breakfast. Today was not the gourmet feast of SPAM, but something a little less traditional... pancakes (Dane's fave). After breakfast, we loaded up the truck (Dane, Dad, Don, Renee and me - tight fit) and headed up to Glacier Point. We had seen it from below so we thought we should head up. I do believe the ride was a little easier for us than it was for my great grandfather in 1891. About an hour of travel and we were there. The view was absolutely life changing. Again, I don't know why it took me so long to get to this great place right in my own backyard. The views of Half Dome, El Capitan and the valley were AWESOME! Dane found a lizard to chase as well, so he was happy. There used to be a hotel on this spot, but it burned in 1969. I can only imagine how fantastic it would have been to stay there. We weren't allowed out on the point like my great grandfather, but it was still pretty darn cool. The gift shop up there is a unique one. Granddad bought everyone shirts and ice cream, so all in all, everyone was happy.

Back at camp, Dane and I made our afternoon trek to the river. Along the way, at our apple tree stop, was a deer just hanging out on the side of the path. He decided to eat an apple that had fallen. These animals are so used to humans we were able to walk right by within 4 feet of him and he didn't even flinch.

Side note - No human has ever been killed by a bear in Yosemite. The only human deaths by wild animals were caused by deer, when someone dumb enough has decided to go up and pet the "nice" deer.

Once we arrived at the river, Dane wanted to try and catch a fish with the bag again. This got old quickly so he gave up and went back to making sand castles. We met a family from the Netherlands (they live in Seattle now) with kids about Dane's age. They proceeded to make a sand maze that would make even greatest hydro-engineer proud. This thing had turns, twists, dams, bridges and anything else they could think of. They were a really nice family and have been here for 3 years. They spoke perfect English and were traveling the western U.S. on a vacation. Dane and the kids got along great. It turns out they were in the same campground as we were, so once we got back to camp they just kept on playing.

(Mike the Eagle Scout arrives) After dinner we went to a campfire put on by the rangers. The theme of the campfire was "nocturnal animals." The ranger had a pelt of all the nocturnal mammals that live in the area. At about 3 pelts in, the fire went out. The ranger tried to get it going by having all of the kids blow on it. The ranger was getting flustered and, although I hadn't planned on chiming in, I had some newspaper in my pocket so I offered to help. Turns out she was trying to light a fire without any kindling whatsoever. I pulled out the logs and asked if she had an axe, which fortunately she did. Using my amazing fire starting skills (I am an Eagle Scout after all) I was able to create a one match fire. The ranger and all of the people were grateful, indeed, that I saved the day. She even let me wear her hat! - (See, Dad, I knew the Eagle Scout would come in handy!)

August 25, 2012 - (Upper Pines Campground, Yosemite Valley, CA) Morning arrived and the Dane and I headed off on our morning walk. It wasn't much different than the other walks so we headed back to camp. Don was busy making an egg/sausage/kielbasa souffle. This was really tasty. He used a dutch oven (another throwback to the old scouting days) to make this wonderful feast.

Side note - The trash truck comes by without fail every morning at 8, so there was never going to be any sleeping in on this trip.

This day was set aside for the grown ups. Dane stayed back at camp with Granddad while Bob, Don, Renee and I started on a hike to Vernal and Nevada Falls. This is a seriously popular hike. I was amazed at all of the people doing this trail. It is also the trail up to Half Dome if you choose to continue on. When we were up on Glacier Point we could look down and see the two waterfalls. Now, we were able to look back up to Glacier Point and see people looking down at us! Don and Renee stopped at the Vernal Falls bridge, while Bob and I kept going. The last 1/2 mile or so up to Vernal Falls are made of steps carved or placed into the granite walls. The trail is quite narrow, slippery and steep, but well worth the climb. Bob and I traversed up and were stunned by the view. This is exactly the type of spot you dream about when visiting the Sierras - calm, cool stream, majestic views and the fresh smell of trees. It was insane!

We continued on the trail to Nevada Falls. The river is really low this time of year, but it was still beautiful. Again I began to reflect on the fact that I was in the same area as my great grandfather 121 yrs ago. It's amazing the kind of access you have on these trails. It is something that would never fly if it were set up today, but because it is grandfathered in, it is quite a thing to behold. At the top of the falls we cruised around a bit and then ate lunch in this idyillic setting. Remeber the steps I was telling you about? They are a lot harder on the knees going down than coming up!

Back at camp, Dane was ready to go to the beach. On this particular day we met a family touring California from New Zealand. They were really fun and of course, Dane and their kids got along well. The Dutch Dyke System from the day before was still there, so the kids had a great time playing. The water was a little chilly so Dane never got all the way in, but it sure felt good to me after a long hike in the hills.

Dinner was on my watch tonight and I made a huge pot of spaghetti.

Side note - I am infamous for a pot of spaghetti that I made on San Clemente Island in about 1987-1988. I put the noodles in before the water was boiling and we ended up with spaghetti logs. I have never lived this down and to this day, 25 yrs later, the reputation still follows me.

No logs this time and everyone was content with a full belly. Don made dutch oven cobbler and we headed off to bed.

August 26, 2012 - (Upper Pines Campground, Yosemite Valley, CA) Last day. I told everyone I wanted to be on the road no later than 9am. After a good breakfast, breaking down camp and packing up, we were on the road at ... 9am. Roblee men are prompt! We made one last stop at the tunnel to look at the valley and hit the road. About 6-7 hrs later we pulled into the driveway to see Kristy, Ryan and Blizzard. It was an absolutely incredible trip and something I will never forget.

Thanks all for reading. Enjoy the photos!