Friday, July 2 to Mariposa and Yosemite

In the morning, it was much warmer than last night, but still it is very cool.
I heard from a local man that this is because the hot, dry interor of California sucks away the air from the coast which is then replaced by cool ocean air.
Because of this, the coast is always cool and often foggy.
This phenomenon is somewhat similar to the weather in Lima, Peru, which is cooled by the Humboldt stream.
I visited Cannery Row, made famous by the novel of John Steinbeck, of the same name.

Cannery Row is an English language novel by American author John Steinbeck. It was published in 1945.
Cannery Row takes place on a small fictional street lined with sardine fisheries in Monterey known as Cannery Row (Ocean View Avenue in Monterey, the thinly disguised location, was later re-named "Cannery Row" in honor of the book).

It revolves around the people living there during the Great Depression: Lee Chong, the local grocer; Doc, a marine biologist based on Steinbeck's friend Ed Ricketts; and Mack, the leader of a group of bums. The gritty novel is by turns comical, sad and nostalgic.

And then I rode away rom the coast into the wide open spaces of California. I was happy, because I had not enjoyed the bustle of traffic of the previous day.

In fact, I decided to stay in the National Parks somewhat longer instead of going to Los Angeles immediately.

area.

I had lunch on the shore of the San Luis basin, a great reservoir that provides water to the area.

The road was good, the weather fine and we ticked the miles off. In the afternoon I reached Merced, a small town on the road to Yosemite Park. I tried to find a computer store, but was advised that the next opportunity to find a computer would be Las Vegas, Nevada.

So I thought, why not go there and on the way, see Death Valley.

I reached Mariposa, 50 miles from the park and decided to go and have a beer in Yosemite. Only, the ride took 3 hours, there and back, but I got my beer, a Mammoth Double Nut Brown. This was the fist time I rode 120 mles, just for a beer.

I returned in the dark, riding fast but with an eye out for deer which appear at dusk.

I saw one standing by the road in the shadow and I knew it was going to jump...It did..but fortunately away from the road.

Several people had told me the enormous damage a collision with a deer can cause to a car. And on a motorcycle it means a stay in the hospital.

I returned to Mariosa safely and got a good night's sleep.