Revisiting old ground!

Labour Day in Mammoth Lakes and the town was buzzing with everyone up and about, ready to make the most of the holiday. (Fishing, boating, and mountain biking were all in vogue.) The fresh morning feel soon changed as the sun got into its stride and we got into ours by calling into the local supermarket "Von" ..... a great place to stock-up with essentials, such as Mammoth Lakes Brewery's IPA! Leaving Mammoth Lakes behind, we drove some twenty miles, to pick-up the Tioga Pass road into Yosemite National Park. Predictably, the Park was busy, but as twenty years had passed since we were last there, we braved the traffic and all went smoothly ..... particularly as our annual pass got us priority access! Its easy to forget how huge Yosemite is and the fact that it takes time to traverse it. Nevertheless, it boasts stunning scenery and reaching the Valley Visitor Centre, we were once again captured by the magnificence of the surrounding granite mountains. (Although the prolonged California drought has had a significant and detrimental effect on its main river and waterfalls.)

When we last visited, mobile phones were the size of bricks, the internet was in its infancy, and we spotted a bear. Today, there was no bear sightings, but we managed to Skype Jenny on an iPad, over coffee ...... that's progress! Before departing for our next overnight stopover, Mariposa, we took a detour to the magnificent Glacier Point and took-in its jaw-dropping views. (Small wonder that Ansell Adams was a big fan!)

Then, snaking our way along Highway 140 behind some bozo who struggled to keep pace with the speed limit, we reached Mariposa. What a pleasant surprise: the town is small and interesting, the Best Western Plus is modern and comfortable, and the steaks in the Charles Street Dinner House are to die for!

A good day and thanks to Sirius XM, Tommy Roe (sounding like Buddy Holly) provides a musical memory, with "Sheilagh"