Marmots and Tourists and Bears, Oh My!

We climb the east side of the Sierra, over Tioga pass, and look down on the stunning vista of Yosemite Valley.




We saw a usually secretive marmot standing on his hind legs at the side of the road, watching the cars whiz by.
The viewpoints are packed with tourists, very different from the mostly deserted parks we've been through up to now. And there are bears!

The ranger told us that this year-and-a-half old cub's mother was killed by a car. Now we feel bad about speeding bear jokes. Luckily the cub is old enough to survive on her own.

Lots of water in the valley. After a dry winter, the spring snowpack finally reached normal levels, but an unseasonably hot May hastened the melt, so peak water is already past. Still, everything is intensely green, especially compared to the desert parks. The air intoxicatingly sweet and fresh.

Now we're off to the Bay Area for a week of eating and drinking and laughing with friends and family. Probably not much blogging for a while. Toodle-oo!