dhuey

Yes. I think abmj-jr was suggesting that this 120 closure might cause congestion on 140, which would impact the YARTS bus.

boxo

Yeah, thanks to the greedy corporation for the name changes. What a PITA. Good to hear the cafeteria is reasonably priced. ^

We plan to be on the bus leaving Merced at 7:10 am on Friday, so the traffic won't be too bad, but on the return, I expect to crawl out of there at 6 pm on Sunday. I'm going to book our return half of YARTS in conjunction with our Amtrak tickets to Oakland. Hopefully that will "protect" us if for some reason we don't make the ~50 min connection. No biggie either way. If we get stuck in Merced overnight, we get stuck. It's an easy place to find a bed to sleep.

We're really lucking out with the weather. It's going to be mostly sunny. ^

boxo

Here's another question: what's there to do in Uber distance within Merced?

I am considering flying Boutique Air OAK MCE. That would get us into Merced around noon vs 7 pm on Amtrak. I was gung ho about it yesterday, but am having second thoughts, half because my 73 year old dad needs constant herding, and getting to and through OAK would be additionally complicated/stressful for me, and the other half is being bored with nothing to do. If we go by plane, we stay in Oakland the night before, and if we go by train, we leave home at 1 pm and I have my dad in a confined space. But I've been wanting to fly B4 OAK MCE for ~2 years.

CDTraveler

If you Google "what to do in Merced" one of things that comes up is the U.S. Post Office - the comment on it is "Very kind Postal Clerks".

I'd stick with Amtrak. It has wifi, scenery and it those aren't enough, you can always pack a book.

Doc Savage

The Castle Air Museum in Atwater is somewhat interesting, but that would be a bit of an expensive Uber ride, probably. It's an outdoor museum, so factor that into your thinking.

Not a lot else in Merced.

A restaurant I like is "A Taste of Little India" for a pleasant lunch buffet with nice music, in addition to Paul's Place that I mentioned to you.

mlshanks

Cell coverage at Yosemite NP (& selected other Sierra locations)

http://blog.cairnme.com/post/1410958...ge-yosemite-np

Eastbay1K

http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/articl...s-10975286.php

CA 140 is currently the only way in/out.

dhuey

I'd be concerned about getting stuck in Yosemite with only one route in or out, and rain in the weekend forecast. A very nice place to be stuck, but still.

CDTraveler

But not a very safe place to be in flood conditions. I used to spend a week in the spring at the housekeeping units, generally in one on or very near the river. I've seen it rise 3 feet in 2 hours, forcing a whole lot of people to relocate very, very quickly.

If there is rain and temperatures warm enough to melt the snow, ask the park rangers /security staff what to do and where to be, then follow their instructions. The Merced in full spate is icy cold and very fast; you do not want to mess with it.

dhuey

Good point. I think this weekend's storm is a cold one, so probably not much snow melting. We might get some snow at the mountain peaks around the bay.

CDTraveler

Hoping the OP had a safe trip.

Woman killed in Half Dome Village by Falling Tree.

Even with all its amenities, Yosemite Valley is nature in a raw form.

boxo

Yeah, wow. While on Amtrak San Joaquin to Sacramento tonight, a family member sent a link to that story. Horrible. Shocking.

I checked out of Curry/Half Dome Village at 11 am and thought we'd be able to leave our bags there because I booked the last YARTS bus of the day ~6 pm, but front desk said that side of the park was being evacuated due to expected high wind. We spent our time 12-6 at Yosemite Valley Lodge, the Awahnee, and all of the museums at the Visitors Center, and never experienced wind on the northwest side.

Friday and Saturday were blue sky days with people wearing shorts and t-shirts and then we woke Sunday morning to several inches of snow and it didn't let up. Chain controls were for 20 miles.

boxo

Yosemite Falls from Cook's Meadow on Saturday. (Sorry the photo is so large.)

boxo

Yosemite Falls from the Mountain Room Restaurant at Yosemite Valley Lodge Sunday.

dhuey

Unfortunately, falling trees and branches are deadly hazards pretty much everywhere.