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YOSEMITE
- Yosemite valley from Wawona lookout (this was on the way out! No traffic!)
I was fortunate enough to get camping reservations in Yosemite way back in February, 6 months from then (which is as far out as the will reserve) was during the fourth of July Holiday. Mom went, daughter, her beau, me husband and self.OMG! I had NO idea how crowded it would be just to get into the Valley. It took no less than an hour and a half to get to the entrance station on hwy 41 once it started backing up.
Daughter and husband walked on the side of the road (something about getting her "steps" in) while the cars inched along, many other folks were walking too. Semi dangerous trying to go around cars that had stalled when we're only moving 3 feet at a time! Oncoming traffic was wary.
At last we made the entry, mom waved her magical golden age pass and we were in for free, daughter and beau had to pay $30.oo for their vehicle. (Doesn't seem so long ago it was just $3.oo) We drove the meandering twisty road without issue until we were about to hit the Wawona tunnel. We slowed a great deal when all of a sudden we stopped just after entering the tunnel. Dang, this did not bode well for my anxiety. The tunnel is about a mile long. Almost had to bolt. Considered asking husband to jump into the drivers seat so I could run out of the tunnel. But I powered through. The view as you exit the tunnel is stunning, (like the photo above and in the video) The bumper to bumper traffic stayed as such all the way to the campground. That took about 3 hours, absolutely insane. There were people everywhere trying to park in all kinds of crazy places. Turns out much of these people were there for day use The drive from entry station to campsite should have been just under an hour.
Here's a quick trip through the tunnel. I remember a gang of teenagers were riding their skateboards through the tunnel at midnight, this was in the 80's. That would be a rough ride, it's downhill cement with big gaps between sections, wet, dark and completely dangerous, believe the park service cracked down on that...
(I just changed out this video, there are lots to choose from, this one was what it was like when we were there. The traffic was terrible just like this video, yet the view when you exit this longest tunnel in California is breath taking!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYuvaXtoEXc
...as they did jumping from Stoneman bridge and other bridges in the Valley.
https://mather.photoshelter.com/image/I0000iBna2RiC9p8
This photo is pretty much how it was on any given day in the Summer. I started jumping in 1974. Not sure I could do it now, LoL, I looked over the edge this trip and thought what in tarnation!
Last time I went to Yosemite was October of 2005, that's the last vacation with my Dad before he passed from Alzheimer's. It was a glorious trip, crowds were really minimal, no traffic whatsoever. Hard to believe we were trodding down the path to Vernal Falls and he would be dead exactly 6 months later.
This time we had bikes and rafts and lounge chairs...time to kick back and recreate!
IT WAS TOTALLY WORTH THE EFFORT
Photos to follow
but we spent very little time in camp so that was of little consiquence. The side of restroom did make for a good area to have wiffleball park 
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