We couldn't believe we hit the exact few days that Glacier Point Road was open for bikes only. We had actually split our Yosemite stay into 2 separate stays in hopes of hitting it during one of them (you are limited to 7 nights in the valley during the warm season), which is why we returned again a little later.
So, even though we had just done a big hike the day before, we got the bikes loaded up on the truck and everything organized for an early departure to go bike the 30 miles or so round trip. We knew there wasn't a ton of parking and wanted to ensure we could do it, so we got up ridiculously early at maybe 4am and, of course, were the first ones there as shown by our white truck in that empty lot above. We got everything loaded up in the bike trailer and Bruce pulled Jordan (almost) the entire way up, and it was a decent, steady climb the whole way until the very top where there was a steep downhill to the point (Anjuli covered pulling Jordan for that part :P ). We got to see some nice color from the sunrise. It was pretty cold to start until the sun hit us, which was much appreciated.
Once we got about 2/3 up or so, Jordan had a freak out moment and tried to escape the bike trailer. Anjuli had just bombed down the road ahead to take advantage of a downhill segment. Luckily, we have intercoms in the helmets and so Bruce was able to tell her to turn around before too long. We broke out the iPad and sat for a bit while Jordan calmed down. After that point, she was fine, but we hurried along. Once we got up higher, the amazing views started. The second picture above was Washburn point, which has the direct 90 degree view on Half Dome. Glacier point is the remaining pictures with more of an angled Half Dome.
We didn't see any other visitors the entire ride up, even though we were going pretty slow. We only saw one maintenance vehicle the whole time. We had the top to ourselves for about 30 minutes so we ate, took lots of pictures, and enjoyed the view. Another biker showed up after that and we took pictures of him.
Jordan helped hook up her trailer for the descent. The return was much, much faster and easier than the way up, except for the initial climb out of the end viewpoint which was difficult as well. On our way out, we saw several more bikers. I would still make the same decision if we were to do it again and go early because you never know how many people will show up, especially once the word gets out that it is open. This was only day 1.
On the way back to the campground, we were able to stop at Tunnel View and grab a few pictures.
We hung around the campground the rest of the day. Unfortunately, overnight Jordan fell out of her bed and hit her head. It was scary since it was a big lump immediately. She seemed otherwise ok so we monitored her closely, but it seemed to be only a scalp hematoma. Since it was almost morning, we just kept her awake to see how she was doing.
Since she was doing fine, we went to the Ahwahnee Hotel for the breakfast buffet. The food was well received after all the hard work of the prior preceding days. It was nice to walk around and see the hotel without having to pay the price of it. Jordan made herself at home.
We continued onward on the bikes after breakfast and went to Lower Yosemite Falls. We got sprayed by the waterfall again. We sat on some rocks and had some snacks while enjoying the valley view. A tour group saw Jordan playing in the patch of grass and all gathered around to view the cute baby in the wild. That was pretty funny.
That rounded out the first Yosemite visit for us, but we returned a week later after visiting the West coast.
Comments