Bears, rocks, rivers, and roads

Each morning in Yosemite valley we were visited by a bear at the campsite. The first one was acting like a street busker, performing for personal enjoyment and profit (food). Great show, scratched himself all over, tossed a pine cone around, Ran at and hugged trees we got a video, which I will eventually post). When it was clear that no food was forthcoming, he headed off a little irritated after such good effort, so he swatted a tent, climbed a little tree and tossed someones laundry on the lime into the dirt!

Yesterday, a brief visit about 5 am, no show, just a hunt around, a just avoided tent visit (not ours), then while being shouted off, he scooped up a full cooking pot of water and threw it on one of the tents! Really funny, but glad it was not our tent.

Had great hikes along the Mist Trail, stealth swim and a nice long read. Went to a film and got to meet Ron Kalk (rock climbing icon and super nice guy). I had purchased bus tickets to take us up to Crane Flat, but the pickup was mobbed and there was no room for the bikes, so left with the option of going back up the screamer or adding 30 miles, we opted to go downhill and add the miles. This route took us along the Merced River, blue, clean, bounded by very steep hills. We stopped for a nice long swim.

The biking world has it's own sort of tortures and balances. It is torture to ask any driver what the road topography is. They mean well, but a gas pedal seems to erase the memory of uphills, and of their severity. At Bickville (?) we left off following the river and went up 1800 ft over the next few miles to Midpines Summit, that was about it for us. We got the downhill into Mariposa, where we rented a room at a local hotel and called it a night. (small fact, a quart of chocolate milk is 4 servings at 170 calories per serving, we drink lots of that- even so, we are skinny).

Today we head north and west somehow trying to get towards striking distance to Petaluma. going south from the park did us no favors in that pusuit. Weather is sunny and high 90's. Though we should be, neither of us is running to the bikes to get on the road early. Clearly this is an unbeeakable habit (sort of like an unbreakable curse).