Posted: Sat Jun 30, 2007 6:09 pm
Rosabella, I did say I was of two minds on the topic. All those grand old lodges are beautiful structures, and they have histories of their own that will last well into the future. We need to remember that all of these places were built at a time when America's view of the environment (and it's wild places that really weren't even considered wild at the time) is considerably different than it is today. Would Glacier's lodge be built today, money aside? I don't think there would be a chance in heck, and I think that is a good thing. In the over-commercialization of things these days, I'm confident that it's only a matter of a few scant years before we start seeing the Pepsi Lodge in Little Yosemite Valley, or the Cingular Ski Lift in Vale.
Yosemite Valley is another beast altogether. The ONLY time I visit Yosemite Valley is either in the dead of winter or in the middle of the night in late spring. Other than that I stay away specifically because it's a mess. Dirt parking lots, signs out directing traffic to this lot or the other, tour busses, vehicles spewing exhaust... I think everyone in the area knows what the air looks (and smells) like in Yosemite Valley during the summer. So yes, I do avoid the Valley at all costs when I'm on a Yosemite trip. I think (not too seriously) that Yosemite Valley is already a lost cause.
Yosemite Valley is another beast altogether. The ONLY time I visit Yosemite Valley is either in the dead of winter or in the middle of the night in late spring. Other than that I stay away specifically because it's a mess. Dirt parking lots, signs out directing traffic to this lot or the other, tour busses, vehicles spewing exhaust... I think everyone in the area knows what the air looks (and smells) like in Yosemite Valley during the summer. So yes, I do avoid the Valley at all costs when I'm on a Yosemite trip. I think (not too seriously) that Yosemite Valley is already a lost cause.