October 1, 2013  Yosemite National Park’s 123rd Anniversary
October 1, 2013  United States government shutdown

We had vague knowledge that the government shutdown was looming but hadn’t really considered its ramifications on us. On September 30, at the Mono Lake Visitor’s Center, a ranger reminded us that there would be no one there the next day if the shutdown was not averted.

On the morning of the 1st, we stopped at a coffee shop in Lee Vining near the eastern entrance to Yosemite. The only information we could find online said the park was allowing people to drive through on the main road (Route 120, an important east-west road through the mountains) but was not permitting anyone to stop, park or stay. They would be evacuating the thousands of tourists already in Yosemite Valley. (A few days later they would close the road altogether.)

We had only three days before The Big Trip would be over. Since avoiding Yosemite would be an enormous detour, we decided to drive through, do a little sightseeing and camp on the other side for the night. The entrance booth was unmanned and a large sign instructed people to stay in their cars and keep driving.

However, without rangers or employees to enforce this ban, people completely ignored it. Within 50 yards of the sign, tourists had already pulled over and were out taking pictures. This mass civil disobedience was amusing. Scenic vista’s parking lots were full and people roamed freely.

Yosemite Village, where most of the tourists stay, was chaos. Vacations that have been planned for years were disrupted. Visitors were given two more days to leave. Many of the visitors were foreign nationals.

The upside of this was, since people were more concerned about rearranging their plans than sightseeing , the roads were actually less crowded than usual. If you’ve ever been to Yosemite, you’ll know that the main drive through the valley is always an overcrowded zoo, heavy traffic, fighting for parking places and waiting in lines. Not the kind of national park experience I like.

Just outside the park was a small national forest campground. Although it was probably technically closed as well, since no one was there, we spent the night.

The next day we stopped at a coffee shop in Mariposa, just west of Yosemite. A German couple who had fled Yosemite were making new plans on the Internet to visit Big Sur – not a bad alternative. The shop owners were concerned that friend’s plans to be wed in Yosemite in two weeks might be scuttled.

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Driving north on 395 we stopped at Mono Lake Tufa State Natural Reserve. We had camped there about 10 years ago and had been captivated by the tufas, a natural formation exposed by unnatural events. Starting in the 1940’s, the mountain streams that feed Mono Lake were rerouted to Los Angeles to supply water (over 300 miles away). The water level of the lake gradually fell and revealed these underwater limestone towers. See them while you can. The lake is going to be restored and the tufas will be submerged again in 20 years, returning to their watery home.

I learned something new. There is a fall foliage tourist season in the Sierra’s and we were there for the start of it. As a New England, spectacular fall foliage displays were part of the our local identity. Tourists (called “leafers” by the natives) come from afar to see the show. I wanted to find out what California had to offer and if New England had a competitor.

Aspens were the primary color source creating rivulets of gold and yellow running down damp ravines on the mountainsides. What was missing in range and intensity of color was made up for by the beauty of the mountains they adorned.

Continuing past Mono Lake, looking for patches of turning aspens, I directed us to a national forest campground I had found on the map, imagining we’d be nestled in a golden leafy glow. But the elevation was too high and we were instead surrounded by dark green pines.

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We spent a couple days camped in Twin Lakes Campground in Inyo National Forest just outside the town of Mammoth Lakes.

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Near Mammoth Lakes is a National Monument, Devil’s Postpile, a area with 60 foot columnar basalt formations similar to Devil’s Tower in Wyoming. I am not sure why early settlers considered these long rows of hexagonal stones to be the work of the Devil rather than God. I put my money on God or the Goddess. The best part of the hike was being able to climb to the top of the formation and walk on the flat surface where the columns fit together like a stone tile floor.

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