We were up early as we expected a long day on the road from Lakeview, OR, to Yosemite. There was a skiff of snow on the tops of the cars in the parking lot, and the woman in the office said 2 inches fell overnight in Burns, a town we passed through yesterday. The towns along 395 are mostly quite small, and some don't even warrant a mention on the map, but they served as progress markers as we continued our way south.
The navigator consulted with the pilot, and we changed our route to continue on 395 as far as Reno rather than going through Susanville. The sunshine felt deliciously warm as we approached the Nevada state line. It was very strange to drive into a big city with freeways necessitating vigilant lane changes after 2 days of meandering, but we had no trouble finding our way onto I80...the interstate heading west toward Sacramento. As we climbed higher, the temperature returned to the chilly barely-above-zero level we started with a few hours earlier. 
We weren't hungry enough for a picnic at Donner Pass (you have to know some California history to understand the humor in that statement), but did stop for some photos of the snow-covered mountains against the blue sky and puffy clouds. There are lots of ski areas along the route, but it looked like they were closed for the season (or at least on weekdays) even though there is still plenty of snow.
In Aurora, we confirmed with the info center that driving south on state route 49 would be slower, but infinitely nicer than continuing on I80 to Sacramento and hitting another super highway. I am not a big fan of multi-lanes of aggressive drivers with not much for scenery other than housing developments and big box stores.
Route 49 proved to be a lovely road winding through pretty farming areas and small towns. We stopped for lunch at Mel's Drive In in Placerville. Mel's is part of a chain whose claim to fame is that the San Francisco restaurant was used for the film “American Graffiti” which happens to be one of our favorites. All I can say is that we both left over full … I probably could have had just the burger, or just the fries, or just the chocolate shake (served in an old fashioned ice cream soda glass with the extra still in the metal canister), but I did eat almost all of it and subsequently did not feel the need to eat dinner.
This is gold rush country. In fact, along the way we passed near Sutter's Mill where gold was first discovered in 1848. Sonora (pop. 4423) has a story that will be familiar to those from New Denver. It was one of the largest and wealthiest towns when settled by miners over 150 years ago, but now relies on tourism, lumber and agriculture. We definitely noticed the tourist part...kitschy stores and restaurants and lots of traffic on the narrow main street having to stop for jaywalking pedestrians. New Denver can only dream!
Not far from Sonora we turned onto Route 140 to head toward Yosemite. 
We stopped at the “Rim of the World” vista point where we could see the Tuolomne River far, far below in the steep valley. We saw the huge pipelines that carry water all the way to San Francisco, but I'll leave that story for the day we spend in the Hetch Hetchy area.
The temperature was back to barely above zero again as we entered the park, and light rain was falling. There is still plenty of snow, and when we passed the trail head for the Merced Grove of sequoias, it looked like snowshoes or skis might be more appropriate than hiking boots! I am really glad we'll be here for several days as we expect rain tomorrow and Wednesday, then some sun at the end of the week.
We made many stops to take photos even though it was cloudy, rainy, foggy. That first view of the valley with Bridalveil Falls in the distance was the “we are here” moment. Cascade Creek was spectacular. We stopped once to photograph it from a bridge, then again at its final drop as we neared the park exit.
We are staying at Yosemite View Lodge which is literally just outside the park boundaries beside the Merced River in El Portal. It is a huge complex with different buildings, a couple of restaurants, and an overpriced convenience and souvenir shop. Our room is great...complete with kitchen and balcony. I cannot believe I was able to book this through Otel for almost 50% of the actual price. The booking says “standard room,” but this is far beyond standard. Maybe they figure since we're here for 6 nights that we'll appreciate having the kitchen (which is true). Alas, no Internet, but understandable as communications are expensive here. I think I read somewhere that there is wireless in the lobby, so I'll check that out tomorrow.
After getting settled in, we walked over to check out the store, then had a quick drink in the bar. Now it's time to figure out what we'll do tomorrow. I thought I was well-prepared with all of the research I did beforehand, but now it's time to sort through it and figure out a plan of attack. We know we won't get into the high country as the Tioga Pass and Glacier Point roads are still closed. It is not abnormal at this time of year for these roads to be closed, but the snowpack was 199% of normal on May 1, so it will take awhile to get them plowed out and passable. There is still plenty to see and do, and we're looking forward to it all especially after our little taste this afternoon.
