YPW: Good points. The selection of a method is largely a personal preference choice. There is no right or wrong answer. They all work. Regarding the taste of the water, in wilderness areas the taste of the water through a filter always seems to be excellent. I don't see an issue there. You make good points about Purell. I agree that you should not rely solely on it for cleaning your handby RobE - General Discussion
Ryan, Actually the High Sierra Camps have very limited drinking water available. Often only available for guests. I wouldn't plan on using their water unless you are staying with them. This brings up the rather large topic of best water treatment methods. There are many opinions on this. Here is what I have learned: The types are chemical (tablets, iodine crystals), mechanical filters,by RobE - General Discussion
Another photo of the market before: http://www.yosemitehikes.com/images/el-portal.jpg This blog has photos of the blaze (scroll down to see them): http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.html?topic_id=580646by RobE - General Discussion
Dimond 0 is on reservations. http://www.recreation.gov/ Pit toilets. Not sure about water. Cost is $19 for single family. $38 for multi-family sites. Traffic to Yosemite Valley on 120 is usually OK, except for the backup at the entrance station. On Memorial Day, you might have a wait of (guessing) 15-30 minutes. I would also expect about 30 minutes from Dimond 0 assuming zero trafficby RobE - General Discussion
Yosemite is not dog-friendly. In the Valley, they are limited to the paved bike trails, parking lots, and camping areas. I don't much like the idea of having the dogs on bike trails. It's fine in winter, but not a good idea in summer. You can walk towards Mirror Lake, but the paved trail becomes dirt just as you approach the lake. So you can't actually visit the lake with your dog. You cby RobE - General Discussion
>>Speaking of snow (inspired by another thread), what's the story about >>cross country skiing? It looks like it might be fun. It's very fun! >>I enjoy downhill skiing, and hiking, but wonder if a change of pace might be nice in the winter. XC skiing is like hiking, only faster! >>Is any gear needed that wouldn't normally be obtained in a rental situation? Rentals gby RobE - General Discussion
It took me a while to figure out that it was the sensor and not the lens. The reason is that in a film camera, dust on the film causes a well-defined spot with sharp edges. In a digital SLR camera, there is a piece of glass over the sensor. This moves the dust/dirt away from the focal plane, so it looks like a dark blur spot. Dust on lenses also cause dark blur spots. The easy way to tell isby RobE - General Discussion
CaT wrote: My photographer wife got most of the rest of our trip, but in an unusual turn of events, many of her pictures turned out poorly this trip (which is very unusual for her), in part due to unnatural coloring in some of the pictures, but mostly due to the fact that her lens had some spots on it, without her knowing it, and these spots turned up in the top (sky) half of virtually every picby RobE - General Discussion
I think the bus is your best bet. YARTS runs along highway 140. http://www.yarts.com/maps/2006/Stops.pdf http://www.yarts.com/schedule/2007/Summer140.pdfby RobE - General Discussion
There is a CDMA tower at the airport in Groveland. This will work with Verizon and other carriers, but not AT&T (which uses GSM). So coverage with CDMA phones is better along the 120 corridor. I personally prefer to get tri-mode phones that support the old analog standard. Often rural areas still have analog service where they have not yet been upgraded to digital.by RobE - General Discussion
Yes. The slope between Mocassin and Priest is called Priest Grade. Priest is an old stage stop right at the top, with a nice view of Don Pedro Reservoir, especially at sunset. There is a closed hotel and restaurant. It's for sale, BTW. Speaking of ice cream, there is an ice cream shop in Groveland. Just a few miles further on 120. It's right next to the Groveland Hotel.by RobE - General Discussion
Maybe I'm missing something, but the last train leaves Merced at 9PM, but you won't get in to SF until 12:30AM. You have to take the Amtrak bus from Oakland, according to the schedule. http://www.amtrak.com/timetable/apr07/W33.pdf There is a rail line that goes to SF without needing a bus. It is CalTrain (www.caltrain.org) and there are direct connections with Amtrak in San Jose (Coast Staby RobE - General Discussion
I am glad to see that humor on this forum has eeek's seal of approval!by RobE - General Discussion
Letterknit wrote: >RobE, good thoughts about the earthquake supplies, I hadn't thought of that. Too bad I'm moving back to Chicago this summer. Thanks. But won't that be a long commute to Yosemite?? >Do you have to keep water in the bottle at all times? The website said something about the iodine crystals evaporating or disintegrating or something. We've never used it or put water in itby RobE - General Discussion
Letterknit, I would not throw out the iodine. It is excellent for earthquake supplies, because it will never 'expire'. The other advantage of the iodine is rated to kill viruses. So if you suspect viral contamination, you will want the iodine. Still, I prefer to use a filter when there is any question about the water safety. Another issue I have with purification by chemicals is that if thby RobE - General Discussion
Letterknit asks: > We bought some of this Polar Pure iodine, but haven't used it yet. Anyone else have it and like it? We have used it in the past. My main worry about it is to be sure not to accidentally put any of the crystals directly into the water to be purified. You only want the solution. It has the advantage of having a semi-infinite shelf life, as opposed to tablets. It leavesby RobE - General Discussion
Here is a timely article: http://www.uniondemocrat.com/news/story.cfm?story_no=23540by RobE - General Discussion
Mike wrote: > Nighttime temps can get down to freezing Yes. Even in summer. I know this from my own experience staying at Vogelsang High Sierra Camp. The high sierra camps ask you to bring a canvas bed sleeve. They are actually heavier than a good sleeping bag. So if you do have a good quality sleeping bag, bring it instead of the sleeping sack. I'd bring some thermals, too. That'by RobE - General Discussion
According to this website, plowing will not start until 4/16. http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/tioga.htm Of course, the web page could be wrong...by RobE - General Discussion
I think the ice rink closes mid-March. You can call (209) 372-8319 to find out for sure. http://www.yosemitepark.com/activities_winteractivities_iceskating.aspxby RobE - General Discussion
Lots of good info from eeek and Bruce, so I don't have that much to add. 120 is the best route from the north and west. Do obey speed restrictions and limit your speed on Priest Grade. If you do that you should be just fine. The weather has been pretty nice. You should plan to dress in layers and be prepared for anything from 30-80 degrees. There are shuttle buses running in the valley.by RobE - General Discussion
Tire chains can be purchased many places. I purchase them at auto supply stores. In California, we have Kragen and AutoZone. You will need the tire size of the rental car to purchase the correct size. You will probably see an auto store while driving around. Or you can look them up in the phone book. With the chains, I generally buy tensioners. They are large rubber bands that keep theby RobE - General Discussion
Thanks for the responses. We ended up going to the valley. There are some oak and other deciduous trees there. The oak have started to turn. Some other trees have not turned yet. Along Big Oak Flat Road, the furns have turned. It should be quite nice around Crane Flat. The next few weeks should have good fall color.by RobE - General Discussion
Is there any place in the park with deciduous trees? Any good places in Yosemite for a fall colors hike? Alternate locations outside the park nearby would be welcome also.by RobE - General Discussion
Thanks for posting this. If anyone is considering attending this exhibit, you will need to hurry. The last day is this Saturday, 9/30/06. I made a point of visiting this last weekend. As someone with a strong interest in early photography - and Yosemite, this was not to be missed. The photographs are large contact prints. I think that most (or all) of them were made with the albumen proceby RobE - General Discussion
John Oz wrote: >We will stay in Merced over night before taking the trip into Yosemite the >next morning. >Or, if we might be better of taking a bus with Yosemite Area Regional >Transportation System (YARTS) into the park? In January, the park is less crowded. Drive in yourself. I don't know if the shuttle buses are even running in winter. In any event, you will not waste timeby RobE - General Discussion
Some years ago, I rented an SUV in Los Vegas in order to visit the Grand Canyon. The taxes on the rental car were almost as high as the rental fee! Hundreds of dollars! It was not disclosed as part of the reservations. You have to ask specifically. Please check this out before you make your plans. You may want to fly in somewhere else. Robby RobE - General Discussion