Snow Angels in Yosemite

This was the first snow sighting for the girls!

Deciding to do a road trip from Las Vegas to San Francisco was one of the best spontaneous decisions we made. We had been in LV a few days and I was about to book our onward flight to SF when B said, "Want to drive instead? There might still be snow..."

A chance of snow?! How cool! We told the girls about the road trip but didn't mention the snow part. This was going to be a surprise. 

Snow is one of the biggest curiosities for those like us who come from places with only two seasons (wet and dry). I experienced my first snow when I was 11 while visiting mom's sister in Canada. I still remember exactly how I felt, so I could imagine exactly how the girls were going to feel. I was so excited for them.

We couldn't contain them (and their excitement) inside the car for long-- we had to keep stopping so they could play in the snow. We stopped so often that their jeans were wet and they were cold. Okay, enough of that you two, and back in the car NOW!

I've visited Yosemite a couple of times in the past, each time in July or August--the US summertime. This road trip was in May, Manila summertime but and technically the end of spring in the States. This was probably the last snow of the season.

Our car was equipped with satellite radio and we were glued to a station that was playing the top 20 pop songs over and over again. I finally heard all the songs the kid sing with their friends. Now whenever I hear these pop songs, I remember Yosemite and snow.

Like our drive through Death Valley, we were also just driving through Yosemite. We weren't planning to stop for any length of time. It took us about an hour to navigate Tioga pass and get to the California side of the park.

It was fun teaching them how to pronounce "Yosemite." Having only seen the word in books, they thought it was Yoh-se-might. So when we told them we were driving through Yoh-seh'-mee-tee, there was a lot of "Yo-seh-mee-tee?! Isn't it Yose-might? Why is it called Yoh-seh-mee-tee?" A quick google search (don't you just love Google?) revealed its American Indian origins.

An information center and a gift shop welcomes visitors at the California side of the park. We didn't see anything similar at the Nevada side.

Here we are at the end of our Yosemite drive and now heading straight for the Bay Area.

Google maps on my iPhone was a great tool. Those companies that make those GPS navigational gadgets for cars are probably all out of business by now.

Look at the beautiful California spring weather on the other side of the park. We came from summer in Death Valley, the drove through winter in Yosemite and here is spring in California.

We still had a few hours' drive. We were actually trying to catch some friends at a picnic in Palo Alto.

It's such a pleasure to drive in the States. The roads are beautiful and directions are well-marked.

We stopped to pick up a few baskets of strawberries from the farms we passed.

We finally arrived at our destination at the tail end of the picnic. It was an unusually cold and overcast day in Los Altos and our friends, although happy to see us, didn't  look like very happy picnickers.  If they only knew that our kids were happily rolling in the snow just a few hours ago...

Time to warm up and have some S'mores.

Driving from LV to the Bay Area was much longer than a quick airport to airport hop, but it was definitely worth the adventure. This road trip will definitely be one of the girls' more memorable experiences.


Yosemite National Park
California and Nevada

Driving Through Death Valley National Park

Our drive through Death Valley National Park was exciting because we had never seen terrain like this before. The kids were thrilled to see real live twisters form in the distance, twirl around for a few minutes and then eventually disappear.

Instead of taking flight from Las Vegas to San Francisco, we decided to do a road trip and drive. Yes, it would take about 10 hours or more, but if we broke the trip halfway and spent the night in Mammoth Lakes, it would be very doable. Road trips with excited kids are one of my favorite things to do as a family.

Some parts of Death Valley had jagged mountains, looking like we were on another planet. We stopped and stepped out of the car a few times to take pictures but had to rush back  immediately because the winds were too violent.

We passed through sand storms and had to keep windows and vents tightly shut as sand flew all around us. The temperature was a high 90--maybe even in the 100s.

Well-marked "dips" on the road that alerted the kids when to shout "FASTER DADDEEEE!"

We drove past Badwater Basin, the lowest part of Death Valley at 262 feet below sea level. In fact, they say this is actually the lowest part of whole western hemisphere--a pretty impressive claim!

Sign on a board before one of the nature trails.

Although some parts of Death Valley looked truly inhospitable and rough, it was still eerily beautiful. Look how this photographer describes it here.

Many people come to Death Valley National Park to nature trip--to hike, to trek and to take pictures. Even if it looks uninhabitable, lots of desert flora and fauna thrive here. Just like most national parks, there are campgrounds in Death Valley too. For us just passing through, a drive-by with a few stops here and there was plenty. I have no desire to trek or to camp in desert terrain.

 We were happy tourists in our air-conditioned rental car.

After hours of driving through the desolate but intriguing landscape, we finally arrived at Bishop, the town right before the ski town of Mammoth Lakes.  We stopped at the local K-mart to pick up some hoodies as we only had summer clothes with us.

We got to our ski lodge at Mammoth Lakes close to 10 pm. From 40 degrees C (about 100 F) an hour ago, it was now 0 degrees C--freezing point (32 F). We told the girls that in the span of the 10-hour road trip, we were probably going to experience the four seasons of the States. We just did the extremes--summer and winter! There was a little snow on the ground, but nothing to get excited about yet.

We were lucky the inn was still serving dinner when we checked in.  There was just a choice of steak or salmon, which happen to be the favorite dishes of the girls.

Upstairs our room was warm and cozy and we were eager to snuggle under the duvets. We still had another long drive ahead of us, this time through Yosemite National Park.

Our road trip was going as (un)planned and Death Valley National Park did not disappoint. We were looking forward to more nature tripping (and hopefully snow) the next day, but this time, of the more hospitable kind.

Death Valley National Park
California, Nevada

Gas Station Gourmet Meal

On a spontaneous whim, we decided to drive from Las Vegas to San Francisco instead of fly.  B had read that there was still snow in Yosemite and thought it would be nice to surprise the kids with their first snow sighting.  We broke our trip in Mammoth Lakes after 5 and a half hours. The next morning, we continued on to the Bay Area, which was another 5 hours away through Yosemite National Park.

 Tioga Pass is the road that cuts through Yosemite National Park

When the innkeeper at Mammoth Lakes learned we were continuing on to San Francisco, she said she heard Tioga Pass was closed, and to expect a long drive ahead. Tioga Pass cuts through Yosemite National Park and is the quickest way to get from Las Vegas to the Bay Area. 

If the Pass was closed, we'd have to drive up  north and pass another highway, and if that was also closed, we'd have to go even farther north and go through Lake Tahoe. That route would add 3 hours more to our already long drive.  I'm usually very good at planning trips in detail, but I didn't bother for this particular road trip.  I had general directions in my iPhone anyway, and how complicated could it be to just drive west?

It turns out Tioga Pass is only passable from May to November each year.  People who plan a drive through the park during this time of the year monitor the weather very closely because sudden storms prompt the park authorities to close the road. Did we even know that? Of course not--we were being spontaneous, remember? This was mid-May, and it seemed like a beautiful clear day. But inside Yosemite National Park, a mini snowstorm was developing.

At a place called Lee Vining, right before turning left into Tioga Pass, a highway sign confirmed that the Pass was closed.  There was nothing else in sight except for a Mobil gas station on the corner, and the picturesque Mono Lake across from it. We decided to stop at the Mobil mini-mart to ask about possible re-routing options.

We walked into a lot of excitement at the mini-mart.  "You guys are sooo lucky--they just opened the Pass five minutes ago," the man at the counter greeted us.

With a sigh of relief we decided to take it easy, look around and maybe grab some lunch before driving on. 

I checked out the menu--hmm, this was expensive gas station food. We had just had a big breakfast a couple of hours back, maybe a pizza slice or two would be okay.

Just as I was about to order,  B, who had just come from the restroom, said he wanted to order the World Famous Fish Tacos. Huh? Well, okay, he must be hungry. I'll just order something the kids can share too, like the St. Louis Style Baby Back Ribs for $18.95. I wasn't really hungry so I didn't order anything for myself.

We walked over to the dining area near the glass windows facing Mono Lake. On the way there, I admired the watercolors of Yosemite on the walls. I particularly liked this one below except that it was a print and not an original watercolor.

Then our food came. Gasp! When did mini-mart food look like this?

This was the "famous fish tacos" dish that came with a side of mango salsa and refried black beans. I was surprised at how delicious this was, the flavors and textures familiar at the same time, unusual.

The kids attacked the ribs, which were meaty and falling-off-the-bone tender. G loved the potato salad and wanted to order another serving. C enjoyed the "stringy stuff" and in between mouthfuls, kept asking me what it was (she eventually went back to the kitchen and found out it was spaghetti squash). We enjoyed every bite and licked both platters clean.

 

Maybe I'm being too gushy here, but remember we were in a gas station in the middle of a vast expanse of nature with no other establishment in sight.  I really didn't expect this type of food.

It was only when I kept saying I couldn't believe how good the food was that B casually said, "yes, this place is supposed to be quite famous for the food, that's why I wanted to try it." Whaaaat?! He knew? We should've ordered one dish each, if only to try as many dishes as we could!

A number of framed articles dating back to the early 2000's fill the hallway walls at the back of the store, and B had read them on his way to and from the restroom. People who know about the "Mobil gas station mini-mart", which is really named "Whoa Nellie Deli",  make the effort to drive an hour or two from their "nearby" homes to get here. Others who make the cross-state drive regularly also make it a point to stop here for their gourmet fix, and tourists who do some research will be on the lookout for it.

But for us, discovering it was pure serendipity.

We were all happy after this delightful surprise of a meal and we were ready for the upcoming five-hour drive to the Bay Area.   I don't think we'll ever find ourselves on this route again, so I'm glad that the food gods lead us here. I'm also thankful that B had to use the restroom. 

The Mobil minimart looks over Mono lake

Our luck continued. Tioga Pass was passable and we made our way through Yosemite in the mild snowstorm without a hitch. The park was covered with newly-fallen snow, thrilling the kids to no end.  Our road trip was full of exciting surprises that if I were not one of the two-person non-planning committee, I would've thought that this road trip was planned with much effort and thorough research.

Tioga Gas Mart / Whoa Nellie Deli

info@whoanelliedeli.com or 760-647-1088
P.O. Box 253 or 22 Vista Point Road
Lee Vining, CA. 93541