Dirt roads and the Ahwahnee Lodge

We headed over to Yosemite Park this am to brunch at the famous Ahwahnee Lodge. More about that later. Since we had not entered the park through the Arch Rock Entrance near El Portal, we wanted to go south to Rt 140 and enter there. At the National Parks, the entrances and exits are often the best rides. Since our RV park was on Rt. 120, and since no major north/south appeared on the map, I decided to try some lesser roads. We headed east on 120, then turned south onto Buck Meadow Road. It soon changed to dirt. It's been so dry out here that dirt roads are powdery and we left a trail of dust even at 15 to 20 mph. We were headed for Briceburg on Rt. 140 and had to take Bull Creek Rd. followed by Briceburg Rd. The road became narrower and narrower as we continued even though at about the half way mark there was an historic marker. Way back when a group of locals contributed and raised funds to build a public road to Yosemite, an act they claimed was unparalleled in modern times. We were heading steadily uphill and soon the road became filled with ruts and then deep ruts. Luckily, our big ol'truck was equal to the task. After miles of 5mph straddling ruts and switchbacks that were sharper and sharper, we arrived at a ridge top looking down into the valley where Rt. 140 leads to Yosemite. We must have been 4,000' above the road on as steep a hill as you can imagine. The road at this point was down to 10 or 12 feet wide, rutted and covered with talcom powder dust, and all switch backs. The switchbacks were wider and the only place a vehicle coming the other way could pass. At one switchback we encountered 3 motercyclists coming up. He said, "Great road, huh?" We contined our descent at about 5 mph. Both of us were happy to see flat land and blacktop at the bottom.
The ride in on 140 was scenic. The road had restrictions as a landslide had blocked the road at one point. They bridged across the Merced River and built a road there for about a mile and then bridged back to the main road. The landslide looked to be abour a quarter of a mile wide, but quite deep and extended into the river. The Arch Rock Entrance is just that. Both the entry and exit roads go under huge granite boulders which came to rest lodged on other boulders, creating a tunnel of sorts.
From there it was a short drive to Yosemite Village and the Ahwahnee Lodge. It was designed by Gilbert Stanley Underwood and opened in 1927. It's interior is Native American and spectacular. It boasts an AAA four diamond rating, whatever that is. They had a wonderful brunch, Sundays only. It was great. The best way to see Yosemite would be to rent a sporty convertible and stay a week at the Ahwahnee.
I wish our truck was convertible. In many of the parks, a roof is a huge detriment.
On the way home, we drove the 16 miles or so out to the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. It was built after the SF earthquake and fires which destroyed the city. It required an Act of Congress since the area was already part of a National Park. John Muir, patriach of Yosemite, tried his best ot prevent it, claiming it was as special as Yosemite. It's beautiful, but no Yosemite.
A couple things missed over the last few days:
Glacier Point is the best view of Yosemite Valley, but the drought left almost all the waterfalls dry. The highest falls, Yosemite Falls at 2425' and Sentinal Fall at 2,000' were dry. Nevada Falls was the only substantial ones flowing.
Glacier Point also had two privately owned lodges near the over look, but they were burned by fires in 1969 and can not be rebuilt. That must have been an interesting discussion.
At about 7:45 am on Saturday, up near 8'000', our thermometer registered 26 degrees. It's so dry that no frost or dew drops.
Yosemite is unbelievable. Remember, rent a convertible.