Today we thought we would head south to Wawona, site of the first hotel built in Yosemite, in the 1890's. A pleasant slow winding drive for about 30 minutes through the forest (the speed limit in the Park is 35mph, less in some parts) descending from 6,000 feet to 4,000 feet at Wawona.
Wawona appeared to be a very small collection of old buildings along the road by the hotel. A small general store and post office, gas station, museum and the hotel. (We later discovered quite a large settlement scattered in the forest up behind the hotel.).
After purchasing a few supplies at the general store we wandered around the "Pioneer Yosemite History Center", basically a collection of early settlement buildings including a homestead, a blacksmiths - with a blacksmith actually working there, a ranger's hut and a Wells Fargo/stage coach office. There was quite a large gathering of people dressed in period costume for some kind of educational event.
Off to the hotel for lunch. We each ordered a club sandwich (+ Ruth ordered chips as well!) and iced tea. Well, each club sandwich filled a large platter so with the chips there was enough for four of us, but we struggled through, declining the offer of the dessert menu!
We staggered out of there and decided we should go for a long walk; coincidentally there was a circular trail, the Wawona Meadows Loop, about three and a half miles long starting just across the road from the hotel. The trail was set just inside the edge of the forest and above the wetlands/meadow. The pine scent was divine and it was just as well the trail was in the forest as it was about 30+degrees in the sunshine, a very warm day! We saw a few squirrels and small birds, but no bears, mountain lions or bobcats!!!
It was hot. So, at the end of the walk we dropped back into the general store for a ice lolly, and very refreshing it was too. We drove up through the forest behind the store on a road marked for the Chilnualna Falls and passed dozens of houses set into the forest; this was Wawona Village. We got to a point downstream of the falls to find the stream had completely dried up, so we abandoned our attempt to visit the Falls. Passed a couple of mule deer on the way down the mountain.
Back to our condo for a nice cup of tea.
