AboutErnest Tufft Expertise I am knowlegeable about most all parts of California, but am most knowlegeable about San
Diego, San Francisco and Monterey Bay areas, Wine Country regions, North Coast, Yosemite,
Mother Lode, Tahoe, and Central California.
Experience I'm a fourth generation Californian and know the history, culture, and geography of the state very well. Born and raised in the Francisco Bay Area, I lived 8 years in San Diego, and now reside in Stockton, CA. I worked 6 years in the Napa/Sonoma wine industry. I have also traveled to 19 different countries, on all continents of the world except Australia and Antartica
Organizations I'm a gold star member at VirtualTourist.com.
Publications Virtualtourist.com
Education/Credentials I have a Master's degree in English, and have teacher's credentials for grades K through 12. I currently teach at the community college level.
Past/Present clients I have helped many visitors from all over the world appreciate the great state of California, and I have also helped Californians visit other parts of the world.
Expert: Ernest Tufft Date: 6/27/2008 Subject: Yosemite and Coast trip leaving and returning from San Diego.
Question Hello! We are leaving June 30th from La Jolla to take our Florida friends to
Yosemite. We are booked at the Teneya Lodge near the South entrance to the
park for mon - wed. I feel that is too many days there and want to leave early
and travel along the coast and take in different scenery. If we do however, we
will miss the opportunity to white water raft on an excursion through Zephyr
Whitewater that only goes out on Wednesday morning.This is located nearer
to the Groveland hotel which might be c ute change at the other end of the
park..
So these are my questions:
Do you think we will have enough to do in Yosemite for 3 days?
If not, should we skip the rafting experience and head on to the Big Sur coast
and travel back down to San Diego .
If so, what are the MUST DO's on the way back and where do you suggest we
should stay?
Thanks so much for your help!
Debbie
Answer Hi Debbie,
You ask some very important questions of value which only you can decide. But, let me explain a couple of important issues to clarify what I mean by "values", and then I'll put in a plug for Yosemite, because basically, YES, you can easily spend 3 days there and after those 3, you'll probably wish you had another 3 to spend.
Travel into natural areas create a "value" problem because some people see nature as a source of sport and thrill--white water rafting, skiing, bungee jumping, parasailing, hot air ballooning, horseback riding, and mountain biking are just a few of these sorts of thrills. In the early days of Yosemite park, the rangers had thrills to attract visitors--the "firefalls" from Glacier Point, the Tunnel Tree, horse stables, 9 hole golf courses at Wawona and Awanhee Hotel, and Badger Pass Ski Resort, are the ones that come immediately to mind. However, Yosemite is now flooded with tourists from all over the world and quite some time ago the Park Service decided that Yosemite didn't need to be "marketed". If anything it could use fewer visitors because the sensitive ecosystem that so wonderful there is literally being stomped out of existence. I used to love watching the burning embers that were tossed off Glacier Point during summer nights, but I also see the wisdom of the park service in deciding for a variety of reasons that this was not good for Yosemite. Similarly, I also have fond memories of riding in the family car through the Tunnel Tree in Mariposa Grove. That tree fell down a long time ago, it's roots having been damaged by the vehicle traffic. Now, the only vehicles allowed in Mariposa Grove are the special tourist trams and the two feet of those who care to walk along carefully maintained trails. The Wawona golf course is still playable, but is "naturally" maintained in the rough, while the course at the Awahnee Hotel in Yosemite Valley has been restored into meadows which are a natural wonder of the valley floor. Badger Pass may be one of the least maintained ski resorts in California, although I confess for not having been there for many years now. The horse stables are still active, now oriented toward nature trail rides on specific trails. Rafts can still be rented to drift down the Merced River--a very pleasant thing to do in August.
Inspite of Yosemite NOT having so much dedicated recreation, I still love the place. I love the shocking beauty which stops at the park boundaries, so be carefully about these resorts claiming to be Yosmite, but are really outside the park. Yosemite is all about visiting some of the world's highest waterfalls, the world's largest granite rocks (El Capitan being the biggest), the wildflowers and meadows with mountains the background, and the aged grove of Sequoias at Mariposa Grove. My own suggestion is to rent some bicycles in Yosemite and coast around the valley floor looking up. Dine at the Awahnee Hotel Bar, and visit the various nature museums in the valley. I have a number of photos and tips at www.virtualtourist.com, but then so do so many others. Check out the Yosemite National Park website. I think that you will be be stunned, and not want to head back to the coast so soon.
