By TR Robertson
Part II-Our Arrival in The Valley and The Ahwahnee Hotal and Dining at the Hotel
Day 2 in Yosemite found both Carolyn and me awaking from a less than restful sleep as the beds were a little too hard for our liking. We love to travel but one of the pitfalls we, or anyone, encounters are always the beds in the hotels or cruise lines you stay at or travel on. Dressing for the day, we decided that we would have breakfast in The Ahwahnee Bar. We looked at their menu yesterday and their selections, we decided, would work for us. The Ahwahnee breakfast buffet just sounded too filling. The choices at the bar ranged from Breakfast Burritos to Croissant Sandwiches to the Ahwahnee Oatmeal and a range of other items. I chose a Jumbo Cinnamon Roll that I saw several others having and Carolyn went with the Nomad – toasted sourdough with Avocado, cherry tomatoes, relish and applewood bacon. The bar offered a number of morning breakfast cocktails, but we stayed with coffee and tea. The way the breakfast at the bar worked you put your order in at the counter, paid and were given a number for your table. Coffee and tea were free and you served yourself. Juices you had to order. We called Eric and Lisa and let them know we were at the bar for breakfast and would meet them when they got ready and came down. We would be spending one more night at The Ahwahnee with one change. Eric and Lisa would be staying in their room, but we would be moving to one of the Ahwahnee Cottages, located a short walk from the hotel.
There are 24 cottages just behind the hotel. They are configured in different ways. Ten of the cottages are set up as two cottages together. Other cottages are in groups of 4 or 5. They are perfect if large families or groups of relatives want to stay close to one another. Our cottage had a large bedroom and sitting area, a large closet with a sizable make-up area and a fairly large bathroom. It is quiet at night, away from the hotel, and people we know who have stayed there said wildlife will wander by depending on the time of year. Our luggage would be in Cottage 700 when we arrived back from our adventure in the valley.
We decided our first stop would be at the large Village Store to check out the souvenir selections. After some shopping and several stuffed animal purchases we next headed to the Welcome Center to check on the best way to get to Mirror Lake, a spot Carolyn and I had biked to 50 years ago from The Ahawahnee, about a 4-mile trip. We were going to drive as far as we could, thinking we would have to hike the rest of the way, about 2.4 miles from the trailhead to Mirror Lake. The main problem is the hike to the lake is fairly steep uphill. If you were biking you could ride your bike uphill, but you cannot ride your bike down, according to the Yosemite rules and regs. Fortunately, we found out at the Welcome Center, from very helpful Park Rangers, we could drive all the way to Mirror Lake because we had a handicapped placard. We passed many hikers on the way up and back. I joked we should charge them $20 for a ride to try and recoup money from our stay at The Ahwahnee. When Mirror Lake fills with water-run-off from snow melt the stillness of the clear water will reflect Half Dome across the lake. There is a hike that takes you around both sides of the lake. We hiked a short distance and stopped for photo ops around the small lake. You always have to remember that Yosemite Valley is 3,966 feet above sea level and hiking around here is not like walking along the beaches of Carlsbad. So, take it easy and get acclimated before some strenuous activity.
The drive to Mirror Lake took us past Curry Village, a popular camping area, and Happy Isles, the entrance area to the Mist Trail that would take you to Vernal and Nevada Waterfalls. Vernal waterfall falls 318 feet and Nevada waterfall falls 594 feet. In our younger days we took the Mist Trail hike up and back. It is 7 miles round trip to Nevada Falls, the farthest waterfall. The Mist Trail is also the trail you would take if you were headed to Half Dome, the iconic rock formation that rises 4,737 feet above the valley floor and is a roughly 15-mile round trip hike. Long ago, another hike we took was down from Glacier Point, 3,200 feet above the valley floor, a 4.8-mile hike. Oh, to be young again. We hiked a short distance up a trail that led by the tributary run-off from Vernal and Nevada waterfalls.
Back in the Highlander we drove to the Yosemite Valley Lodge to check-out the Mountain View Restaurant and Lounge and Cliff Room for a possible dinner location. Checking out the menu, Lisa made reservations for us for that evening’s dinner, also on Open Table. There is also a Basecamp cafeteria style eatery here as well as a Starbucks Coffee location. For those that want to take the short hike to the base of Yosemite Falls, parking at the Lodge parking lot is recommended. Yosemite Falls is the largest and tallest waterfall in Yosemite. It is divided into Upper and Lower Yosemite Falls. The combined height is 2,425 feet. The Upper Falls is the tallest portion, falling into a large pool that then descends and forms the Lower Falls that crashes into rocks spraying visitors standing on the bridge that goes over the tributary created from the waterfall. The wind created by the water hitting the rocks is amazing, and very chilly, as is the water. We joined the small crowd of people walking to the waterfall. Snow was still covering the banks of the tributary as it ran toward the Merced River. After taking pictures we walked back to the car and returned to The Ahwahnee.
On our return to The Ahwahnee we checked with the Reception Desk and found that our cottage number was number 700. Keys in hand we walked around the Ahwahnee, past a portion of the fenced off area where work was ongoing for the repairs and renovations underway. This took us to a path marked off through the wooded area next to the Ahwahnee that led to the Cottages. We found our cottage comfortable, quite sizable with a view toward the back of the Ahwahnee. Under normal circumstances you would be able to reach the cottages by going out the back doors of The Ahwahnee next to the bar, but with the construction, this way was blocked. At night the pathway created while renovation is underway is well lit and we were also provided with LED lights to use at night if needed. We rested for a while and then dressed for dinner.
After a short drive to the Yosemite Lodge, we parked and first headed to the Mountain View Lounge and Cliff Room for drinks. The Lounge was very crowded and had a popular brewery feel about it. Finding a good table location, we settled in for drinks. Carolyn went with a Spicy Pear Margarita, and I had a Double Nut Brown Ale from Mammoth Lakes Brewery. You can also order food in the Lounge, the hamburgers that passed by looked great. As our dinner time at the Mountain View Restaurant approached, we then walked across to the Restaurant. The Mountain View is so named for the large, vaulted ceiling and the huge windows that look out on Yosemite Falls. The restaurant also has wonderful paintings of Yosemite lining the walls. This is a beautiful restaurant with a great menu. We took wine in with us and ordered. Carolyn went with a pork chop selection, and I went with a Sirloin steak for the main meal. Eric, Lisa and I also had the Mountain View French Onion Soup, a great choice on our part as this soup was amazing, thick, cheesy and full of onions and sourdough. After dinner was finished it was back to The Ahwahnee for our last night in the Valley.
We had decided we were in no rush to leave the next morning as check-in at Wawona wasn’t until 3 pm, so we would spend some time in Yosemite Village and check out the Ansel Adams Gallery, the Yosemite Museum and make a stop in Curry Village so Lisa could check the Mountain Shop for some proper hiking shoes to replace some that weren’t working out.
More on all of this and our arrival at the Historic Wawona Hotel in Part IV of our week in Yosemite.
