Way out west
As summer was coming to a close, my time in Yellowstone was too. There was only one immediate destination that was next on the list, and that place was California. With so many different lifestyle options, I knew there was an answer for me in finding a place I could cozy up for the winter with a perfect mix of all of the seasons in between. Moving from one of the biggest parks was perfect prep to make California a playground for a short while. After some research for my next seasonal job, I discovered quite the contrasting experience and something that I didn’t know I needed until I found it.
Upon arriving at work and settling into Groveland, my quiet mountain town in Northern California, it was immediately time to get started! With work, of course. I happened to find a place worth checking out in Rush Creek Lodge, a 7-year-old hotel located a mile outside of the coolest backyard in California - Yosemite National Park. This rather new establishment is a family-style lodge with incredible amenities, including a state-of-the-art spa. It’s a great place that offers a mix of both some exciting in-house activities and immediate proximity to an outdoor mecca. It was an incredible time spent in an extraordinary place with amazing people.
The utmost peace and quiet, on Tioga Pass (open seasonally in Yosemite National Park).
As a front desk member outside of a year-round hotspot destination, I found it important to learn as much about my surrounding area as possible for the guests that flock in the millions. Yosemite offers all kinds of fun around every corner. My arrival was well-timed, as in September, as the corner turned for summer and into fall. Luckily, I had arrived with just enough time to enjoy Tioga Pass. Open seasonally, California Highway 120 (CA-120) connects the east side of Yosemite to the rest of the park. There is so much to see on Highway 120, such as Tuolumne Meadows and Tenaya Lake, two places that come alive in the summer months. Another big plus to Tioga Pass being open is the much shorter commutes to the High Sierra towns like Lee Vining, Mammoth Lakes, and June Lake which is my personal favorite. As September went on and October arrived, those fall colors started booming and in those were the areas that came alive first.
This was because of the elevation levels, as these high sierra towns were at higher elevations. But as the month of October went on, it came to the lower elevations. This meant that as fall went on, I had to drive less and less as the fall colors finally arrived in Yosemite Valley in late October.
As fall leaves Yosemite Valley, Bridal Veil Falls sadly went with it as the droughts continues.
The leaves started falling in November but I enjoyed the spectacle of Yosemite over and over again, attempting to conquer as much of the park as I could. The loudest talk around the park was about the closure of Glacier Point Road for the year 2022, for road construction, and it was set to close for the season very soon. I was so grateful to have spent lots of time up there and getting to hike the amazing Sentinal Dome and Taft Point but more so enjoyed the views from Glacier Point alone.
The winter came around and so did quite a bit of snow! I got to enjoy my first White Christmas and lots of it. Snow fell for 5 straight days and we had our fun on the mountain as we worked constantly through the winter rush but played our fair share in the fresh powder.
Winter affected me too, as I fell less active for a few reasons. The biggest being that our hotel fell victim to a problem occurring all around the service industry. Myself and many of coworkers worked our way through the “off season,” as it did not feel like an off season. The uprise in outdoor exploration hit us with lots of business but little employees to continue to serve. I will say it wasn’t the worst time by any stretch, having support from my coworkers and supporting them, we knew that if we continued to enjoy our time together it would make the work just a little bit easier. Not to mention, as the months went on, the guests continued to respond well to our understaffing.
My message to you: please, please, and PLEASE be kind to your waiters, front desk agents, housekeepers, and all of the people waiting on you. I can speak for most of us when I say we don’t want to work unhappy, so giving you high quality service is mutually beneficial. Rush Creek was not and is not the only place around our country’s National Parks that works through understaffing and with understanding on all sides, it’s a much better overall experience.
Now that spring has rolled in and the weather continues to warm, we get back some of our favorites local views. But after a long winter period, I decided a quick vacation by the coast was needed. For a few blissful days, I was able to drive my favorite part of the Pacific Coast Highway. Through Monterey and Carmel and down to Big Sur, I had one word the entire time I drove with mountains on one side, and the Pacific Ocean on the other: Awesome.
Yosemite comes back to life during the spring, as do those gorgeous waterfalls. Arriving in September meant the waterfalls were but a faint trickle, a memory of what occurs earlier in the year. On one early morning in March, I was able to catch a glimpse at Yosemite Falls for the first time in a full gush.
Golden hour at Yosemite Falls. At 2,425ft., it is one of the tallest waterfalls in North America.
As spring and April came, we enjoyed our favorite trails again in Yosemite Valley, as Tioga Pass won’t open until late May. My favorite valley trail is by far The Mist trail and I loved it in October when those two waterfalls were at their lightest! At this time of year, Nevada and Vernal Falls were at their best and even showed a little flair.
During April, you can expect a rainbow at Vernal Falls for most of the day. Quite amazing.
My time at Rush Creek Lodge and in Groveland has recently come to a close as I gear up for the summer season. I always like to have one key takeaway from my time in different places that I’ve spent so much time in. For Yellowstone, that was freedom and finding the pocket of peace in your mind and in the space given. Here, it was communication. I learned how to communicated effectively and say what I actually mean, while learning a lot about to how to speak to myself as well. A prime example is right in front of you! I wasn’t writing 6 months ago, was I? To enjoy open communication is something that represents me and genuinely gaining a skill like this has been quite an uphill battle that isn’t finished but certainly much farther along thanks to my people, new and old.
