Day 11 - Yosemite NP Day 4 - Hetch Hetchy

We got back on the bikes this morning, the first time since our arrival last Friday, for a scenic ride day to Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. This is a different area of the park we hadn't yet visited so we were excited to explore more of Yosemite. At 8am we headed west on highway 120 out of Yosemite Valley and turned north on Evergreen Road.We soon appreciated the quiet, uncongested serenity of the area.

The reservoir is held behind the O'Shaughnessy Dam, named after the chief engineer. It was created within Yosemite to provide reliable water to the city of San Francisco after the 1906 earthquake. Certainly it was very contested and controversial, as it flooded a pristine area of the park. Construction began in 1914, and through a complex system of railroads to deliver supplies, pipelines, tunnels, etc. it was finished in 1923. 

The dam bridge seemed like two worlds to us: one side roaring water and the other a peaceful, calm reservoir flanked by mountains. We walked a mile or so across the dam, through a tunnel, and onto the footpath that surrounds the reservoir to check out the area.

Since a few of us were still fairly sore from the Yosemite Falls hike, we did not walk the 5.4 mile round trip to the Wapama Falls, but we could see it from the other side.

We saw wildlife today: Hawk or falcon, ducks of some species, Acorn woodpecker, butterflies, moths and lizards.

 

We stayed about 2.5 hours. We back tracked about 5 miles to have lunch at the Evergreen Lodge. Really good food, excellent choice by Rob. The resort has cabins, a nice patio area and a cool play area for kids. The waitress said it's been there since the 1921. She also gave us a tip on a better road back to the highway.

We saw the aqueducts leading from Eleanor and Cherry Lakes to supplement the water from the Reservoir to generate power and water to San Francisco. The valley had been scorched by a fire in 2013.

Returning on 120 we headed back to the valley. We got back to our lodge at 3pm. Michele and Rob took the bus to the Visitor Center and got their Yosemite stamp for the National Parks Passport book before it closed at 5pm.

We've been working our way through this book since our first long distance bike trip in 2009. We saw the movie about the founding of the park and John Muir's influence to make it happen.

Around this time Tom called Rob and said he had a hotel snafu. He and Julie would be staying out of the park tonight, unfortunately.We later learned they found a large hotel not too far outside the park so it all turned out okay.

We met Mike and Hui Bok for dinner at the Loft in the Village area, and decided we needed more substantial options so we headed over to the Pavillion instead. We relaxed and chatted for awhile, then headed back to catch our bus to our lodge. Tomorrow we have to say goodbye to Yosemite.