Day 4
Mile 1152. A nice breakfast and an anger-tinged repacking job. Road trips are stressful.
Mile 1162. Shmoogie is reading about the Wawona tree, the one they cut a tunnel through for tourists to drive their cars. Tried to give her a reference point for the year it fell by relating it to Daddy's age. "Daddy, you really were born a long time ago."
Mile 1184. I have just finished reading the health and safety information from the Yosemite visitor guide. Mr. P decides, "I'm not even getting out of the car. It's too dangerous." We laugh and tell him it's not. "Yes, it is! There's currents and plague and lions and dangerous mouse poop."
Mile 1185. "I think I saw mouse poop."
Mile 1187. We are still trying to talk Mr. P down from his new found fear of plague. He has a song now, "It's scary, it's scary, it's scary. Not fun, not fun, not fun." I am the best mother.
Mile 1188. "I think I saw mouse poop. Why are there red trees?"
Mile 1193. We arrive at the Ahwahnee Lodge (currently called the Majestic Yosemite Lodge, because someone let the service company that last had the contract trademark the name) thinking we'll have an early lunch before nap time, and find that Bayboh is asleep. Mr. P is still worrying about the plague and about mouse poop. We keep stressing that plague is very treatable (and avoiding the fact that mouse poop gives you Hanta virus, which isn't).
Mile 1202. On our way out of Yosemite. Another wow. Even Mr. P enjoyed it in the end. Hot and crowded, though! 101 degrees right now.
Mile 1210. We briefly consider adding an hour or more to today's car time by going out to Glacier Point, but decide against it.
Mile 1224. Mr. P claims to have seen a bear. "I consider myself lucky. It's too bad you guys didn't... Oh! I see another one!"
Mile 1225. Mr. P has now claimed to have seen 5 bears and a mountain lion. Shmoogie is rapidly catching up. We are ignoring.
Mile 1242. Emergency pee stop for Mr. P
Mile 1268. Worried Bayboh may be fixing to take a nap again, right before we arrive in Fresno for late lunch.
Mile 1277. Palm trees in front of vineyards.
Mile 1286. Excellent dönner sandwiches at the Berlin Street Grill in Fresno. Bayboh still awake, jealously guarding an enormous pile of french fries, which he likes to dip in hummus. First meal we've gotten water in plastic cups instead of styrofoam in California. What is it with California and styrofoam cups???
Mile 1306. So many nut trees. Big nut trees. Little nut trees. Tiny baby nut trees. I should relisten to that Planet Money episode about the perverse incentives for water use during drought.
Mile 1309. Fruit stand!
Mile 1324. Bayboh, who has been an absolute champ so far, wants to get "OUT!" Twenty miles to go....
Mile 1343. 6000 ft elevation. The temperature has dropped 29 degrees since we left Fresno.
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Those fruit stand peaches plums and nectarines were amazing. Also, the dried apricots. Which Bayboh adores. "Cat! Cat!"
We finally saw a sunset... from an amazing panoramic view point... that faces east. The fireball sun light through a thick evergreen screen was pretty cool, though.
Bayboh and Shmoogie love dirt. They were covered in it. Mr. P loves running ahead heedless of mountain lion warnings.
How have I never heard of an It's-It before?!
The water pipes in this lodge sound like thunder when someone turns on the shower.