We meandered through the valley stopping at mountain lakes where swimmers were enjoying crisp clear waters and climbers were abseiling up mountain peaks on the opposite side of the road - spectacular is an understatement and even the photos do not do it justice.
About 2 hours into the drive we determined
that Flashy needed a break and some exercise was in order. The Major suggested
a short 1 mile walk down to see the giant sequoias. This is a walk he had previously undertaken and he noted that the climb back up was fairly steep but Flashy was determined that if The Major could do this then so could he - nothing like a bit of friendly encouragement - Lady P off course suggested we have a race which she knew she would win! and we only just found a park in the car park anyway so the whole challenge was nearly thwarted!However onward and 'downward' as the saying goes and 45 mins later we had arrived at the giant sequoias - well 2 of them at least which more than met the criteria so we all began the s..l...o...w climb up the hill, Lady P leading the charge off course.
Despite the fact that it was the middle of the summer school holidays and a weekend, we did manage to get through the packed roads and car parks to the Yosemite Village where at 3pm we grabbed a snack and some refreshing much needed beverages. The landscape was awe inspiring- mountains that towered above valleys of pine trees and literally thousands of visitors most of whom were sporting hiking gear, back packs, mountain bikes or similar. We wondered in amazement at the management of so many people in such a vast and spectacular environment.
With Lady P now at the wheel we climbed back out of the Yosemite Village and drove through to the western side of the Sierra Nevadas and the little town of Sonora. Our accommodation is the Gunn House Hotel, established in 1850 and lovingly restored and maintained. Our rooms were clean and comfortable, with each one reflecting an imaginative somewhat eclectic theme - Flashy and Lady P had the 'Rose Room', fairly self explanatory, and the Major most appropriately for someone of this status the 'Golfing Room' complete with a set of antique golf clubs in the corner. After dropping off the bags we headed across the road to the 'The Office'. Imagine saying, "Hi, honey, I'm just popping into the office?" Well, you'd end up in this nice little saloon as we did. A couple of cooling beers and we get into a conversation with the locals, one of whom is the Mayor. How about that? Meeting the town Mayor who has been re-elected 13 times and turns out to be 87 years old. We find the wandering Kiwis in the street and head out in search of food. This being a Sunday night, there are few options, but we find a diner and have burgers and beers, meat loaf and a glass of pretty good Cabernet Sauvignon from Washington State. Unfortunately, they did not serve hard liquor and therefore did not have tonic water, so Flashy talks the nice waitress into getting a lemon from the kitchen and, so armed, we head back to the balcony at the Gunn Motel. Flashman and the Major crack open the duty free gin, get a bucket of ice from the machine and pull out the lemon and enjoy the first martini, while Lady P retires to the room for admin duties. The night progresses nicely, as the neighbour in room 21, an IT guy from Seattle, joins the lads for another martini. Next morning Flashman notices that the bottle still has fluid in it and he and he Major are clear headed, so it must have been a restrained evening.
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