janisj

I first typed 'very hot' but didn't want to scare them off

And remember . . . it's a dry heat

janisj

And trust me, here in the Central Valley we would praise the Lord (or whoever) if it was only the low 90's today. Nine straight days over 106 is too much even for Sacramento.

sf7307

We were driving home from Bodega Bay on Sunday, and the reading in the car kept going up-up-and more up. By the time we reached Novato it was 108 (and it was still in the high 80s when we got to San Francisco).

janisj

Yeah, I heard it was even hot in the city, but seems to be cooling down today?

We had such a wet and fairly cool Spring (Yippee!!), that it is just seems harder to take this year. We are used to <red>HOT</red> summers but usually after 4 or 5 days that lovely Delta breeze cools us down 20 degrees.

Nine days ago it was raining and 70F, and right now it is 107 on my back deck . . .

susieQ122

Seems like the heat just won't quit. It was 97 here(North/Central NJ)over the weekend and it is NOT a dry heat. It was like 99% humidity. Talk about miserable...well one thing we all know is that you can't control the weather and it will be what it will be, but I sure will make sure to bring shorts and tank tops.

We are staying at the Yosemite Valley Lodge, arriving on Sunday evening and leaving after breakfast at the Ahwahnee/Majestic on Wednesday. How is the ride to the coast? Anywhere to stop off? I was planning on bring cooler weather clothing, so thank you SO much for letting me know how warm it will be. Hope it cools off a bit at night since the rooms have no a/c...haha!

susieQ122

I just looked at the weather forecast put out by the NPS and IF it is correct, they are forecasting upper 80's on Monday and Tuesday...That would be great, but I will GLADLY suffer high heat to finally see the spectacular Yosemite!

cmstraf

Yosemite Lodge rooms have fans that really help with the heat. I like either Tamarack, Aspen or Dogwood (BACKfacing rooms) for their peacefulness. If falls are still flowing 4322 in Willow has wonderful views from second floor balcony.

Much of the relatively flat Valley loop trail is in shade. Hot weather is a good incentive to help you get up early to avoid crowds. There is a nice walk from the Ahwahnee Hotel to Mirror Lake that you could do after breakfast.

I can almost guarantee you it will be cool enough at night to sleep. Hope that you have found a way to get to Glacier Point. Enjoy...and say hello to the home of my heart

janisj

>>If falls are still flowing

susieQ122

Awwww...home of my heart. Love that expression! Actually, I called the Lodge the other day and they told me they falls are peaking and the Merced is not allowing any rafting due to the high water! I will get to Glacier Point one way or another. The walk from Ahwahnee to Mirror sounds like a nice ending to the YP part of our trip. I can't wait to see the stars at night! I'll call tomorrow and request 4322. Thanks for that info...

susieQ122

So I called today and they said they will give me room 4322, however, I am booked into Tamarack on the second floor and the room was one of two prototypes which were deemed to be cost ineffective to renovate all the rooms to the prototype. It is called the "Green Room" and is in Tamarack. Does anyone know anything about this? The person I am communicating with is so nice...

janisj

I don't know about the renovations prototype, but one advantage to Tamarack is it is off by itself a bit. AFAIK there are only 4 units. But honestly the only bldgs I'd try to avoid are Laurel and Juniper

susieQ122

It will all be good... : )

susieQ122

so I picked up my trip tic from AAA and looked it over today. I don't know what she was smoking, but she did not give me the route I requested So now I am putting my own route together, which is, from the car pick up, off site at the airport: 580E to 205E to 140E into the park, I believe at the Arch Rock entrance. 140 turns into El Portal Road, or so they say. Should I assume staying on that road 140/El Portal will bring me to the YVL? I've been reading about taking 120 vs. 140 and although 120 seems a little shorter, (and more scenic) it also sounds a bit scary to chicken me. I'm up for any ideas as I want to print out directions.

Also, from the time you enter the park, how long of a ride is it to the YVL? I know we will be ready for a break!

As always I thank you!

susieQ122

In my continuing effort to stress myself out, I just watched a You Tube video of Priest Grade, which I think is supposed to be the 'harrowing' part of the ride and it didn't look so horrible to me. What I would like to know is on the drive to Yosemite on 120 are you against the mountain side or the open side? Since I'm leaving tomorrow, I better decide which route!

Thank you all so much!

cmstraf

HI susieQ,
Tamarack will be fine, but try hard to make it a backfiring room (front faces parking lot instead of woods). Yes, it is quiet and removed. 4322 I was thinking of is in Willow.
Do NOT mix up Yosemite View Lodge (in Portal) with Yosemite Valley Lodge (where you are staying).
120 is not scary--Old Priest Grade Raod is. It makes my Italian husband happy days in advance. My mechanic says it shaves only 15 minutes off time. Just don't take detour and you will be fine.
It takes 30-40 minutes from when you arrive in the park to get to the Valley. The first part is pleasant, magic starts maybe 20 minutes later.

Old Priest Road is not horrible--it's short. Going there you will be on the less scary side. My fears are for my car engine not my own safety. Going up is easier than going down.

We are in Twin Falls Idaho right now pulling ourselves together to make the drive to the Grand Tetons.
Happy travels--and don't forget Iron Door Saloon if you take 120. It's truly a trip!

susieQ122

Hi cmstraf:
Thanks for the good info. I can get either Tamarack or Willow and did request a falls view so hopefully they will be able to accommodate me. The reservation person seemed disappointed when I requested Willow over Tamarack as she was really into the prototype 'green' room. I'm sure whatever we get we will be happy just to be there (as long as we face the falls).

I am sure it will make my Italian husband as happy as yours. We have rented a Ford Explorer, so hopefully that will get us wherever we have to go.

Coincidentally, we had planned to go to YS and GT this trip, but could not get reservations inside YS, which was how we ended up going to Yosemite (both are on my bucket list). Are you also going to YS? Will look forward to hearing how incredible it is!

So no big difference either route...

mlgb

I agree with cmstraf who mentioned what a bad value the brunch is at the 'Majestic". It's as bad as every buffet you've ever had at any hotel. If you are running short on time I agree with just do coffee and a muffin or something cooked to order. At least it won't be sitting soggy on the warm up trays for an hour without being replenished.

susieQ122

I'm never a big brunch person. I definitely want to stop by the Majestic/Ahwahnee for breakfast before we leave but a cuppa coffee and whatever will be great for me. I really just want to soak in the architecture...

cmstraf

Hi SusieQ,
The cooked-to-order a la carte breakfast at the Ahwahnee is excellent, including small fresh pastries, oatmeal and eggs. Also pancakes.

Tamarack, Aspen and Dogwood are really quiet. The redone bathrooms are attractive, but I don't tend to notice bathrooms unless they are amazing or gross (not that impt) to me. I'm surprised to hear there is a room in Tamarack that is falls facing though. Probably it's one of the front rooms, which I ruled out because of the parking lot (not that lot is noisy, just that I don't like seeing it).

What we are doing is Grand Tetons (4 nights) followed by 4 nights in fairly remote cabin in Big Sky Country near Red Lodge Montana, followed by a week at Glacier National Park. We will be driving through Yellowstone, but not stopping there. For some reason, Yellowstone never caught my heart.

When I want to go to a park and it's full I try again and again and again (sometimes between every session; I'm a psychologist) and usually it works. People's situations change.

This is an amazing year for Yosemite though -- highest flow in falls in many many years. With crowds to match. Coming in Sunday night shouldn't be too bad. Traffic in Valley can be like Manhattan. But Early Starts (as I've probably said too many times) really do help.

Please let us know how it goes.

susieQ122

Finally caught up and sitting down to tell you what an absolutely wonderful trip it was. Yosemite was all I envisioned it to be, and more. The Falls, which were my big focus, were beyond spectacular. They said the water level was 180% more than it has ever been and there were some new falls as a result of that. I loved our location because I could visit the falls whenever I felt like walking over. And yes, we did face the parking lot, but since we were only in the room early morning/later evening, noise wasn't an issue and we were on the 2nd floor. You could see the slightest view of water thru the trees. Love the Lodge!

Oh, and did I mention the stars at night...!!!

The only negative, if you could use that word in the same sentence as Yosemite, were the crowds. That being said, we worked around it. We chose not to drive once we got there and at first, attempted the shuttles, but being crammed in like sardines, in the heat, the little ones crying, etc., didn't seem too serene, so we rented bikes for a full day and thoroughly enjoyed seeing the park on 2 wheels. The second night we were there, I booked the open air tram around the Valley and was so glad I did. I booked the 6PM trip, and since it had been so darn hot during the day, by 6PM the sun was going behind the tree line, etc., so it was really delightful to be outside for two magnificent hours, breezy and comfortable, seeing so much beauty, and I thoroughly enjoyed the narration.

The day we left, we did eat at Ahwahnee for breakfast (8:15). Hub had the buffet, which he really enjoyed,(they definitely lost money on that; couldn't believe this guys appetite!) probably because we were there while everything was fairly fresh and it hadn't been lying around getting gross.

We decided to hit Glacier Point right after breakfast on the way to the Peninsula, and that worked out really well. Granted it wasn't sunrise or sunset, but it was still unbelievably amazing.

Funny story (kind of), is that when I was talking to Hub about 120 vs. 140, he thought I was ridiculous and had no hesitation to take 120 due to the scenery we heard about. Uh oh, took a wrong turn 'somewhere' and ended up on 99 (very boring road) and took 140 into Yosemite anyway! He was upset that we missed 120, but my motto is always "this is the path we were supposed to be on today".

So I want to thank you all sharing your knowledge/experience with this Yosemite newbie. Since we got home, I keep saying, "I still can't believe we got to see Yosemite". cmstraf, please let us know all about your trip, it sounds wonderful. I'll keep it in mind for my next adventure!