What is there to see at Yosemite ?

[Ray Eklund]

Convenience provided by roads and highways to Yosemite make it a popular igneous rock form... batholith. The majority of the people who fall over themselves to see these weathered rocks have no clue or idea of what it is they are looking at.

The Idaho Batholith covers 16,000 square miles, but give it another million or 25,000,000 years to weather out some more, it will surpass Yosemite in size and beauty. Geology respects no man made borders, only structure and tectonics.

Give the Black Hills of South Dakota and Wyoming a look. Just blisters upon the surface of the Earth. The sedimentary rocks being weathered off today are the 'scabs' covering what we consider beauty. Give it time, we will all have easy access to the geological wonders of America. Lots of time.

Give it a Name and They will Come.

Only an incompetent Geologist, as myself, can see the world in a different light... of molten magma, sulfur and massive underground faulting to ruin perfectly good real estate. Yosemite is where geological processes provided the ingredients and inertia to decompose in the atmosphere. It could be in Idaho, next.

Tourists, that is. We create National Parks and Historic Sites to 'save' them from humanity. Yet, it is this designation and easy access that will ruin them.

California is still forming, inches or feet at a time. Just wait and something new will be available to name and designate as 'protected'.

I ask that the Rocky Mountains States all be designated a National Park. Provide easier access to all sites with Names and relieve the stress upon those limited resources today provided as National Parks.

Added: Want to create your own, artificial Batholith? Have the wife hit you in the forehead with an Iron Skillet while camping in Wyoming. Your head is the surface of the Earth, the bump is the Batholith forming beneath the scab of bleeding flesh... See... now stay home and settle down. Read the Wall Street Journal article in today's front page about Yosemite. Idaho is already looking better to me.

[PKI]

Lot's of time? No, not so. Tis the problem for us all, but a bit of research fills in for a lot of years. The National Geographic lectures give a good background on the geological forces at play, but they miss on providing an informative series of views that display the park's beauty. Those are available from other sources, so NG is not a terrible resource. Best does seem to be a visit. Pat

[MomcatA]

California National Parks have been literally overrun by tourists this summer (yeah or nay not for me to decide), probably due to the Centennial and A Kid in Every Park initiatives. We were recently in Kings Canyon and there was a half-hour line up at the entrance- something we've never experienced in 40+ years of summer camping there. Campgrounds have been consistently "full" on weekends (starting on Thursday.) Luckily, we had reservations (knowing that Airstream-friendly sites could be scarce.) I would definitely check out http://recreation.gov before heading out.

[Climber]

Originally Posted by franklyfrank

I have an aversion to spending time in California but I will set it aside and visit Yosemit it sounds interesting.

Really? What's your problem with California? We're from Oregon and, yes, we have the occasional beef with our southern neighbors, but you won't find a more beautiful state (other than Oregon) or more friendly people (other than Oregonians) than you will find in California. Get over your prejudices and enjoy the spectacular bounty California has to offer, from the Redwoods to Death Valley, Yosemite to Big Sur. Try the 395 on the East Side of the Sierras for a total thrill. If you have an "aversion" to any of that I truly feel sorry for you.

Best of travels to you,

Climber

[ROBERT CROSS]

Mr. Adams......said it best.

Bob

[dkottum]

I would hate to subtract the wonderful places we have visited in California because of what others say about the state.

I lived there many years and enjoyed the people and natural beauty of the state immensely. We're going back to Monterey, Ventura area and the central valley this winter for a couple of months camping and as a base camp to explore the place again.

[FlashSilver]

Originally Posted by franklyfrank

Well lets see, you have governor moonbeam and give out driver licenses to illegals and have Sanctuary cities.

I'm fairly certain that you will not have any up close and personal face time with governor moonbeam if you go to California, so you need not worry about that. And as for giving out drivers' licenses to "illegals" (I think you mean undocumented), they can't buy auto insurance without a driver's license so you should be grateful that this avenue is open to them. That is the way the world works. I have had driver's licenses in 5 countries (Mexico, Panama, Venezuela, U.K., and Dubai) and not one ever asked to see my resident visa when applying for a DL. Go figure.

But don't let me dissuade you from your biases. If you don't think you will enjoy California, I'm pretty sure you won't. I know I get claustrophobic when I am there more than a week. So do you know what I do? I never stay more than a week. And I have grand kids there. I really think you would be happier in Northern Idaho.

[franklyfrank]

Originally Posted by FlashSilver

I'm fairly certain that you will not have any up close and personal face time with governor moonbeam if you go to California, so you need not worry about that. And as for giving out drivers' licenses to "illegals" (I think you mean undocumented), they can't buy auto insurance without a driver's license so you should be grateful that this avenue is open to them. That is the way the world works. I have had driver's licenses in 5 countries (Mexico, Panama, Venezuela, U.K., and Dubai) and not one ever asked to see my resident visa when applying for a DL. Go figure.

But don't let me dissuade you from your biases. If you don't think you will enjoy California, I'm pretty sure you won't. I know I get claustrophobic when I am there more than a week. So do you know what I do? I never stay more than a week. And I have grand kids there. I really think you would be happier in Northern Idaho.

Due to an unexpected change in our itinerary we stumbled upon a delightful little place called June Lake. On the east side of the Sierra Nevada. Beautiful place pleasant people. Normal everyday Americans, stayed for 4 days had a great time and we plan to go back next year.

[FlashSilver]

Originally Posted by franklyfrank

Due to an unexpected change in our itinerary we stumbled upon a delightful little place called June Lake. On the east side of the Sierra Nevada. Beautiful place pleasant people. Normal everyday Americans, stayed for 4 days had a great time and we plan to go back next year.

I'm glad you enjoyed June Lake and were able to find normal everyday Americans there. They are sometimes hard to find in CA, aren't they? I grew up camping, hiking, and skiing in June Lake\June Mountain but haven't been back in years. It's a beautiful part of a beautiful state. There are dozens more of similar places along US 395 and its tributaries. They are all sanctuaries.

[rmkrum]

Hm. Around our household, "normal" is just a setting on the dryer....


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