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Snow
Wind
Rain		 The journey to Yosemite was interesting. We did actually get to Yosemite National Park. We did not stay long. The drive started many miles away at Tusayan AZ. We drove to Las Vegas so that some more shopping could happen. Then onto Beatty for an over night stop. The next day the we drove to Lee Vininng, to take the SR-120 to Yosemite National Park. This where the plan started to fall apart, where the wheels fell off the bus. I had been checking the weather at Yosemite Valley. The temperature was in the miid to high teens. Perfect. The problem is that Yosemite Valley is at an altitude of 1200m and the Tioga pass that we would have driven through is at 3000m and in november has about 2m of snow. The road was closed! I decided that we would drive north and use SR-88. After a few more hours drive we could not use SR-88, we neede snow chains. I was not keen on using snow chains on this big van. We spent the night at the Carson Valley Inn. The next day we started the long drive south, past Mojave and up to Yosemite. About 14 hours all up.
      Nothing is quite so simple at times. Just south of Bishop, on the US 395 the signs had, put on snow chains. So a quick run back to Bishop to buy the most expensive, and illegal in Australia, snow chains in the world!! We got back to the snow chain install area and installed the snow chains. after 20 minuntes of not needing them, we took them off. US$390 on snow chans we did not need.
     We finally arrived at Yosemite Valley, and at our hotle we were told we had been rebooked into the more upscale hotle as the road was being closed.  We finally got into the hotel at 11pm.  The next morning we got up, went ito the van and drove to the Yosemite National Park. There the nice park ranger suggested that we have all of our belongings with us, as the road back to the hotel may also close. Enough is enough. We went back to the hotel and grabbed all our gear and left. We got pulled over by a State Trooper who asked if the vehicle was all wheel drive. No I replied. You'll have to fit snow chains he said. So we fitted the most expensive, and illegal in Australia, snow chains in the world. The drove through 10 to 15 cms of snow up and over the mountains and into Oakdale. The drive down the mountain was interesting aka nerve wracking. Strong winds and rain coming in side ways. I kept up with the traffic doing 75 mph. 121 kph. I though that going slower would cause problems when people try to overtake me.
    It was really nice to stop at Oakdale for lunch at Denny's. The sun was shining, No wind and it was nice and warm, at least 22C.

             
A Coyote at Yosemite              Edward removing the snow chains


   
Driving on the snow