Yosemite
Camping in Wawona was a real family affair. It seems at the Harley is a magnet bringing many wonderful folks from around America to look at it and chat with me. Clay and his son Cody were the first to stop by. Cody was so enchanted with Sophia’s chrome that he want to touch it. Later, Mike from Bentonville in NW Arkansas stopped by. He’s a Harley rider but is RVing with his 95 year old father who was treated to his life long dream of seeing the Sequoias further south.
Got up around 6:30 and started loading the bike. As I walked towards her I noticed that the right flagpole was leaning inwards a little. So I went 10 feet to the rear to look at the alignment and yep, it’s leaning…something is amiss. With the saddle bags removed I inspected the bolt that anchors the pole to the frame…it was solid tight. Aha, then the problem became evident. The Brazilian wood broom handle from which Jerry and I constructed the flag pole, was cracked where we notched out 2 inches of wood to accommodate opening the top of the saddle bag. Darn! How do I fix that!
And
this is how I met Dan, his wife, and son Mike.
They were camped across from me in an RV that they rode in from
Florida. Dan and Mike were very helpful
in developing a repair solution. Mike is
a mechanic in the Florida school district and asked if I had any zip ties and
duct tape. Two things I just happened to be
carrying in my saddlebags! He tied 4 zip
ties around the cracked area of the pole then wrapped some of his dad’s Gorilla
duct tape around the ties to keep them from slipping….and Voila! The flagpole
was good as original….maybe even better!
I thought we took some photo’s of all of us but I cannot find them….messed
that one up somehow…bummer!
Finally got out of Wawona around noon and headed for the valley. Along the way I spotted a turnout with a view of Half Dome in the distance. So I pulled over and met Tom Hurt from Palm Coast FL. Tom is retired from the Air Force and brought his family out to CA to visit relatives and Yosemite. I took a group photo for them and in turn, Tom’s son Josh took a photo of me with Half Dome in the distance.
With
that photo as my evidence of visiting Yosemite I then continued on to reach the
Valley’s Visitor Center and get my passport stamped. OMG!
That is one crazy crowded place…and it is not even peak season. People drive crazy here. The speed limit is 35 and more idiots are on
my tail trying to push me faster through these winding roads which could easily
present bear, deer or whatever in the road as one is rounding a curve.
The Valley was unbelievably crowded. No parking anywhere. Signage that really didn’t help…yadayada. I spotted two ladies walking along a road and pulled over to ask for directions to the Visitor’s Center. The one lady told me is was back about ½ mile and that the best thing I could do was just to go park in the medical center. So I did just that….right under a sign that said “Patient Parking Only”. I kinda felt like limping as I left the lot J.
It was a bit of a hike to the Center but I eventually found it after asking for directions at least 4 more times. Needless to say, I was hot (armor) and stressed (will my bike get towed away??). So I was moving as fast as my riding gear and my out of shape age would allow me to move. Mission was accomplished and I made it back to the bike within 20 minutes of leaving it. As I was straddling the seat a park ranger rode by and gave me a glance….I gave him with a friendly innocent wave J.
Now to get outa this Valley. People everywhere, cars frantically rushing for parking spots. Almost got hit by a car that ran a stop sign. Sophia and I boogied outa the Valley and down the mountain on CA120 to CA99N heading for Stockton and then Lassen Park. Didn't quite make to Stockton however.
I don’t think I will ever return to Yosemite again….these latest memories are enough!
C ya mañana,
Gonzo
Twitter:
@GonzoCrossUSA
Email:
GonzoCrossUSA@gmail.com
Cell:
949-433-0761
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