Yosemite Valley floods, a little

A year ago, Steven secured lodging for us in Yosemite Valley, a site so popular getting a room is dicier than winning the lottery. Little did we know a year later that Yosemite would experience record snows and then record runoff. Two days before we left for Yosemite, we were informed the Valley was closing due to anticipated flooding. Was our vacation ruined? Not with a quick pivot to Plan B. We still had one night at the historic Ahwahnee Hotel before the gates closed. So we spent our first night outside the park in Merced, CA at the excellent El Capitan Hotel (named after the famed mountain in Yosemite, we presume) then rose earlish to get in a full day in Yosemite Valley.

We started with a warm hike to Mirror Lake. Our sweat was rewarded with the above view, the perfect reflection of North Dome and Half Dome. According to Indian legend, the two peaks are a husband and wife who quarreled and were turned to stone. They now face each other for eternity.

When we got back to our hotel, we were interviewed by a reporter from ABC News who was covering the imminent Valley closure. While we thought we were too boring to make it on the local news, it turns out we did have something to add. On the way back from Mirror Lake, the trail had become impassable due to flooding and we had to cross a log over the now (IMHO) raging river to make it back. The tale is retold here. Don't blink or you might miss it.

Our second hike of the day was to dinner at Yosemite Lodge. This took us past the Yosemite Falls, the tallest falls in North America. Not a bad way to work up an appetite.

After dinner, we relaxed at the Ahwahnee Hotel. Ahwahnee means "place of gaping mouth" and was the original name for the valley. By all rights, Yosemite should have been named Ahwahnee, but white Europeans apparently modified the Miwok Indian word Yemonite instead. According to my Yosemite Trivia book, Yomenite or Yosemite roughly translates to "those who kill" or "some of them are killers." Not the best choice. But back to the Awhwahnee Hotel. Here you see three quarters of the Chesslers sprawled on the Indian themed couch in one of the lounge areas. The hotel was built in National Park Service Rustic, or Parkitecture style, in 1927, with a decided nod to the indigeneous peoples, the Ahwaneechee. Should you be lucky enough to secure a room here, and not blanche at the cost, you will also likely get a prime view of Half Dome from your room. In summer, you can also see intrepid climbers crawling up the face of Half Dome, looking like ants against the granite.

The next morning everyone was hustling to check out of the hotel, but the Valley wouldn't close until 10 p.m., so plenty of time to get in two more hikes. The famous Mist Trail, and its 600 steps next to waterfall spray, was closed due to icy conditions, but we managed to hike to Vernal Falls bridge and a little bit of the John Muir trail, which, for hardier souls, will lead you all the way to Mount Whitney.

We also got a close up of the lower Yosemite Fall, which pelted us with spray. A good cool down on a hot day.