From Yosemite to the Pyramid Lake, June 29, 2012

A horrible day: instead of 5 hours we drove for 8, with short stops, not even time to eat, but mostly on sharply turning, winding, precipitous roads, across mountain passes, where at some points there was just a one-lane road - and you could never tell what will jump at you from around that next corner. People say that the most dangerous thing on this road is to face a rented RV. I wish I followed the directions they gave me at the AAA office; instead, I trusted my GPS device.

Of course, crossing the Sierra Nevada is a beautiful, if harrowing, experience. The Ebbot's Pass takes you through alpine forests, along pristine lakes, untouched,wild nature.


In the evening we reached the Pyramid Lake. Peace, asolute quiet, beauty of pale blue and dusty rose colors around you. The lake is only an hour and a half from Reno, but as it is part of the Native American rezervation, it is untouched by civilization. There are a few hundred people on its banks, mostly in RVs - and the town of Suttcliff ( a dozen of small homes bunched up together ). One motel to offer lodging: Crosby's Lodge has 3 cottages, a lively bar fueled by modern country music, a few gambling apparatuses, and a store that sells everything a fisherman might dream of.

They took us in with genuine welcome and fed us! Finally! We each got a gigantic basket of fish and chips - even my father could not finish!
The cottage was fully equipped for a long stay: a full-size refrigerator, a full size gas stove, a microwave oven, pots, pans, siverware, salt, pepper, flour, - 4 beds - and a bathroom - for the price of meager 70 bucks a night!

We could not wait to see the lake. So, after dinner, we walked about 100 feet down to the water. There were white pelicans, moodily watching the waters, sandpipers running along the shore, rabbits, quail, quite unintimidated by our presence.

The lake is beautiful. I wish we could rent a boat trip - but the only rentals available were superexpensive speedboats that I would never dare to drive.

Even from this shore you could see an out-of-this world vision of a stone pyramid closer to the eastern bank of the lake, rising from the water, changing color every half hour in the setting sun.

Yosemite National Park, June 28, 2012

Today we took the Grand tour of the Yosemite Park. I was so happy I did not have to drive! First we headed to Maripoza, to see the giant sequoias. Then - to Glacier Point, 7 thousand feet above sea level, to feast our eyes on the Yosemite valley and the famous Half Dome Rock. Standing there, by the precipice,  you get an illusion of flight - and a feeling that you could embrace this whole valley with its waterfalls and endless forests, grey rocks polished by glaciers, and clear clean streams at the bottom.

Later we descended to the bottom of the canyon and admired the majesty of the Yosemite Fall and the Bridal Veil Fall. The Yosemite fall is the tallest - the water falls from the height of 2 thousand feet. In the end of June it was already shrinking, only to dry out in the middle of July. But the Bridal Veil never dries; it was ripped by the wind and tinted by the setting sun. At 4:30 P.M. one can see the  rainbow in its waters.

Ashland-Yosemite, June 27, 2012

The second leg of the trip - from Ashland to Yosemite - took another 9 hours. We whizzed through Sacramento - a huge modern city (that was a surprise) -  and turned towards the mountains. I particularly enjoyed the last hour and a half of our trip: we were in the rolling footsteps of Sierra Nevada. The road flowed between round dry hills covered with tall dry grass that, in the rays of the sinking sun, seemed more molten gold then anything organic. Every turn of the road opened a new vista, both rustic and wild, with small farms clinging to the hillsides and scant trees dotting the landscape.

Finally we reached the town of Fish Camp. It is the tiniest of townships one can imagine, a handful of homes, a couple of restaurants - and several inns. But this little town is historically significant: here the US government placed its cavalry and made a stand to defend Yosemite from loggers, pouchers and developers.

Tenaya Lodge - our destination - is a sprawling hotel complex with a majestic sentral hall, all decorated in roughly hewn stone and wood, outdoor and indoor swimming pools, jaccuzis, restaurants, and parks. It sits on a slope facing a picturesque canyon at 5 thousand feet above sea level. It is, of course, rather pricy (from $350 per night) - but so are all of the hotels near the gates or in the park itself. Just to think about supplying water, electricity, food, etc. this far into the mountains - no wonder the prices could be stiff.

Seattle-Ashland, June 26, 2012

My annual road trip with my parents began on June 26.  9 hours to Ashland, including a stop for lunch and a stop for gas...
We left fairly early - around 6:30, and was I glad we did! We flew through downtown Seattle, passed Tacoma and almost did not slow down near Olympia. Approaching Vancouver, WA, I spotted a policeman on a motorbike- as always, hunting around the curve in the road, where the speed limit suddenly plunges from 70 to 50 mph. Well, I have already learned my lesson.  I was demurely driving in the right lane, hiding between other cars.

And then - Portland! Portland is beautiful in any weather! It welcomes you with the futuristic glass towers of the Convention center, and then, as you are climbing the bridge over Colorado, it envelopes you in endlessly softly rolling vistas - tony downtown, lush parks and historic residential areas climbing higher up the green slopes.

The rain was on our heels: we had to eat our lunch in the car. Only by Grant's Pass we glimpsed some patches of blue sky... The temperature in Ashland fell to 48 degrees! That night we saw "As You Like It". We had warm coats, wrapped ourselves in blankets - even my father, who usually considers acknowledging heat or cold below his dignity, was glad to have a blanket that night!

Could it have been cold? The actors seemed frozen stiff. Singing was... no, I think my students did better. By coincidence, this semester's production was "As You Like It". I could not help comparing: mm - clever sleeves... I probably could do this... fighting scene - is too slow, movements too simple... my kids did better ... why is Jaques de Bois suddenly a woman? etc. I so much prefer their previous production of As You Like It about 4 years ago...