I left the hotel this
morning at 4:00a. I had called it
quits the day before due to the heat and was
actually in bed rather early. For some
reason I woke up at 3:30a or so and it only
took me a few minutes to realize that if I
left at 4:00a I'd beat the crowds in
Yosemite. I'd like to say I planned it
that way, but it was just one of those
things! Several pals who have visited
Yosemite told me it would be very crowed on
the weekends and I would likely have to wait
in line to enter the park. Since I
left Tracy, CA at 4:00a, I was at the park
around 6:15a or so. The park rangers
hadn't shown up yet, but they conveniently
left the front gate open... I rolled on
through.
I took a bunch of
photos - stopping every 15 minutes or so.
Towards the east side of the park, off the
Tioga Pass Road, I came across the lake
above. It was probably around 8:30 or
9:00a. I stopped for photos and then
have an overwhelming desire to go stick my
finger in the water to see how cold it was.
The air temp was mid-fifties. It was a
bit chilly - but, I reasoned, how often
would I be in such a setting? I look around
and there's nobody in sight. I lose
the motorcycle boots. I pull off all
the clothes and work my way down to the
lycra bicycle shorts... I thought about
losing them too but then thought the bus
with the nuns from the local convent would
arrive the minute I did. I knew I had
a spare pair close to the top of one of my
bags & I also knew they would dry fast.
Anyway, I jump in. It's cold.
But I'm still enjoying it - it takes a few
minutes and then I'm swimming around in
circles, swimming underwater, and pretty
much enjoying myself. I look up and a
minivan has arrived! A couple of kids and
mom and dad on vacation pile out and look at
me like I'm nuts. What do they see?
Well, ah, me for starters. Then I
think about what they see - they see
motorcycle boots, socks, pants, a t-shirt,
and a jacket strewn all over the grass.
They've gotta be thinking that I'm communing
with nature out there... I invite them
in but they decline. Hmmm...
