Tioga Pass.....through the Sierra Nevada Mountains from Lee Vining (where we "live") to Yosemite National Park is only 12 miles. But... all of the mountain passes need to be cleared of snow, fallen trees, rocks and other hazards once the winter weather is over. Slowly some of the mountain passes have been opening. Tioga Pass JUST opened half way....up to the gates of Yosemite National Park. We check the road conditions every day....just hoping to get to Yosemite while we are sooooo close!!
After reading that the pass just opened up to the gate of Yosemite, we decided to take a scenic drive and check it out. WOW! WOW! WOW! The scenery was awe-inspiring! Bonus: the road wasn't too scary....at least this half!
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| starting up Tioga Pass |
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| see the road winding around the mountain? |
We stopped at a pullout when we noticed a bunch of cars. The temperature had dropped about 25 degrees and it was pretty cold. Refreshing! Hahahha. Anyway, there are many adventure-seekers in this area, and fishermen too. At this particular area, the cars seemed to be for fishermen and possibly hikers-though the trails were all snow. Anyway, we got out and walked around a bit admiring the views and taking a million pictures so we never forget the beautiful things we saw.
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| bbrrrrr...... |
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| the river is full with snow melt |
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| refreshing! |
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| how nice is that? |
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| we've been seeing a lot of this! (though this is a parking lot, I think!) |
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| we walked around this area for a bit....the views were amazing as this river meanders....and its really flowing! |
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| can you imagine? |
Often, when a bunch of cars are parked in random locations like this, they are skiers....adventure skiers for sure! There are no chair-lifts here in these parts. The only way up is the hard way! What a thrill that must be though! WOW! We enjoyed watching those guys.
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| these guys are probably skiing on that mountain |
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| more skiers |
We stopped at Tioga Lake, which is almost at the gate to Yosemite. The lake was snow-covered, and again, there were a lot of cross-country skiers-and downhill too-taking advantage of the pristine meadows now that the Pass was open. We parked in the lot, and when we were leaving noticed things sticking out of the snow bank. Hahahha....a little bit of beer chillin' going on for a refreshment after skiing. Its another world up here in the wilderness. Simple (thrilling) pleasures!
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| the lake is right past that snow wall |
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| information kiosk |
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| there's another view of the lake from down the road a bit, with lower snow walls...hahaha |
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| the lake is starting to melt |
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| what? |
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| more! |
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| chill your brew in front of your car for when you come down off the mountain |
We drove up to the gate of Yosemite just to be sure it was closed...ahhaha...and yes, it was. Bummer. We are anxiously awaiting the opening and hoping it happens in the next few days while we are in the area. We'll see. In the meantime, there is still plenty to do in this area, even for the MUCH less adventurous, like me!
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| hoping we will be driving through these gates soon :) |
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| no hiking here...unless you have cross-country skis with you |
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| this is as far as we can get |
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| how's that for a view? we are on top of the world here! |
As we stopped at the other end of Tioga Lake to gawk at the views, we noticed skiers going up the mountain. Take a look at some of the zoomed in pics I was able to get. Hats off to these guys! I'm sure they waited all year for this opportunity!
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| we noticed a bunch of skiers going up the mountain there as we were gawking at the lake |
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| just beautiful... |
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| see a couple of skiers going up the mountain-I think there were 4 of them and a dog |
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| lots of hard work to get up there (I'd chill a beer too, and I don't really drink much!) |
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| the views all around were awesome |
The views were just breathtaking - lots of lakes, streams, waterfalls - and we enjoyed it all. I'm sure things will be looking a whole lot different come July or August, but we are really enjoying this special time of year here in the mountains.
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| another lake thawing out |
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| there are adventure-seekers, and then there are these folks.....walking out on a thawing lake |
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| the lake was gorgeous, settled in the mountain peaks like that |
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| those guys were making us nervous |
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| the ice is thawing along the edges....and spots out there |
We finally tore ourselves away from the awesome views and went back down the Pass to get a bit of lunch at our campground before heading back out again. The Tioga Pass is a civil engineering landmark, and rightfully so. I just can't even imagine what it took to build this road. Just as I can't imagine how dangerous it must be to clear the snow off it. WOW!
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| yes....a civil engineering landmark |
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| another view of the road |
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| looking back from where we just came....and can you see the waterfall? |
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| its so loud! |
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| we feel so little here....everything is so majestic |
We stopped at a few different turn-outs to gawk at the views through the pass. Just so beautiful! Awestruck again!!
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| another view - looking down the pass |
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| we came from up there |
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| we're safe here Susie |
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| it is magnificent here! |
After a quick lunch at home, we headed back out to Hot Creek Geological Site....the hot springs! For more information, click
here. Again, the road was a well-maintained gravel road and we were able to get there in our little car.
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| dirt road to Hot Creek Springs |
From the parking lot, there are viewpoints if you don't want to take a walk down the short steep path. There is also a path that goes along the stream too. There are safety signs everywhere and absolutely no one read them! We were amazed!! There are no "lifeguards", "rangers" or cell service....so really....not too smart!
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| view from the parking area up above |
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| wait....what?? No swimming or going past the protective fence for your own safety! (The signs are everywhere) |
The place was just so special. The river is heated by thermal springs underneath, similar to what you see in Yellowstone National Park. There are bubbling hot springs with scalding water due to the magma underneath. Especially beautiful were the opaque turquoise pools, complete with waterfall. Very nice!
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| a look down Hot Creek-see the hot springs bubbling and steaming? |
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| close up |
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| heading down the path to view that turquoise surprise! |
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| this is so amazing....tucked in the middle of nowhere |
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| the signs are just everywhere! |
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| right below the sign we see this one |
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| a beauty...love the colors and the waterfall too |
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| these guys can't read either |
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| i guess the signs are for other people?? |
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| this is where EVERYONE cuts through the fence to do what they please |
We walked further along the trail next to the stream, but we had to either stop and turn around or go over the rocks. We turned around at that point! What a scenic little gem in the middle of nowhere. Actually, this is part of the wilderness in the Inyo National Forest.
As we walked, we passed by fumoroles too.....hot steam coming out from the crevices in the volcanic rock. Another reason to NOT walk along inside the fenced area....the ground is not stable. We could also see hot springs in the water...though really hard to photograph! There were circles bubbling up in the rapidly flowing water.
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| can you see hot springs forming a circle in the water...to the right of the "rapids" and rock |
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| fumarole....steam was puffing out of this one |
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| the path runs along the creek...and the protective fence is to keep us out of the fragile (and dangerous) areas |
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| WOW.....the views! (I know I keep saying that, but really!) |
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| lots of volcanic-looking rocks and things |
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| makes a good place for a nest |
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| pretty! |
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| lots of wild looking areas.....the color is from bacteria and algae! Nice! |
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| Hey Sus.....check this out......... |
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| a deer went for a swim? Yikes! |
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| a good reminder of what can happen unexpectedly in hot springs in nature! |
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| love the colorful lichen |
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| and the micro-environments! |
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| still looking at the wildflowers! |
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| wow...you can just see how that molten lava rock just broke off, can't ya? |
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| ummm....we have to go up to get around! |
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| hot springs allowing certain bacteria and algae to grow....nice colors:) |
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| more lichen on the volcanic rock |
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| not sure what the white growth is...its very different |
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| more... |
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| okay...last one |
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| heading back and enjoying the views |
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| lots of amazing places in this country |
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| oops....(this is the rock I tripped on earlier...just didn't see it...ahhahah) |
As we walked past the hot pool area again, with all the warning signs, another batch of visitors that couldn't read decided to test the waters. Amazing. We really couldn't believe it! Hopefully no one got hurt or affected fragile areas negatively.
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| you have to walk right by this particular sign to cut through the fence....and still most people go down there |
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| duh....is it hot?? |
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| signs are just everywhere |
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| another group that can't read (sorry for ranting.....) |
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| what a treat this has been! |
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| another spectacular view of incredible nature..... |
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