yellow dog, green life: Summer Vaca Part II: Mono Lake and Yosemite NP

Thursday, August 2, 2012

Summer Vaca Part II: Mono Lake and Yosemite NP

After Kendall and Javi's most awesome mountain wedding, James and I headed southeast to the small town of Lee Vining, CA. Lee Vining is located on the eastern slope of the Sierra mountains and is a gateway to Yosemite National Park. Before we made our way into the park, we went and checked out Mono Lake. Mono Lake is a large salt water lake with these tall limestone pillars called tufa surrounding the shoreline. It's also an oasis for migratory birds. Very cool place to visit if you're ever in the area.

El Mono Motel and Coffee Shop - Our abode for two nights

We chose to stay in Lee Vining because it is much quieter than towns on the western side of the park (closer to Yosemite Valley). I worked just south of Yosemite in Sequoia National Park for a summer in college and I know how crowded these parks can get in July. Both James and I don't like crowds, especially when you're supposed to be enjoying nature. I'm super happy about our decision to stay outside the busy portion of the park. We did take a full day to drive all the way across the Sierras into the park and see all the "big" attractions in Yosemite Valley. As predicted, once we got into the Valley, it was really, really crowded. Still, neither of us had been to Yosemite before so it was wonderful to get to see the Valley in person. Overall, I'd say I really enjoyed the park, but out of all the National Parks I've been to in my life, it wasn't my most favorite. Maybe it was the crowds. I also was really bummed that we didn't see any bears. Sequoia was full of bears (my JOB was to chase them - seriously...but that's a post for another day!) so I expected Yosemite to be the same. I think they were probably as weary of the crowds as we were. =) Here are a few pictures from our day.