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tom at the oregon vortex
the vortex distorts your perception
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tony in house of mystery
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grants pass caveman
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tony at campsite near lake shasta
I was able to convince Tony to go down to the Yosemite area during his week off. On the way down, we stopped at The Oregon Vortex in Gold Hill. Perception of height is skewed there and supposedly you actually weigh less too. There's an example in a picture below. Also had to stop in Grants Pass for a picture with the caveman (though the Bee Gee's restaurant is gone). We camped a bit south of Lake Shasta (the owner said it hadn't rained since March, so it was dry and dusty).
The next day we drove through Sacramento and Fresno to Kings Canyon & Sequoia National Park. It was late afternoon by the time we got there, so we just went around the Grant Grove area and saw some big trees. When we got to our campsite, the park ranger warned us that there was a lot of bear activity. A bear would come around 9pm then back again around 2am. We heard people yelling, banging pots and pans and car alarms going off through the night. It was hard to sleep. First thing the next morning we got our tickets for the Crystal Cave then saw some of the nearby big trees, including the General Sherman Tree (the largest living thing). The Crystal Cave was cool - stalagmites, stalactites and a stream through the cave. Did a couple hikes then drove to the opposite end of the park to Kings Canyon. I read that it "rivaled Yosemite" so I wanted to see it. Seemed more dry to me, but it was impressive. We got to catch a glimpse of the bear that night at the campground, though it didn't come to play with us. Not quite as much noise that night, so it was easier to sleep.
On to Yosemite. We setup camp at Bridalveil Creek then hiked up Sentinel Dome for a view of Yosemite Valley. From there, it was a short drive to Glacier Point for an even better view of the valley. Drove out to Tunnel View and waited for the sun to set in order to get some pics. The sky was hazy (like most of Southern California) so it was hard to get crisp, clear pics. Plus being the end of summer, many of the waterfalls were dried up (including Yosemite Falls and Bridalveil Falls). The next morning we went into Yosemite Valley, saw the stores and did a short hike around. Then we drove out towards Tolumne Meadows - stopped at a couple viewpoints and did a hike to May Lake. We camped at a site just outside of the park near Saddlebag Lake. . .it was almost 10,000 feet elevation! Needless to say, it was cold that night.
On our way to Reno, we stopped by Mono Lake and did a drive around Lake Tahoe. Nothing too exciting, but both were neat to see. Tony's friend, Denyse, lives in Reno so we were able to stay with her (and shower!). Friday night we got to see the locals at a rib cook-off near the Nugget casino. Saturday Tony and I went around town shopping and saw the Atlantis casino (nothing special). That evening, we drove out to Virginia City for dinner. Parts of it are old west style, but a lot of it is just a run-down small town. For our night entertainment, we stopped by a swanky lounge called Sapphire then went on to a dance club called Bubinga. Sunday was a 10 hour drive back to Portland.
click on thumbnail to enlarge
Day 1 - The Oregon Vortex, Grants Pass and camping near Lake Shasta
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tom at the oregon vortex |
the vortex distorts your perception |
tony in house of mystery |
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grants pass caveman |
tony at campsite near lake shasta |
Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks
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tony and tom at kings canyon |
view of hume lake from panoramic point |
big tree |
tom and big tree |
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"oregon tree" |
this squirrel was dragging around the big pine cone |
general sherman tree (the largest living thing) |
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tony along trail in grant grove |
tony at dorst creek campsite |
tom eating oatmeal breakfast |
waterfall near crystal cave |
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entrance to crystal cave |
inside the crystal cave |
inside the crystal cave |
inside the crystal cave |
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big tree |
tom at general sherman tree |
tony driving thru tunnel log |
view hiking up moro rock |
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tom up top moro rock |
view from moro rock |
cresent meadow |
tharps log |
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kings canyon panorama |
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roaring river falls |
tony by roaring river |
kings river and zumwalt meadow |
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deer |
and doe |
Yosemite National Park
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bridalveil creek campsite |
tom on top of sentinel dome |
view of el capitan |
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jeffrey pine and half dome |
half dome from glacier point |
vernal falls |
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panorama from glacier point |
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yosemite valley from tunnel view |
b/w of yosemite valley |
tony waiting for sun to set |
sunset |
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sunset |
yosemite valley |
merced river in yosemite valley |
oak tree and half dome |
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chapel and deer |
yosemite valley |
merced river and half dome |
may lake |
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view from olmstead point |
tenaya lake from viewpoint |
tenaya lake |
viewpoint on way to tolumne meadow |
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tolumne meadow |
campsite near saddlebag lake (close to 10,000 ft) |
view from campground |
Mono Lake, Lake Tahoe and Reno
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tony by mono lake sign |
mono lake |
tom at mono lake |
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lake tahoe |
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one of many wedding chapels in reno |
tony and denyse in virginia city |
tom in gambling museum |
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