YOSEMITE

I set out a little late around 9:30am and it's a 4 hour drive from San Fran to Yosemite.  I thought that I would get there around 1:30, set up camp and be hiking around 2.  However, there are so many curvy, slow roads and so many rules about food and things that smell (bear rules), that I didn't get hiking til 3:15.  Not to mention, I chatted with my tent neighbors before I left too.  The hike to Vernal Falls was beautiful! It feels like your walking around in a post card.  The pictures of this place do not do it justice, the rocks are amazing and so much bigger than you think.

I get back from the hike and think, "I'm sweaty, there's no showers, so I guess I'll just change my clothes, put my hair up, put on deodorant and head to the lodge for dinner." The lodge was so big and had great architecture.  Everyone in there, besides me, smelled really good too.  I ate a salad and headed to camp.

My neighbors were there, so I chatted for a while and went to bed.  Don't get this confused with sleeping though.  I didn't really sleep because I knew that all that food was in the bear safe locker, which was next to my tent and it's not like it was smell safe.  I didn't know where the bears were and I didn't want to find out.  I couldn't get out of the tent to pee, to take out my contacts or to get medicine for the headache I had.  I needed another pillow too.  All things good to know when I come back, or just stay in the lodge.

I get up in the morning and change again, no shower and more deodorant, head to find breakfast.  I needed a big meal for my 8 hour drive to Vegas.  I found a buffet! I had eggs, hash browns, sausage, biscuits and gravy, fruit, cream of wheat, juice and coffee.  I think I got 12 bucks worth.  It took me 2 hours to get out of the park.

Picture below is Half Dome that people hike to the top of, takes 10hours round trip

I filled up on gas in Oakdale, CA which was before I entered Yosemite.  I thought I would easy make it to Nevada before I needed to fill up again.  However, that was a stupid move.  I took 395 to 168/266 and that "stomach dropping" road was up and over 3 or more mountain ranges and straight through 2 valleys.  Most of the time the road was too curvy to see over the hump and 15 mph.  By the way I maybe saw 5 cars in 3 hours and there was nothing for miles.  I would come across a sign that said, "School Bus Stop Ahead," and laugh, but then there would be messed up 5 trailers with broken stuff everywhere around them.  "Wow, are there really people in there?"  So.... I hit Nevada and there is still nothing. I get on the GPS and find the nearest gas: 52miles away.  I have an 1/8 of a tank left and I'm doing a bunch of calculations in my head to see if I'm going to have to run for 10miles to get gas.  I turned the AC off, popped the sunroof, drove 60 in a 70 for efficiency and there were no cars behind me anyway.  Thank God Nevada knows how to make roads, they were all straight and I never had to take the cruise control off.  I sweaty, hot and ready to put on my running shoes when I pulled up to the Beatty Ice Cream Candy shop that had gas in front.  I got an Ice cream, cause I was hot and deserved it, got back in the car cranked the AC and drove 80 all  the way to Las Vegas.