Driving to Yosemite ... and Inspiration

We threw our clothes into suitcases this morning, gave our dog extra water and food for two days, and we left the house at 10:00 a.m. We were on our way to Tenaya Lodge and Yosemite National Park. We would meet Uncle Dave there at 3:00 p.m.

We drove down to Gilroy, where we stopped at In-n-Out for a hamburger lunch. Then we took Highway 152 over Pacheco Pass until that merged into Highway 99, where we went south to Madera. At Madera, we refueled, for the final stretch: Highway 145 to Highway 41. We stopped at the grocery store in Oakhurst to pick up breakfast for tomorrow, since the restaurants at the lodge will not be open when we leave.

We got to Tenaya Lodge right around 3:00 p.m. Uncle Dave got there about a half an hour later. Unfortunately, he missed the turn off and wound up down in Yosemite Valley. But all's well that ends well. We had a few hours to freshen up and get settled. Mentor Deb stopped by our room and gave me the black fleece jacket that I had ordered at the beginning of the hiking season, but which had been on backorder. At last!

I've been to Yosemite many times, but have never stayed at Tenaya Lodge. It's a very beautiful hotel with lots of amenities. The rooms were comfortable and spacious. There were both indoor and outdoor pools, as well as a spa and loads of activities for guests to do. Fortunately, we brought our swimsuits along. Apparently there is also a jacuzzi which I am planning to visit after the hike tomorrow.

The Inspiration Dinner was at 6:00 p.m. in a place called The Summerdale Experience, which is an outdoor eating area next to the hotel. The food was okay, but I would have liked the experience better had the food been at least warm. And next time, someone might want to let people know to bring their insect repellant so they don't in turn become dinner for all manner of gnats and mosquitos. Yuck! Just the thing you want on a long hike - mosquito bites. Not!

All of the Yosemite teams from all over the country assembled here at dinner tonight. We listened to inspirational talks by the national hike program director as well as one of our teammates from Florida who is also an honoree - a survivor of blood cancer. Then we met our guides for tomorrow's hike. Our guide, Roddy who is also from the Bay Area, has been guiding children's hikes for quite some time, but has only been guiding adult hikes for the last year or so. He likes mountain climbing as well as hiking.

After dinner, we returned to our rooms to complete our preparations and to turn in for an early night. Tomorrow is the big day!