Wed 27/6 – 4855 with 10 flights
We left LA and headed back North to Yosemite up highway 395. It was a long drive through a large desert, with mountain ranges on either side. The mountains are incredible, such a variety of shape and colour, and of course types of rock formations. Every now and then there is a bit of water and/or salt pans. There are many RV parks along the way, some more derilect than others. The radio signal comes and goes. David periodically sang “”Hmm, hmm, I’ve been through the desert on a horse with no name….”
In the middle of nowhere, there is a Visitors Centre, so we stopped. David found some books to read as we still have not bothered to turn the TV on. We handed the ranger the Swazi card, waiting to put in the pin when the ringer said it was declined. So we told him we need to put in a pin. He said “I can override that.” Not arguing, we gave him the SA card and said, we will need to put in a pin. He said “I can override that.” David replied: “Clearly you can’t!” It was declined! So we paid cash and left. Generally, on my Standard Bank card, if they can read the chip in the card, all is ok, no signature or pin required, but if you happen to be buying when the credit card systems are being updated, around midday here, it denies access. David’s FNB always needs the pin. However, these know-it-alls have helped us get at least 2 free meals which we happily paid for and left, only to discover a day later that the transactions were declined.
There are also huge wind and solar farms. We also came across an airport, storage facilities and a few military installations. There are old mines, few still operate. Houses varied in size and condition.
Further up the road we came across Lone Pine which is near the Alabama Hills, where over 400 films, 100 television episodes, and countless commercials have been filmed since 1920. Mostly Westerns, these include Gunga Din (1939) with Cary Grant; The Gunfighter (1950) with Gregory Peck; Bad Day at Black Rock (1955) with Spencer Tracy; How the West Was Won (1962) with James Stewart, right up toThe Lone Ranger with Johnny Depp in 2013. The same hills have also been used for Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989) with William Shatner and Gladiator (2000) with Russell Crowe.
The rocks are beautiful and landscape is fascinating.
Another interesting, but sad place, about 7 miles north of Lone Pine, is a relocation camp, Manzanar, which was built following the attack on Pearl Harbor when President Roosevelt ordered all people of Japanese ancestry living along the Pacific coast had to be placed into relocation camps.
It was a long drive and when we finally reached our campsite at Tuolumne Meadows in Yosemite, the stress started showing when tempers rose as I was trying to direct David while he backed up into a narrow campsite with rocks in the way. After a near domestic, David got on his bicycle and rode off. I opened a bottle of wine to cook with. Crisis averted and we had a lovely evening.
Kim’s Chuckle of the day: While packing up in LA, I overheard David talking to his bike: “Sorry I didn’t take you for a ride in Hollywood.”
What I learnt: I already knew that I know “my side, your side”, “this way or that”, I just cannot automatically give them names such as “left or right”. Now I know that some people just cannot understand how this nomenclature it is not intrinsic to everyone.
Kim's journey 