Day 30 - Yosemite National Park 1/5 - Arrival & Tuolumne Meadows

(Spoken: tollamnie miedous)

So, one thing at a time...

I'm out of the national park after 5 days without network (and almost no shower..).

Really great. Must-see. Scenically at the top. I don't want to say everything else is old news, but even the previous Californian landscape seems average compared to the concentration of superlatives.

Many people want to go to Yosemite National Park, especially to Yosemite Valley: ambitious hikers and regular tourists.

That's why getting accommodations in Yosemite Valley is highly esteemed. But if you get accommodation outside the valley or the park, you have to calculate about 1-1.5 hours of driving time, depending on where you want to go.

I'm trying camping (first come first serve, you have to claim the spot when someone leaves and then register).

If you know how it works, it's all good, but I always go into the unknown a bit.

The national park is located within the Sierra Nevada, I'm coming from the east side - the mainstream comes from the west (obviously?).

I leave Bridgeport at 6:30 in the morning to get to a campground early, which was recommended to me by the information station.

I arrive at 8:30 and luckily get a very large spot. However, the campground is at about 2,500m, and it gets very cold at night. The neighbors are all nice and greet each other while camping.

The campgrounds (all in YNP) only have toilets, no running water, electricity, or showers. There's a stream, you have to boil or filter the water. Soap or chemicals must not get into the river. That's why most people leave after two nights.

Finally, all the camping equipment comes in handy. I even have a camping shower, but it only works to some extent.

The moment of happiness with the first coffee on the camping chair with a gas stove is perfect.

After setting everything up, I explore the park a bit and drive to the nearest information station.

I spend the first day at Tuolumne Meadows (meadow means Wiese or Weide) - a high-altitude, glacier-formed plain - and I simply enjoy being there (no altitude meters).

Tuolumne Meadows is one of 4 spots in the park outside of Yosemite Valley. I find it very beautiful there.

The pictures don't fully convey the impression one gets on-site. The park feels like a little paradise.

In the evening, there's pasta with tomato sauce - there are just situations where the simplest food tastes the best!