We broke camp and drove down Route 395 to Bishop. As we parked at Erick Schat's Bakkery, H spotted an open air art fair in the park across the street. The art fair had some beautiful photos of the Sierras and we enjoyed browsing through the booths.
After a simple sandwich lunch at Erik Schat's bakkery, we went to visit Mountain Light Gallery. I was not familiar with the work of Galen Rowell, but H told me he was a famous outdoor photographer, who had tragically died in a plane crashed. There were several amazing photos of the Sierras and Patagonia in the gallery which I really liked.
Our next stop was Winnedumah Hotel in Independence. H stayed here on her her previous trip to Eastern Sierras and had wanted to show me the eccentric collection of stones/lamps/stuff in the lobby.
Further south on 395, we visited Alabama hills. The unusual rock formation was prefect for rock climbing! We hiked to a foot of a small cave in a stone and tried to climb to the opening. We made it up a crack, but without ropes/harness, did not feel safe continuing.
At this point, we were near the southern end of the Sierra range. Weather had been great and we decide to check on Tioga pass. Highway 120 was indeed open! We decided to drive through Yosemite to get back to Bay area.
H took the wheels on this stretch of the drive and I was very grateful. My last trip to Yosemite was almost 4 years ago, and I really enjoyed the early spring/snow tipped scenery. Highway 120 inside Yosemite was narrow and windy. There was also heavy fog, so if I was driving, I would not be able to enjoy the view.
By the time we left the eastern gate of Yosemite, it was getting dark. We stopped in
Old Iron Door Saloon in Groveland for dinner. Old Iron Door Saloon was supposed to be the oldest continuous operating saloon in California. Unfortunately, it looked that way too:(
The menu, however, was quite modern. I had a buffalo burger and garlic soup which I enjoyed. H ordered a southwest style shrimp salad. Watercress was used exclusively in the salad, which made the greens too peppery. She did not enjoy her dinner as much.
We had an uneventful drive from Groveland back to the Bay area.
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