Since moving to California I have spent Christmas 2015 in Albany with my family and Christmas 2016 at home by myself making biscuits. My step mom was going to to visit my brother in Atlanta again this year so I was again solo. I was prepping for another biscuit making session when my friend, who is also a transplant, hit me up and let me know she was going to be in town too. We decided to take a road trip to Yosemite!
It was the Friday before Christmas so I knew hotel options would be limited at the last minute, but I was able to book us a room at the most reasonably priced hotel nearest (or so I thought) to the park available through Expedia, which was Best Western Plus Yosemite in Oakhurst, CA. I love me some Best Westerns! The rooms and bathrooms are always clean, the staffs are great and the “Plus” editions have the best free hot breakfast. Best Western Plus Yosemite was no exception. The hotel was older but it was very well kept. We had a family room, which had three queen size beds and a designated bedroom so we each had our own space. The grounds were immaculate. Lush green trees, bushes and vines sprouted up around each of the hotel’s buildings and there were plenty of open green spaces and picnic areas. It appeared the property was formerly an apartment complex. They also had a great restaurant with pretty good food for the price. They were open Christmas Eve, which was a blessing from the Lord because we were starving after our day in the park.
The drive from San Francisco to Yosemite on Christmas Eve took about 4 hours. Once we got outside of the city all we pretty much saw were hills, cows, horses and occasionally some sheep. I peeped a llama too! I never realized how much farmland is in California. The drive was quite beautiful though. The route also took us through almond country, which is much like wine country, but instead of grape vines the road was lined for miles and miles with almond trees.
The closer we got to Yosemite the higher the elevation got and the windier the roads got. Like roller coaster winding. Riding on State Route 120 is definitely not for those prone to car sickness. I’m not and I still got dizzy. It’s also not for reckless drivers. Just imagine being 5,000 feet up on a two lane road with no guard rail. It was scary as hell!
We arrived at the park around 2:30 PM and there was no wait to enter. We drove right up and paid the $30 entrance fee, which allows you entry to the park for 7 days. We talked with the guard or park ranger (idk what his official title was) about how to get to the attractions and the location of our hotel. Ok, so when I booked, Map Quest told me the park was 16 miles or a 20 minute drive from the hotel. Map Quest failed to tell me it was from the south end of the park (we entered on the west end)(I’m just gonna blame it all on Map Quest)…and it’s a 40 mile drive to get through the park. The ranger informed us that our hotel was another hour and half drive from Yosemite Valley, which is where the main attractions of the park are. Yosemite Valley is about 19 miles from the west entrance. We spent a few minutes debating on whether to cancel our hotel and try to find a room closer to the entrance we came through, but ultimately decided that it would probably be the same drive time to a hotel in the direction we came from as it would be to our hotel in Oakhurst, so we kept the room.
The drive through the park was breathtaking. All of the beautiful natural streams, trees that had to be at least 200 feet tall and stretches of greenery were mesmerizing. Being amongst so much natural beauty made me feel incredibly blessed and privileged. As we drove further into the park we saw what I was calling crevasses. I really don’t know the technical term for them but they were basically the incredible valleys created beneath the 6,000 foot hills we were driving on. The drop off was beautiful, majestic and alarming all at the same time. We stopped to take some photos at Yosemite Falls and did some walking around for a few hours before we started to head to our hotel. Along the way we definitely almost ran over some negligent photographers. I can understand people’s desire to take photos but folks were extremely careless, walking backwards in the streets and what not. Like, you’re on a cliff bro—you might want to be a little more careful.
Since its winter and the sun goes down at 4:30 and ish, it was dark ride to the hotel and it felt like we were driving forever. As I said, the park is 40 miles wide, but because of the windy, one lane roads it does take quite a while to drive through. Shout out to my friend Shantelle for getting us out of there safely because I was fighting sleep the whole ride. The park ranger was right, it took us a good hour and fifteen minutes to get to the hotel. Once we arrived, we had dinner and I was knocked out by 9:00.
The next morning we woke up and had breakfast at the hotel’s restaurant. The dining room was full and the food was pretty good for a free meal. We left the hotel around 11 AM and headed back toward Yosemite. I’m so happy we decided not to cancel our hotel reservation because having a hotel on the south entrance of the park gave us the opportunity to see the other side. The weather was ideal for winter. Christmas Eve was cold and wet but on Christmas day the sun came out and, though still chilly, it was noticeably dryer and warmer. There were also many more tourists out.
We explored much of the park by car and just enjoyed the beautiful scenery. Being amongst so many massive mountains really made me feel blissfully insignificant.
Before leaving the park we took some time to use the restroom and of course, just like any other public area, there was a line for the ladies’ room and NO ONE in the men’s room. So being the feminists we are, we used the men’s room. Do any of y’all ladies do that? The stalls are exactly the same, except a urinal or two, and when men see you in there they usually just look. Sometimes they laugh. Never has a man screamed though—but let a dude walk into the ladies’ room. He’s going to prison! Ladies, take advantage of every opportunity to exercise your privilege, k.
I’m so happy we took this spontaneous trip to Yosemite and created a Christmas memory. It was cheap in price but rich in beauty (hehe). Have you been to any national parks? Which one do you recommend I visit next? I’m thinking Yellowstone!
– Khristal Talyse
