When I got to San Fransisco I joined the Green Tortoise Bus which is a tour company that take people all over America on 3-21 day trips. The bus itself was amazing. It was a converted greyhound bus and we carried all our food, drinks, tables, stoves, utensils, equipment, luggage etc, was amazing! The bus was arranged so that there were comfy chairs during the day and big beds at night - but the cool people (me and the back crew) sat up the back where it was a huge bed all the time!!Yosemite National Park has been described as natures cathedral and I have to say that's a pretty accurate description. It is not so stunning that I cant describe it like Grand Canyon, its more peaceful and green and amazingly beautiful with a million shades of green in the valleys.The waterfalls were dry and we went to look at a dry river bed which was very strange. The first day we hiked to Nevada falls and then Vernal falls (half way up half dome). Am pleased that I seem to be much fitter than a lot of people but the 2 fastest guys on the whole trip were Roy and J who always left their lunch in the bus and smoked weed and drank tequila on the way up the trails. I'm thinking of introducing that into a technique on scottish mountains cos it seemed to work for them!!!On the second day we drove on Tioga Road and we crossed the high country and the pass crosses the Sierra Nevada crest at 9945 ft!! There was some snow on the road already but felt very warm which was so strange.We stopped here and walked to Dog Lake and then onto Lambert Dome. The great thing about this was firstly the view point and the great scrambling routes but secondly the altitude started to affect everyone which was weird at first until we realised what it was. I started wheezing like a 40-a-day smoker and Jim got a nose bleed. I thought i was just struggling from the day before but it was the altitude. It wasn't that nice as you felt like you were taking a deep breath in and you lungs were not expanding.On the third day we decided to take it easy and only walked to Mirror lake which is dry at this time of year, I'd like to go back when its full of water! You get the best view of the half dome from here. We saw a coyote as well which was a first for me!
I had an amazing 4 days with the Green Tortoise, a definite highlight of my trip so far. The bus apparently had capacity for 37 people but there were only 17 of us and we all got on so well and exchanged a lot of emails at the end of the trip.In the bus was me, Jim, Tim and Andy (English),Paul, Roy and J (Irish) and Tina, Andrea, Chris and Manuella (German), Deno (Kiwi), Dave and Miles (Auz), Dider (French) and Perry and Bo (American). They were all a lot of fun and the fact that there were only 4 girls made it a lot more fun as the guys were great. We had nicknames for everyone as well, my nickname was Pumpkin (due to my birthday) and I was also known as 'the instigator' for climbing over the wall into the locked swimming pool at the campground to check the temperature at 11.30 and then going back to the campfire and persuading 5 guys to come and join me for a midnight dip! The other girls weren't like that and they were pretty quiet so I think i had the most fun on the whole trip. Also being one of the few females on the trip meant that you were able to instigate a lot of things that were a lot of fun. When we stopped to set up dinner one night, one of the guys said he was going for a dip in the river. I said i would join him and stripped off to my bikini and as a result of that there was about 8 of us all went in and I was the only girl!!!However the river was a glacial river and was so cold that you couldn't draw breath when you were swimming. Makes you feel great though.
My self esteem went through the roof on that trip and those of you who know mw know that that probably means it was where a normal persons self esteem usually is! I had such a great time and really felt like a worthwhile person and an important person on the trip. We all got back to San Fransisco yesterday and went out. A lot of people told me how great I was on the trip, talking to everyone and making sure people were not left out and having a laugh with the guys. Made me feel so good!!! Last night i went up to the bar where Paul, the irish guys works and he offered to put me up until i leave San Fransisco. He is a really nice guy and it sounds like fun. Think i'll spend my birthday here and then take off for South AmericaThe cable cars here are exactly like Eddie Izzard described, everyone gets on and becomes a rhesus monkey as the prisoners are taken down down to Alcatraz!Photos to follow soon if I can upload them.