Part I – The Destination
By TR Robertson
It was 50 years ago that I married my wife Carolyn on Saturday, April 6, 1974, in the small chapel that use to exist on the Cal Western University campus (now Pt. Loma Nazarene University) in San Diego. Our wedding reception was held at the Admiral Kidd Officers Club next to San Diego Bay, thanks to Carolyn’s Dad. She didn’t know where we were going on our honeymoon, only that she needed to pack a suitcase with clothes for a few days and we would be flying somewhere the next morning. Sunday morning, we were dropped off at the airport, checked in our luggage and got boarding passes. It was then Carolyn learned we were headed to Fresno, California. Fresno of all places. Arriving in Fresno, I rented a car and she found out our true destination was Yosemite, specifically the beautiful historic Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite Valley. Fifty years later, I came up with the brilliant idea to return to Yosemite and stay at the Ahwahnee Hotel, including dining in the majestic Ahwahnee Dining Room once again. One twist to this experience is my brother-in-law Eric and his fiancé, Lisa, would be going with us. Eric was 10 years old when we married, his birthday April 6th. Eric was having a 60th birthday celebration on the 6th this year, a party we wanted to attend. As a result, we planned our anniversary trip to leave on Monday the 8th. The other fun part of this anniversary trip was that Lisa had never seen Yosemite and she would be experiencing it for the first time.
The experience of booking rooms in Yosemite is nothing like it was fifty years ago. A simple phone call on a rotary phone, made directly to the Ahawahnee staff at the reception desk, had secured a room for the honeymoon in 1974. Now you must plan months and months and months in advance, calling folks, working from computers in their homes or facilities outside of the park, that are tasked with booking rooms for all of the park locations. Then begins the process of musical bookings, taking rooms that are available, calling numerous times and trying to change the rooms and dates to get the ones you really wanted, then canceling rooms and dates you no longer wanted. It basically took weeks to come up with the rooms, locations and dates we wanted for our trip. Multiple phone calls and conversations ensued. Our stay was eventually to include two days at the Ahawahnee, two days at the Yosemite Victorian hotel The Wawona and a stay outside of the park somewhere in Oakhurst, probably a casino, to take in the Madera Wine Trail. For Carolyn and myself, we booked one night in the Ahawahnee and one night in an Ahawahnee Cottage for our stay in Yosemite Valley. We had always wanted to stay in one of the Cottages that was part of the grounds of the Ahawahnee. Eric and Lisa were able to upgrade a bit once we got to the Ahawahnee and get a slightly larger room with a better view of the falls. Amazingly, when we stayed at the Ahawahnee for our honeymoon, a much younger Robert Redford and his family were staying in one of the cottages at the Ahawahnee. You should also know if you plan on having breakfast or dinner at the Ahawahnee Dining Room, you should make reservations on Open Table and for dinner at the Mountain View Restaurant also make reservations at Open Table.
Our flight to Fresno, for that Monday, was for a 10:40 am departure on Alaskan Airlines. We had been constantly checking the weather forecasts beginning several weeks before, in hopes the weather would be pleasant. Surprisingly, it had snowed in Yosemite Valley the week before we were to leave, supposedly 6-8 inches of snow. It looked beautiful on the Yosemite web cams, but we were a bit worried about the roads and any issues. As fate would have it, the sun had come out the weekend before we left, and the daytime temperatures were to be in the high 60’s to low 70’s and sunny the entire week. We would find beautiful snow-covered cliffs, full flowing waterfalls, cool mornings and evenings with sunny and wonderful days the entire time we were in Yosemite. Our flight to Fresno took about an hour. Fresno Airport is easy to get around, luggage arrives quickly, and the Avis car rental counter was directly across from our luggage carousel. We had to laugh a little when we arrived at Fresno Airport as it is called the Fresno International Airport. This is because there are airlines that offer flights to Mexico, making it International. Our car for the week was a Toyota Highlander and we needed every bit of the back storage space as most of our small group tended to overpack. After all, we had to pack warm clothes just in case, casual clothes, nice clothes for the dinners and the casino we would stay at toward the end of the trip, and we always need space for souvenirs.
Finding the car just outside of the exit to the rental cars, we loaded the luggage and with Eric driving, off we went. Lisa was our navigator and with cell phones these days map directions to your destination is easy. For entrance to the southern portion of Yosemite it is basically Highway 41 out of Fresno and a straight shot into the National Park. As you head toward Yosemite the landscape changes significantly from the flat farmland of the Fresno area, growing a myriad of vegetables and fruits, including numerous fields of grape vines for the growing wine industry in the area. As you approach Oakhurst, the largest city just outside of the southern entrance to Yosemite, small forests begin to appear along the road. We also passed the large casino we had chosen to stay in at the end of the trip, more on that later. As we entered Oakhurst, we decided to have lunch and pick up a few snacks to have in the hotel rooms, as well as some wine.
Lisa was on the cell phone again and brought up a couple of places to eat. We picked a spot close to the local grocery store, called the Mountain Oaks Café. Carolyn and I usually split most lunches and dinners these days, saving money and we find we just don’t eat as much as we used to. We shared a sizable French dip sandwich with fries that was very filling. The restaurant says, “Our menu has something for Everyone”, and they did have that for their menu selection. Finishing we headed to Vons for some snacks, drinks and anything anyone had forgotten to bring. Back in the car it was off to the Southern Entrance to Yosemite.
The Southern Entrance to Yosemite is 16 miles from Oakhurst. We had no idea what the traffic or lines might be like to get in, but there was only one car in line when we arrived. A very friendly and talkative National Park Ranger provided us with maps, literature and lots of information, so much so we forgot most of what she said. It costs $35 per car to enter Yosemite, but there are special rates if you are a Senior. One deal is purchasing a lifetime pass to any National Park if you are over 62 years of age. You must also show your paperwork for lodging at the hotels or campsites when you enter. Reservations are needed for camping and the summer months are especially crowded. It is best to go online and check out all of the fees and restrictions for any trip you are taking to any National Park. Go to www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit for detailed information. Also check road conditions during the winter months. Even in April Tioga Road in the northern portion of Yosemite was still closed as was the road to Glacier Point. Also closed was the tram service on Mariposa Grove Road to the Giant Sequoias, but the road is open if you want to hike to this incredible site, more on this in the next article.
Through the entrance fees paid, we turned left past the entrance to the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias and headed down the winding Wawona Road for 24.5 miles that would take us to the famous Wawona Tunnel. As we drove along the Wawona Road we could see long stretches on our left where acres and acres of trees were burned in the Washburn fire of 2023 and also some from the famous Rim Fire that burned over 200,000 acres in 2013. The Wawona Tunnel, completed in 1933, is 4,233 feet long and takes visitors to the famous Tunnel View Overlook of Yosemite Valley. Our first stop in the valley was at the Tunnel View Overlook to take pictures and to give Lisa a chance to see the majesty of Yosemite. We pointed out Bridal Veil Falls, El Capitan and Half Dome in the distance before we were back in our car for our 8-mile drive to The Ahwahnee Hotel.
Our trip to Yosemite will continue in Part II taking in some of the sites of Yosemite to see as you drive in, the Ahwahnee experience, dining at the Ahwahnee and more.
