Rainbow Pools / Yosemite / Tioga Pass Report & Photo Tour:

I drove through Yosemite on Friday and Saturday.  Rainbow Pools was going off.  I’ve never seen so many people there.  I had to park up the road and walk down.  That’s never happened to me.

There were over 100 people hanging out, fishing, swimming, peanut gallerying, and cliff jumping.  One guy threw a double backflip and put the rest of us to shame.  A couple other guys, who’d clearly been drinking, tried flips and ended up doing 1.25 flips with very loud, painful, and entertaining consequences.

The crowd that spends time at Rainbow Pools is the classic American crowd.  I call it the Big ___s and Tattoo crowd – B.T.&T. in shorthand.  These humans know how to have fun.

There is nothing better than seeing a big crowd at Rainbow Pools.  If you throw a big trick, you’re gonna get a lotta hoots and hollers.

The waterfall was the lowest I’ve ever seen it.  California has at least 2 or 3 more dry months coming.  Will the river stop flowing before the rain/snow comes?  Maybe…

Yosemite itself was gorgeous as per usual.  I did see one fire up near Tenaya lake.  It was small on Friday then on Saturday it was pretty much out.  Likely caused by lighting and in a very remote area.

Tioga Pass has nearly zero snow.  Didn’t really even see any ‘patches’ worth skiing.  Ellery Bowl, where we had so mcuh this past Spring, is completely dry.

The crowds are in Yosemite.  Many many humans crawling around and driving poorly up in Tuolumne Meadows.  Don’t expect much solitude up there unless you go deep.