New Mexico: Carlsbad and Guadalupe Mountains

Our base for the first few days of this trip was located in Carlsbad, New Mexico on the border of Texas.  An uneventful three hour, nighttime drive from El Paso (besides the border patrol checkpoint 30 minutes outside the city...) brought us into one of the oil boom parts of the United States.  The unusual number of pickup trucks with various company names such as Halliburton in hotel parking lots quickly explained the high hotel rates we had noticed when booking our room (points to the rescue!).

The next morning finally allowed a chance to see the desert scenery as we drove to Carlsbad Caverns National Park.  We had booked the morning tour of King's Palace online, which was good because the tour was in fact full even during our winter visit. The Ranger led tours allow visitors to access caves otherwise off limits, but some require crawling on your belly so if small spaces aren't your thing...pick a different one.

We were advised that we had arrived too late to start the Natural Entrance self guided tour.  It takes an hour, so if you want to combine that with your guided tour inside the caves make sure to arrive early.  We'd have to come back for the Natural Entrance another day.

Rock walls were visible through the glass as the elevator descended underground.  As our ears popped, we eyed a counter that displayed feet underground, rather than levels.  First 50, then 100, and on until we reached the end, 750 feet below ground. We exited the elevator into a large dark room (surprise!) and waited for our eyes to adjust to the dim lights. While waiting for the start of our tour, we perused the gift shop and visited the restrooms since an ice storm earlier in the month busted the pipes to the ones in the visitor center above.  

Soon, a ranger announced the the beginning of our tour and we lined up with forty or so others visitors. Mike, our ranger, gave a brief introduction and led us towards the King's Palace area of the cavern. Although it used to be open to self-guided tours, the park service closed it because people kept misbehaving and causing damage. Sigh. Now there are actually phones throughout the parts that still remain open for self-guided loops so that visitors may phone rangers to report (tattle) vandals or rule-breakers. If you know Ashley, you know she thinks these phones should be available throughout the national park system...for when people are trying to pet the wildlife. 

Yosemite: The Valley Part 2

Glacier Point again?  You betcha!  Only this time, we'd be taking a shuttle to the top and then hiking back down along the Panorama Trail (make sure to reserve the shuttle ahead of time, and yes, you have to pay).  We chose the earliest shuttle to get started before it was too hot, as well as in the hopes that it would mean less hikers.  

Besides the fact that this hike goes down into the Valley, it was great for several other reasons: unique views of Half Dome and the valley, less populated (for the upper part), and the hike includes the Mist Trail which passes both Vernal and Nevada Falls.  In other words, it was our favorite hike in(to) the Valley.

The nine mile hike would take us down to Illuote creek, up across the ridge, and then down again past the waterfalls to the Valley floor, where we'd pick up the Valley Shuttle back to our hotel.

Yosemite: A Bike Ride in the Valley (Part 1)

After spending several days in less crowded areas of the park, it was finally time to descend into the valley for a few days to complete our visit to Yosemite.  Leaving from Glacier Point, highway 41 once again took us through the Wawona Tunnel to one of the best views of the Valley - Tunnel View.

Each time we passed this point (going or leaving), Nate was sure to hop out for a few minutes to snap a few pictures.  Though the waterfalls were light this time of year, the overall scale of the scene was impressive each stop.  Both of us want to return earlier in the year for our next visit to see the full scale of these massive waterfalls (that is, assuming a decent winter snowfall).

We'd driven through on a few occasions, but had not spent more than a few minutes in traffic on our way to another section of the park.  The high country was warm, but the valley would have a high of around 100 each of the days that we'd be there.  This, as well as the crowds, would play a part in our plans over the next two days.

Yosemite: Wawona, Mariposa Grove, and Glacier Point

We descended from the Alpine Meadows, but it took us a little longer than we expected to finally arrive at Wawona Hotel. After dropping our bags off, we sprinted over to the shuttle stop in order to try to catch the last tram tour in Mariposa Grove. The Park Service operates small, open-air trams (kind of like in the Disney parking lot) that allows you to admire the giant trees while sitting down rather than hiking the entire loop. We planned to take the tram to the furthest point and then hike back down.

The Park Service and various guidebooks recommended taking a shuttle to Mariposa Grove since the parking lot is usually full. However, after waiting and waiting and waiting for the shuttle, we got nervous that we would miss the last scheduled tram tour. So, Nate decided to risk the "full" parking lot and drive while Ashley continued to wait for the shuttle. We're not really sure why we split up. It's unlike us as we strongly believe in the buddy system. We weren't sure whether the car or shuttle would arrive first so we hedged our bets so one of us could at least buy the tickets and stall the tram. Ashley probably would have "won" on the tram since it arrived soon after Nate took off for car. Yet, for some unknown reason, the shuttle driver pulled over halfway there for a break. Sadly, Ashley watched Nate pass in the car through the window. The shuttle ride seemed especially long since a local decided to sit next to Ashley and ask an endless number of random questions and then criticize her answers. He also didn't seem to believe her that she was meeting her husband when she got off the shuttle. That led to another line of random questions. She has a knack for attracting weird interesting strangers.

After finally arriving at the Grove, Nate sadly informed Ashley that the last tram tour had already departed. Thus,we'd have to hike a little more than we anticipated. At least we were at a lower elevation. Ashley remains disappointed in the shuttle system.  (Update: The tram has since been closed permanently due to renovations in and around the Mariposa Grove).

Undeterred, we started hiking the roughly three mile uphill Lower Grove Trail. The trail leads past most of the tree all-stars located in the Park. Not far from the Parking Lot, we saw the Fallen Monarch - made famous by a photograph of cavalry lined up in front of and on top of the tree. Although she didn't have a horse, Ashley posed for a picture in front it as well. Get ready for a lot of photos of us in front of big trees to demonstrate scale.

Yosemite: Tuolumne Meadows and May Lake

Since we had spent most of our time in the high country completing alpine hikes, we started the morning in the area's namesake meadows. Still recovering from our Cloud's Rest summit (or near-summit in Ashley's case), we chose a leisurely path (i.e. flat) through the meadows along the river for an opportunity to view the Soda Springs. Despite the ease of the trail, we encountered few hikers this early in the morning and enjoyed the peacefulness of the High Country. We probably wouldn't truly appreciate that peacefulness until entering the chaos of the valley later in the trip.

Yosemite: Tuolumne Meadows and Cloud's Rest

"Half Dome without the crowds."  "No chains."  "No lottery to get a coveted spot to summit."  "Views of Half Dome from the top."  That's what we heard about Cloud's Rest.   It sounded like the perfect high country alternative to the more famous Half Dome hike.

Yosemite: Tuolumne Meadows

Tuolumne Meadows Lodge sounds fancier than it actually is. The "Lodge" refers to the dining room and reception area, but the rooms consist of semi-permanent canvas tents.  Beds, linens, and a wood burning stove are included, but communal restrooms and showers are located in a separate central building.  We are still debating whether this constitutes camping or glamping. You be the judge.