There was a moment before we reached the spectacular views of Yosemite National Park when we found ourselves alone. The only sounds we heard were our footsteps on the path, chipmunks rustling in the brush and birds singing in the trees. Morning light came through the brilliant green pines and there was a sense of peace and tranquility we’ll never forget.
We had left the Sentinel Dome/Taft Point trail head at about 9 am and were walking a mile west to Taft Point. It’s an easy hike with mostly level ground, offers a look down through massive fissures in the rocks, and has the benefit of fewer crowds than many other trails. At the end, we found ourselves on a rocky cliff at an elevation of 7,500 feet looking out over the the Yosemite Valley and the grandeur the glaciers left so many years ago.
We doubled back about half a mile and headed north to Sentinel Dome (elevation 8,122 feet), about two and half miles if you turn right after crossing a creek, or a mile further if you do what we did: walk north along the rim. It’s an uphill, more difficult hike to Sentinel Dome but the views are magical along the way. And when you arrive, looking east to Half Dome, you should sit a while and enjoy before taking the mile walk back to the trailhead, all downhill. We did the six-mile hike in a leisurely four or five hours, but we weren’t counting.
From the trail head we drove north to Glacier Point, where we parked (there will be traffic in the lot) and wandered to the overlook for the panoramic view of the mountains. There are great hikes here, like the seven-mile Panorama Trail, though it will be more crowded than the earlier hike we opted for. After some well-deserved ice cream, we drove back to ur B&B, stopping at Tunnel View for the iconic look at El Capitan.
Yosemite Lodging
We opted for the Yosemite Blue Butterfly Inn, located at the edge of the park in El Portal, a perfect location for exploring Yosemite. It took us about 40 minutes to get to the Taft Point trail head. It’s a lovely bed and breakfast on the Merced River and from our second-floor room we listened to the water running throughout the night. Liz and Ron are wonderful hosts, and Liz will use her orange magic marker to trace some trails you can follow depending on your ambition.
Since the B&B was built, the Yosemite View Lodge has been built around it and the B&B owners decided not to sell, so they sit surrounded by the complex which includes the lodge, shops and a restaurant or two. It reminded us of a Dr. Seuss story. Having the lodge close made dinner easy, and when we sat out on our private deck or on the main deck for breakfast, all thoughts vanished into the fluttering of hummingbirds and the sound of the river sweeping gently across the stones.
Toward Tuolumne Meadows
The next day we drove east across the park on Tioga Road, stopping several times on the two-hour drive to Lee Vining and 395 north toward Tahoe. The first stop was Olmsted Point where we wandered around the rocks with a view of Half Dome from the other side than we had yesterday. And just down the road is the serenity of Tenaya Lake, where we had a chance to dip our feet in the brilliant blue water.
Whoa Nellie Deli
Our destination was Lake Tahoe, and at Liz’s recommendation we stopped to eat at the gas station in Lee Vining, which we were told had the best food in the area. Who were we to argue? Inside the Mobil Station we found Whoa Nellie Deli, which lived up to its reputation. We enjoyed ahi tuna, seaweed salad, craft beer and more outside, all while overlooking Mono Lake (and the Mobil sign) before getting on the road to Tahoe.
South Lake Tahoe
We arrived in South Lake Tahoe at the Fireside Lodge, where we had time to ride bikes the lodge supplied and pedal a mile to Pope Beach for a swim in the brisk but pleasant water. In the morning, we drove to Inspiration Point for a peaceful view of Emerald Bay.
Up Next: Calistoga: Geyser-fed Pools in Wine Country
We landed in San Francisco to start a two-week loop east to Yosemite, north to Lake Tahoe, west to Calistoga and south to Petaluma in Sonoma County and finally to Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Marin County. The next few blogs will cover each leg of the trip and we’ll start with one of our favorite cities: San Francisco.
Japantown
Where do you stay in San Francisco? There are plenty of big brand hotels in the Union Square area that are close to the action, but we chose Japantown. Again. It’s small, quiet and walkable to many neighborhoods. We had stayed at Hotel Kabuki — which was recently bought by Hyatt — but this time chose the nearby Kimpton Buchanan. And we loved it. We had a spacious corner room on the fourth floor with a beautiful view of Osaka Way, as well as a big soaking tub.
We woke up early Sunday morning to a beautiful day and started early with breakfast at The Grove on Filmore Street. We were the first customers and lounged in the spacious restaurant while we waited. Debbie’s avocado toast with poached eggs on top could not have been better, and Gary’s traditional breakfast with poached eggs and hashed browns with rosemary and toast was just as good. Add a latte and Americano and it was a perfect way to start the day.
We spent the rest of the morning exploring the shops in Japantown, which has been there since 1906 (though rebuilt and changed over the years). The Paper Tree, an origami store, has exhibits of origami art and beautiful paper (washi). It’s not on par with the washi in Japan, but it’s a wonderful visit.
Two bookstores are also worth a visit. Forest Books has a tremendous collection of curated books: rare, used and collectible. And Kinokuniya, which has a dozen locations, mostly on the West Coast, has a great selection of Japanese literature (and manga downstairs if you’re so inclined). It’s located in the Japan Center, an indoor mall which also has restaurants, a couple nice coffee shops, and shops with Japanese candy and tea.
Walking the City
Having visited San Francisco dozens of times, we decided to take advantage of the sun and walk northeast through Lafayette Park and Russian Hill, exploring the architecture, flowers and shrubs, and then stroll down Lombard Street. It was a little more than a mile. From there, we continued on to Fisherman’s Wharf for lunch. It was wall-to-wall people, so we ducked into Franciscan Crab Restaurant to enjoy a view of the bay, crab and Prosecco, and rested before heading back.
We could have taken the cable car up to Nob Hill, but that’s where we were heading in the morning to walk the labyrinth at Grace Cathedral, so we opted to stroll back to Japantown where we rested before dinner. There are plenty of restaurants nearby and we went for Hikari Sushi – known for bullet train sushi. You sit at a counter or booth, order from a touch pad, and food is delivered by a miniature bullet train running along tracks beside you. You just order a little at a time until you’re full. It’s a lot of fun.
And on to Yosemite
The next day it was time to head to the airport, get our rental car and head out to Yosemite.