Hiking on the Yosemite Falls Trail

Yosemite Falls Trail

After resting a bit the day before, I set off early this morning. After a four-hour drive, I reached Yosemite National Park via the Central Yosemite Highway, which is a highlight in itself and mostly follows the Merced River.

Around noon I parked my car at the Yosemite Falls car park to start the hike up to Yosemite Falls. The Yosemite Falls Trail itself is very well constructed, but goes over a very long stretch of winding trails. The first highlight is at Columbia Rock. From here you have a great view over Yosemite Valley. The trail now leads easily to the foot of Yosemite Falls. This is the best view of Yosemite Falls. The rest of the climb takes you away from the falls, with more hairpin bends through the forest. Once the vegetation thins out, you are rewarded with a magnificent view of the mountains. Finally, the trail climbs up through a gorge. Once you reach the top of the plateau, you are rewarded with breathtaking scenery. The view alone is worth the effort. The path continues to the waterfalls, which can now be seen from above. Meanwhile, many hikers relax on the banks of Yosemite Creek.

After I had recovered a bit, it was downhill again. As I had started the hike relatively late, I had to deal with more and more insects as the twilight approached, which made the descent more and more strenuous. I reached my car in the early evening and drove to Oakhurst, where I stayed at the Yosemite Southgate Hotel & Suites. Unfortunately, I didn’t realise at the time that I would be driving for almost an hour on a very winding road to get to the hotel. On top of that, some Americans drive very cautiously, which made the journey even longer as it was impossible to overtake properly at any point. I even felt slightly nauseous at times, so I was glad when the road straightened out again. Arriving at the hotel, I was delighted to find a huge room and a comfortable bed.

Pictures Yosemite Falls Trail

 


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A drive on the Highway 1

The Northern Part Highway 1

After an exhausting first day, it was time to recover a little from the exertions of the journey. So the first thing I did was sleep in. Around midday, I travelled along Highway 1 towards San Francisco, where I visited a few highlights and relaxed a little on San Gregorio Beach, although I can’t recommend jumping into the freezing cold Pacific Ocean

Pictures Highway 1

 


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Walking to Hadestown

A first visit to San Francisco

On this year’s trip, I wanted to visit California’s Great America theme park and I also wanted to take a ride on the nearly 100-year-old Giant Dipper on the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. After several iterations of my planning matrix, it was finalised: I would start and end my trip in San Francisco, and visit the city mainly towards the end. However, as Sunday was the only day I could visit the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, I had the opportunity to explore the city a little before the amusement park opened in the evening. In addition, the musical Hadestown had its last performance in San Francisco that day, which made a visit a must.

The previous day’s journey had gone without a hitch, and instead of standing in the immigration queue for three hours like last time, I was in the United States in less than 10 minutes. Although there were queues at baggage claim and the car rental counter, I arrived at the Hotel 1550 close to the airport in the early evening. After a short night, I treated myself to some porridge in the small breakfast room and immediately set off for San Francisco.

I parked in one of the car parks next to the City Hall, which was surprisingly cheap for San Francisco as there was a special rate for Sunday parking. I walked to the theatre and then around town. After a delicious breakfast at the Mason Diner near Union Square, I looked for something to do before the Hadestown matinee and found the Free Walking Tour of Free SF Tour, which was about to start. Mercedes led our international group around the city, with a special focus on China Town. Unfortunately, the tour got a bit lengthy towards the end, so I arrived at the Orpheum Theatre a bit breathless, but just in time.

I liked Hadestown, although the minimalist set was very reminiscent of Come from Away. It took me a while to warm up to the music though. I particularly liked the staging of Wait for Me with the swinging lights. But the more I heard the songs, the better I liked them.

After the performance I went straight to Santa Cruz where I spent the next two nights at the Drift Inn Motel near the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. The motel was simple but very clean and reasonably priced, so I can definitely recommend it.

Pictures San Francisco

 


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