Chipmunks are tiny - really tiny. Like, mouse-sized. Who knew? Lots of them and super-cute ground squirrels around here.
Awoke to slightly clearer conditions, but only slightly...
..so decided to cut our losses and head south towards Yosemite. Did glimpse some of the splendour of Lake Tahoe on the way out, but the smoke descended again before long.
Picked up some more essential supplies then found our route on the 207 closed for unspecified reasons. Adjusted our plans admirably and spent a few hours on the road, travelling through gob-smacking scenery, thankfully increasingly free from smoke.
Stopped at the Lake Mono Visitor Center to get a Yosemite pass and some advice, both of which were forthcoming from a tremendously helpful fellow named Tim. I must say, people have, on the whole, been very, very nice, as expected. Even the hunters we met at the next campsite, Silver Lake.
The setting is not what one might call beautiful, but it is amazing. I'm trying not to overuse 'spectacular' but it is hard in this part of the world.
We'd nodded our hellos to the neighbouring camp, then they called us over when four female deer strolled by. Got chatting and found they were there for the huntin' (the neighbours, not the deer). They're not allowed to shoot does but had already bagged two of their three bucks - and it's only the second day of the season. Friendly enough people, they'd moved from California to Idaho because of the hunting regulations and gun laws. We had a decent, careful chat, and I was interested and amused to see how our boys reacted - and very proud at how diplomatic and tactful they were in their handling of the situation. The gulf between our outlooks on life could have been difficult if exposed by an innocent but misplaced comment.
Dinner and bed ahead of an early start tomorrow. There's a hell of a lot of ground to cover in Yosemite, and I think we've miscalculated...
No comments:
Post a Comment