How much will you ride in the off-season? |
10 - 20 miles per week |
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16% |
[ 5 ] |
20 - 40 miles per week |
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9% |
[ 3 ] |
40 - 60 miles per week |
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16% |
[ 5 ] |
60+ miles per week |
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32% |
[ 10 ] |
100+ miles per week |
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25% |
[ 8 ] |
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Total Votes : 31 |
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Craig from Az
Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 100
Location: Mesa, Arizona12/1/04 5:04 PM |
Yosemite Again
quote:
Mmm... curious about what you like most about Yosemite.
I loved the ever-changing scenery. The cliffs, waterfalls, trees, mountains, were all spectacular. Each trail gave you a completely different view/perspective, so you could hike every day for a couple of weeks without feeling "I've seen all this before". Acess was superb; you could day hike most of the park if you wanted to.
I agree with your sentiments on the crowds, though (and I was there in late September). If you are looking for tranquility and isolation, don't go to Yosemite. We were backpacking out on Saturday as the crowds were heading in to half dome. Just for grins, I counted the people going in as we went out. I don't remember the exact number now, but it was more than 1,000.
So, my recommendation - if you want to see some spectacular scenery, particularly if you prefer not to carry a backpack, Yosemite is the place for you. If you backpack to "get away from the crowds" - forget it (go to New Zealand - the country is approximately the size of California, and there are 3 - 4 million people there. and most of them live on the North Island).
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JohnC
Joined: 10 Jan 2004
Posts: 1939
Location: Glastonbury, Ct12/2/04 8:50 AM |
Yosemite
April, did you only go to Yosemite valley? That's only a small part of the park, though surely the most famous and scenic, hence the most crowded. The other, higher portion of the park to the northeast (Tuolumne Meadows and the surrounding high country) contains magnificent backcountry, and if you backpack you can get away from the crowds very quickly.
But I agree with you about Tahoe and Redwood National Park. Very special places.
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April
Joined: 13 Dec 2003
Posts: 6593
Location: Westchester/NYC12/2/04 5:42 PM |
Yosemite
It's not that I dislike Yosemite. It's just that I don't see where the fame come from. The valley is quite beautiful but so are Lake Tahoe, Big Sur and a hundred other places. And after a couple of hikes, it starts to look the same too. The crowds surely doesn't help.
The high country is less crowded, but also less "special" in scenic beauty. I can see for people who come from the east, if Yosemite is the first place they go in CA, it's "special". But after living there for a couple years, having the rest of Sierra within easier reach, I can't see what Yosemite has that Tahoe, King's Canyon or Downieville don't.
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