Our plan for today was to start with the 9:30 Jr Ranger program in the Happy Isles section of Yosemite. Getting there required a shuttle ride so we got to the park around 8:30 with the hopes to grab a quick breakfast. The girls really wanted the yogurt they saw at the Yosemite Village Store yesterday that we never bought because of the long lines. They must not have been meant to have that because the store didn’t open until later. There was a little breakfast place in the Village called Degnan's Kitchen so we went there instead. Lily got oatmeal and Ella got an egg sandwich. When they finished we crossed the street to go to the already crowded shuttle stop.
When the shuttle arrived it was filled but there was one seat available. I sat and put Lily on my lap and Adam and Ella unfortunately had to stand. The fact that the shuttle was over crowded was not lost on the driver. As we made our way to Happy Isles she spoke over the loud speaker about how the number of visitors has increased over her 30 years of service and the trouble the park was having accommodating the influx.
When we arrived we went right over to the front of the Nature Center for the 9:30 junior ranger program.
The ranger started with a beach ball decorated like a globe. He had the kids perform an information gathering activity where they each had a turn to catch the ball and report where each of their pointer fingers were touching, land or water. At the end they analyzed the data collected and found it was true to life with 2/3 landing on water and 1/3 on land.
He then lead the group on a hike around Happy Isles where we observed the water and land. We stopped at the water collection station and he explained the procedure for how the level of water is continually measured and recorded.
We hiked over to the fen and used our senses of sight, smell and hearing to observe how our surroundings changed as we walked over the marshy area. We gathered just past the fen to share the collected observations.
At the end of the program all the kids stood in a line and he swore them all in as junior rangers. The girls were excited to receive a 2nd Yosemite Jr. Ranger badge.
As we walked back to the Nature Center I had the opportunity to talk one on one with the Ranger and our gloomy day experience at the Grand Canyon came up. He shared with me that those gray days are usually the Rangers favorite because it is so rare to see and creates a totally different feel and view. I really liked his perspective and insight.
Before leaving this area we hiked the Happy Isles trail which is a short half mile crossing bridges to experience two islands in the Merced river. When we got to the end of the trail we sat on the boulders facing the river bank and used our senses to experience this moment together. It was also a good time for a snack.
We made our way back to the shuttle stop and rode it one stop further to the Mirror Lake Trail Head. This is a two mile moderate trail that made for a very interesting hike with several steep inclines along the rugged, dusty and rocky path. I loved the large boulders and abundance of trees everywhere. While we hiked we were able to see some great views of Half Dome & North Dome.
As we approached the lake there was a little alcove and we walked down a small hill to go over to the water’s edge. Mirror Lake had beautiful, crystal clear water. Whether we looked to the right, left or straight ahead the view was absolutely spectacular.
As I stood there with the girls Adam noticed a little past this was another larger area by the lake and we all made our way over there. A large boulder sat in the middle of the lake here and two guys climbed it and were sitting at the top. We watched as they were jumping into the water from that point too.
It started getting pretty late so we began to head back. We stopped to watch some squirrels scurrying around.
As we continued down the path Lily really just wanted to be done and she became upset. She was a trooper and kept going anyway.
When we made it back to the trail head we got in line to take the shuttle back to Yosemite Valley Lodge. We were all fine with our lunch there yesterday so we decided to go there again today. Of course Lily had to finish with some ice cream too.
While we ate we realized we didn’t see the movie at the Visitor’s Center yesterday. Adam looked up the show times on his phone and the last one of the day was at 4:30. It was approaching 3:30 and I really didn’t want to miss it. We quickly finished and started walking over to the Visitors Center. While we were on our way we had to stop as a baby deer was grazing in the greenery just across the street.
Lily and I were doing running spurts to try and shorten our travel time. Along the way Adam and I noticed how the view of Half Dome had completely changed since the morning. The air around it was very gray and thick. We also started noticing sporadic pieces of ash flying through the air. I was so excited when we arrived with about five minutes to spare. I went ahead through the Visitors Center and out to the theater only to be greeted by a sign on the door. I was very disappointed to read due to the impact of the nearby wildfires they were not able to play the movie.
The girls had finished their activity books and wanted to get their patches so we got in line to speak with a ranger while we were here. As we waited all of a sudden one of the Rangers announced anyone needing to use Route 140 when they exited the park needed to talk to the Ranger at the side of the desk. We started to get concerned because our campsite was on 140 and even more concerning, we needed to take Route 140 tomorrow to get to our next destination. I stayed with the girls in line and Adam went over to the Ranger. While the girls were going over their Ranger books and receiving their patch Adam could not believe what he was learning. The specks of ash we were seeing and the drastic change in the visibility of Half Dome were caused from very sad happenings. While we were having a wonderful day in the park the wildfire was spreading rapidly and had jumped Highway 140. There were portions of the road that would be closed at least tonight and tomorrow and people were being evacuated. The good news was our campsite was just before the evacuation area so we would be able to return. As we exited the Visitors Center we couldn’t believe how much had changed during the short time we were inside. The air became extremely thick, the smell of smoke became very strong and the ash was now continually raining down.
Adam wanted to go to the village store since he wasn’t sure what conditions we would have when we got to the RV. This time we waited in the very long line so that we could purchase water just in case and the girls finally got their yogurt. As we walked back to the truck the smell of smoke was awful. Pieces of ash were landing on our clothes and in our hair. When we got to the truck it was also covered in ash.
It took about two hours to make our way out of the park. We were on the one lane road to exit in bumper to bumper traffic that would creep along every once in awhile but sat at a standstill more. When we were finally towards the front we saw there was a Ranger who was stopping to speak with each car to make sure they were aware of the new conditions and to keep everyone out of the evacuated area. When it was our turn he confirmed we were just outside of the evacuation area and could go ahead. Just before the exit there was a second Ranger who was also stopping to speak with each car to reiterate the same information and be sure nobody was planning on going to the closed area.
When we finally made it back to the RV our neighbor was outside grilling. Adam jokingly thanked him for making us dinner. But he very seriously replied the campsite was without water and power. Thankfully the girls had their yogurt to eat. Adam went over to the store at the lodge to see if they would have anything for us. He came back empty handed as the store was completely picked through. Thankfully we had a late lunch so we weren’t starving. Adam said it was funny to see the party like atmosphere at the lodge during these very serious circumstances. It seemed like their guests were unaware of the severity and cause of the situation. He said there were tons of people outside eating, drinking and playing games. Meantime back at our camp we were getting very concerned for our departure tomorrow. The only option left for us was to drive into Yellowstone so we could exit on a different road further north. This meant we were going to have to go fully hitched through the narrow triangular rock tunnel. Adam asked each of the three Rangers we talked with at the park and they all kept telling us we should be fine to do this as large tour buses go through it all the time. This still did not make us feel any more at ease. Adding to this feeling was the inability to research the route ahead of time so we would be travelling blind. We didn’t know what the roads would be like or where we could get gas as we did for every other drive thanks to Adam’s extremely extensive efforts and research. It was pretty uncomfortable to fall asleep as it was very warm in the RV. Normally we would have opened the windows, but with the smoky, ash filled air we did not think this would be a good option. As I lay there I thought how grateful I was for this timing since it allowed us to still have two incredible days in this phenomenal park. When this day started we thought we would end our day swimming at the lodge and taking that missed picture with the adorable bathing suit wearing bear carving by the pool. It is true what they say about the best laid plans.
