Yosemite in a Dry Year [pp. 99-108]

Overland
VOL. XXXII. (Second Series.) -August, 1898. No. 188
YOSEMITE IN
SMALL NOTES ON A GREAT SUBJECT
By CHARLES S. GREENE
ILLUSTRATED FROM PHOTOGRAPHS BY JOSEI H N. LE CONTE.
v w VERY many people, some who as to ways of going to Yosemite. The one
- - have seen Yosemite in other that shows most to the world is the regula years, have been dissuaded from tion tourist style, where all the traveling is
going there in the present sea- done in stages, and the inns and hotels are
i son because of the light rainfall depended on for food and lodging. This
of the past winter. way of going is almost the only one pos The roads will be dusty, they sible to the tourist from afar and to many
think, the Valley not so beauti- Californians as well. Comfort perhaps, and
fully swarded and flower-decked style certainly, are best to be had in this
as usual, and the falls will be so way. People who go by the stages are apt to
small as to lose their grandeur. "do" the Valley in the regulation fashion.
So they choose, perhaps, to go northward They take guides and saddle animals to
where the rainfall is always good, to ex- make the trips up the trails, and go the
plore some new region of the Mendocino or rounds as rapidly as possible; in most cases,
Humboldt coast. That indeed makes a fine waiting until they arrive at a less expensive
trip and its possibilities of hunting and place to take their rest. Some of these
fishing are always alluring; but it is abun- parties even go into the Valley on one day
dantly worth while to go to Yosemite even and out the next, fancying that they have
on a dry year. "seen Yosemite."
The roads are indeed pretty dusty in the Far be it from me to say that these swift
San Joaquin and the thermometer climbs up travelers have not their sufficient reward.
to one hundred and twenty-five degrees in Even so slight a glimpse of Yosemite is
the shade; but these things are always true worth all it costs in money and in weariof the San Joaquin in summer, and if you ness. It gives in small degree a scale by
are to gather half an inch of dust on your which to measure the photographs and
person and belongings, it matters little if paintings afterwards. Without such a scale
that half inch grows to an inch. And it is nobody can understand a Yosemite picture,
not necessary to do very much traveling in and the more familiar the pictures are, the
the heat and dust of the San Joaquin. greater the bewilderment and surprise when
Facilities have so grown that even camping the great reality is first seen. It is someparties may go by rail into the foothill thing, yes much, to go in a hotel'bus down
region and there rent or buy teams, or they the valley to see the Bridal Veil fall, even for
may join their own outfits sent on ahead. the ten minutes the stage stops for the
But let me draw some broad distinctions enraptured tourists to admire it in unison.
(Copyright, 1898, by OVERLAND MONTHLY PUBLISHING COMPANY...:All:''res:ed)
(Copyright, 1898, by OVERLAND MONTHILY PUBLISHING COMPANY. All ~ight:s:resered)
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A DRY YEAR