Scenes on the Road to Yosemite

In this case, the road to Yosemite is California State Highway 120, reached from the Bay Area by scooting over to Manteca and picking it up there.

We always stop for gas at the Arco station in Oakdale ("The Cowboy Capital of the World").

After the Sonora-Yosemite junction, you pass by an almost-abandoned railroad station. It’s labeled "Chinese." I guess, because it’s near the town of China Camp.

And we mustn’t forget the supreme ugliness of Lake Don Pedro.

Once up in the mountains, there’s a nice little resort area called Buck Meadows. Once when we drove by someone had used green spray paint to make the sign say "Fuck Me."

Arriving in Yosemite Park itself, I had to wait 30 minutes due to road construction at the junction of Highways 140 and 120. Many of the one-way roads in the valley have been changed to two-way roads.

Photos: Arco Station—Oakdale, 2008; Railroad Station—China Camp, 2008; Reservoir Rings—Don Pedro, 2008; Highway Sign—Buck Meadows, 2008; Road Construction—Yosemite, 2008