Day 18 - Tuesday, August 11 - Mammoth

Today we drove the beautiful route from Reno to Mammoth. I never get tired of the stretch along the Walker River.

We were in no rush, so we took a long detour into the Yosemite Valley. The Tioga Pass is one of the most beautiful drives that I have ever been on.

Unfortunately, the visibiliy was a bit clouded due to some forest fires burning miles away. The farther away an object was the more difficult it was to see clearly. In any case, the fantastic view of El Capitan and Half Dome rising thousands of feet from the valley floor is breathtaking.

We wondered around the hiking trails for a while, visiting the Arawanee Hotel and the Merced River which has been reduced to a stream due to the lack of water. There were a ton of people in the river and throughout all of Yosemite.

We drove the scenic drive out of the valley and then back to Mammoth, stopping a few times to take in the vistas.