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Sunset along Priest Grade
Highway 120, CA (Priest Grade)
Sunset along Priest Grade
Highway 120, CA (Priest Grade)
My fifth US trip was only my second trip in the States where I wasn't living in the car or making it a point to sleep in the cheapest (and quite possibly seediest) hotel in town. It also was the first trip I made together with a friend. Who I had met on the Internet. And only met in real life once before. So needless to say, these were things that were going through my mind as I flew to London (spending an extra hour in the air because of, you guessed it, fog at the airport), and then non-stop to San Francisco.
Once I had made it past immigration - why is the line one chooses always the one that moves the slowest? - it was early afternoon already, and I had been up for almost a day. Luggage claim took another hour, and as I walked out to the arrival hall, my friend was waiting already. We walked to her car, and drove out of the airport, across the Bay, and towards Yosemite.
Somewhere along the way, we stopped for dinner (and why is it that this is the second time I don't remember the name of the town?) at a Subway, and I literally had my sandwich crumble to pieces while eating. I'm told any kind of American burger or sandwich is supposed to be messy to eat, and I can easily see why: compared to the European version, there's twice as much on it, but the bread often crumbles to the touch.
Sunset along Priest Grade
We drove up Priest Grade as the sun was setting, and descended towards Yosemite Valley on the last rays of sunlight. Camp Curry wasn't hard to find, and there wasn't any line at the check-in counter. A nice tent cabin - the cheapest accommodation that includes a real bed, and not a bad solution if you don't mind shared bathrooms and slightly muddy showers - was awaiting us.
I probably slept entirely too soon, on account of all the time spent on the plane, at the airport and in the car, so I'm not sure if I was good company to someone used to the -8 timezone.
Written 20 March 2004.
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