Arrival - settling into ‘not the Ritz’

We managed to load up the 26 cup-holder mini-van in record time (I probably had the most stuff of course), and headed out by Noon on the 31st. Not too bad for a Sunday, when all three of us would probably still be sipping coffee and reading the papers. The drive was great, since we got to know each other in the 4+ hours of travel time to Yosemite. Lots of good discussions on everything from politics to the joys of retirement (i’m the last one standing in the world of working stiffs). We rolled into Yosemite a little after four - always a spectacular place as you drive past the enormous granite walls. It was a bit hazy - it turns out the smoke from the Monterrey fires has made it all the way to Yosemite.

Check-in to Curry….errr...Half-Dome Village was pretty easy. Our spacious, luxurious accommodations were on the edge of the parking lot, and close to one of the buildings which had showers & bathrooms. More on that in a bit.

The tent-cabins are primitive, but quite nice. I was pleased that they gave us an extra cot, so that Garry (I’m using names now) did not have to sleep on the air mattress I brought along. The tent even had an outlet to charge phones and what-not, and a safe...just like a real hotel. Not too shabby

Home for 2 nights

But, no mini-bar, no turn-down service, no air-conditioning (it was really hot), and you had to keep anything that resembled food, including shampoo, in the bear-proof locker outside the door. Better than having something large, hairy with big claws and teeth visiting you at night.

Speaking of primitive, the shower facilities were functional but, what’s the right word? Gross. It was a good thing my wife did not need to come along - good enough for a bunch of guys, not so good for non-campers. But overall, the tent-cabins were great for two nights.

After unpacking and checking out the food opportunities for the evening, we decided to see how far we were from the John Muir trail head - a pleasant half mile, flat trail which winds through Half Dome village and a short stretch of road. After lounging at the bridge over the Merced River, and settling on a wake-up time (5:15AM), we wandered back to the village in search of nourishment - food and beer. Half Dome Village has one of the better cafeterias in Yosemite, complete with a Peet’s Coffee, an ice cream bar, a real bar with a great selection of suds, a pizza restaurant, and the cafeteria. I checked out the ice cream selection - that would be my first stop when we made it back to camp after the climb.

So, after inhaling a really good pizza, and consuming a few bottles of adult beverages, we headed back to the tent to get our packs ready for the next day. I paused to take an early evening photo of our goal.