Let me start by saying I have been camping in Yosemite since I was a toddler (my parents had a super 8 video). My earliest memories are probably from when I was 5-6. My family would drive from SoCal with the backseat packed so high that there was barely room for my brother and I to lay on top of all the gear (that was ~'52, well before seat belts were a law). We would drive up at night, 1) to avoid the valley heat, and 2) so us kids could sleep instead of asking "Are we almost there?" every 15 minutes. We always camped in campground 14 (Now Lower Pines), in the section that is now under restoration. Back then there were no designated sites. We would pull in and 'stake a claim' by putting ropes around trees, hang blankets/tarps on them, thus creating a little village. Aunts, uncles, cousins and grand-parents would all come and join us. Great times! One of my fond memories was to go to the old store in 14 and buy Pez candy dispensers and squirt guns. And the Fire Fall. I hated it. Why? Because it meant it was time to go to bed...LOL.
I have 3 aunts and a couple of cousins that worked seasonally in Yosemite, as I did I. I worked as a camp helper and waiter at the Tuolumne Meadows Lodge the summers of '64 and '65 (after I graduated from high school) and stayed up there and worked from Sept-Feb ('65-66) as a waiter at the Lodge restaurant in the Valley (back then the restaurant was right next to the cafeteria. I'd of probably stayed there a lot longer were it not for Viet Nam and my lack of a student deferment. (I shortly after joined the Marine Corps and spent 21 lovely months in Viet Nam).
My wife and I spent part of our Honeymoon camping in Yosemite (both in the Valley and Tuolumne) and took our kids camping there whenever we could over the years. We go back for major events whenever we can, and when I turned 70 last year that is where I wanted to be to celebrate it (not sure 'celebrate' is the right word...commemorate?)
I have two reservations for camping there over Spring Break; one the week before Easter with my son's kids, and one the week after my daughter and kids. The first site is in Upper Pines (because Lower is not open that week) and the 2nd is in Lower. This is my 8th year of doing this with the grand-kids. I started when the oldest grand-daughter was 10, and this will probably be her last year because she will be heading off to college ;-(
Most years I have been fortunate to get a 'very good' or better site, but this year I had to 'settle'. I have a 5th wheel, so this limits the sites I can go after. I have a priority list that ranks the sites between Perfect to "would I rather be in Yosemite or stay home". Perfect sites have easy access for parking the trailer, wide/long driveway, good views, not close to neighbors, close to play areas/rocks for the kids and trees for hammocks and/or tarps if it rains. Ever since the day I made the reservations I have had two tabs open on my browser: one for Upper Pines reservations, and one for Lower Pines. Every time I walk by my laptop I refresh those tabs to see if a site higher up on my priority list has opened. Since the reservations were made mid-Nov., Dec/Jan/Feb were pretty quiet, but now in March the action has started to heat up. Last week there were two in Upper pines that opened up, but not on my list. But today there were actually 2 sites available at the same time! (Neither on my list) I suspect this has something to do with the long range weather forecast not being as 'pleasant' as some people might prefer. Two years ago, on the weekend between Spring Break weeks I was actual able to snag our favorite site for the 2nd week...tenacity pays off!
This link was from the 1st trip with the grand-kids, and snow we got on March 31, 2010 (this year may be a repeat!). The grand-daughter heading off to college has the blue jacket
Link
Sorry for the ramble. It's rainy here today and golf was cancelled, so I am bored ;-)
Steve
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/13/2018 11:03AM by calberry.