Yosemite National Park

Today provided one of the treats that will surely be remembered as a highlight of the trip - Yosemite National Park. The main attraction of this park is surely the Yosemite Valley, straddled between monumental cliff faces, the likes of El Capitan and Half Dome with numerous waterfalls hurtling over the 1000m precipice. We're talking Drakensberg escarpment scale cliff faces here and it really is a sight to behold.

Yosemite Valley bordered by El Capitan on the left, Bridal Veil Falls on the right and the iconic Half Dome in the distance.

Peaks of the Sierra Nevada as seen from the
eastern section of Yosemite National Park.

Like I said, the valley must surely be the main attraction of the park and, indeed, while it was still relatively quiet when we arrived in the morning, the throng of crowds became almost unbearable towards the afternoon and our departure was probably well timed. The upper section of the park, along the Tioga Pass road was much less crowded and again we could enjoy the sights in relative solitude. The vistas are no less breathtaking though and with the winter snow only just melting now, the scenic beauty takes one's breath away - OK, the cold probably contributed to a small extent as well.

The added benefit was that, exiting the park on the Tioga Pass side put us within 2 hours drive of our next overnight spot, Topaz Lake, a bona fide, good old fashioned, quintessential One Horse Town™.