Wawona Memories

June 19, 2012

Yosemite 

The ride out of King’s Canyon was down CA180, around Fresno andnorth on CA41.  That brought me into the south entrance of Yosemite in the late afternoon.  It had been a warm, pleasant drive….ok, a little too warm with the Bohn Body Armor…but not all that bad.  Just prior to entering the park I stopped at a gas station in a small town (Fishtown??) and tanked up.  

Fish Town has a campsite so I pulled in there with hopes of finding a place….no luck…they were full and people were waiting hoping someone cancels so they could get a spot. 

Luckily, I decided to roll the dice on Yosemite.  At the entrance gate (free entry ‘cuz I have a “Senior Pass”) The ranger was kind enough to bird dog me to Wawona reservation center.  He thought that if there

were any campsites available that would be the place to find them. So, armed with his directions I headed off for Wawona. 

And of course, a few miles down the road, at Wawona, I turned into an entry way that was the wrong spot…..it was the parking lot for the Wawona Hotel…a pricey looking place that was loaded with cars in the small parking area.  But I got a break, as I parked the bike there was a sign directing visitors to a small Visitors Center about 200 yards away.  At the Center I was assisted by a volunteer who did a good deed for me.  He decided to call the Office and inquired about available sites….they had two!!  He then provided my name to them to hold a spot for me gave me the directions once again to the Reservation Office (interestingly they were the same directions the ranger at the gate gave me J.)  So off I went. 

And then a memory from the past presented itself.  Walking through the narrow parking circle and out to the road entry way where my bike was parked, I spotted a golf course on the other side of the road.  Suddenly the whole place seemed very familiar.  Could it be?  At the end of the Wawona Hotel was a small office…yes, it was the pro shop!  About 20 years ago Zach, Susana (now passed away) and I were here visiting Yosemite for the first time and came here to play 9 holes.  Wow! What a surprise to stumble upon the past this way. 

This time I correctly followed the directions and arrived at the Reservation Office and was very fortunate to get a spot in the Wawona camp grounds just 1 mile away.  And with the senior pass I received a 50% discount and only had to pay $10….what a deal! 

Setting up camp went a lot smoother….the process is starting to settle down.  I did a little typing then stored all my gear in the bear proof metal lock boxes located in each site, and crawled into my one man tent under the Wawona Star Studded Sky. 

It’s such a good feeling when you get lucky J

C ya mañana,

Gonzo

Twitter: @GonzoCrossUSA

Email: GonzoCrossUSA@gmail.com

Cell: 949-433-0761