Between Two Ems: Mariposa and Merced

This part of Highway 140 that runs through the foothills is fascinating. Iconic California live oaks pop up in the rolling pastures, Diebenkorn trees silhouetted against an ever changing sky.  The two lane road unfurls like an old typewriter ribbon, accenting the curve of the land. There is the occasional cow.

And there never seems to be a pullout where I want to take photographs, so anything I have from this leg of the trip to Yosemite is always taken from a moving vehicle. At least I am the passenger, not the driver.  

This morning we had a leisurely farewell walk through the Valley, meandering over our favorite paths, taking in as much granite inspired air as our lungs could hold. We met a coyote, and later, a bobcat on the trails. Park Services is either changing or restoring a portion of the landscape. Downed and dying trees have been cut and stacked in neat burn piles along the river. A meadow has been bulldozed, right next to signs asking you to avoid walking on the sensitive plants.

We leave just after lunch, intent on beating the incoming storm. Along the Merced River, near the site of last year's Ferguson fire, crews are working double time to remove dangerous trees, cut brush, and shore up the road. They expect a major rainfall and the land is so unstable here. Valuable time was lost during the government shutdown, and people are worried. There are only three ways in and out of the Valley, and each road has a vulnerable patch.*

* 2/2/19: Two of these roads were closed at times during the storm on Saturday. The ski trails we enjoyed for a couple days are now inaccessible until the access road can be plowed. Trees fell on roads we had just driven.