年: 2009年

Tioga Road沿いの施設が開くのには、あと数週間かかりそうです。
Tioga Road to Open in Yosemite National Park
Visitors urged to take safety precautions for upcoming Memorial Day Weekend
Yosemite National Park Acting Superintendent Dave Uberauga announced today that the Tioga Road will open for the　season on Wednesday, May 20 at 10:00 a.m. for all vehicle traffic. The Tioga Road, bounded on both sides by State　Highway 120, is the popular east-west crossing of the Sierra Nevada. There will be no commercial services available along　the road until further notice. However, there will be gasoline available 24 hours per day (credit cards only). Additionally,　the Tuolumne Meadows Campground, other campgrounds along the corridor, and the Tuolumne Visitor Center will not be　open. There will be pit toilets available along the Tioga Road. All visitor services, including the campgrounds, store, gas　station, etc. will open over the next several weeks.

Tioga Roadの開通が目前に迫ってきました。そこで遠望ですが、Tuolumne Medowsのプレビュー。
奥の山は左から、Dana,、Ｇｉｂｂｓ、Mammoth Peak。Danaの45度右下に見えるのはLembert Dome。
Mammoth Peakの下はFairview Dome。Fairviewの左側にはTioga Roadがかすかに見えています。

Tuolumne Meadowsの核心部(上の写真をCrop)。

Clouds Rest、Half Dome、Mt. Hoffmann。Tenaya LakeとMay Lakeが写っていますので、探してみてください。

Tenaya Lake(標高8,150ft.）の雪氷は、一週間でかなり融けてしまいました。

May Lake(標高9,329ft).。

Half Dome Cables in Place in Yosemite National Park
The cables allowing trail access for hikers to the summit of Half Dome are up and open for the season today, May 15,
2009.
The Half Dome hike is a round-trip hike of over 17 miles and is considered extremely strenuous. Hikers gain 4,800 feet of　elevation along the hike that passes highlights such as Vernal Fall and Nevada Fall, before reaching the cables on Half　Dome’s steep granite shoulder. A series of metal cables are placed along the steep shoulder of the dome to assist hikers to　the summit.　Visitors are advised to take appropriate precautions when planning a hike of this length and difficulty, and to be prepared　for changing weather and trail conditions. Thunder and lightening are common occurrences in the High Sierra during the　summer and fall; hikers should not to attempt to summit Half Dome around or during thunderstorms and are advised to use
extreme caution when the rocks are wet.
-NPS- (K. Cobb – 5/15/09)
*************************************************

まだ交通規制がありますが(金曜午後からは解除)、CA108(Sonora Pass越え)は開通しています。
SR 108
[IN THE CENTRAL CALIFORNIA AREA]
IS CLOSED 16.2 MI EAST OF STRAWBERRY (TUOLUMNE CO) FROM 1100 HRS TO
1300 HRS WEDNESDAY THRU FRIDAY THRU 5/15/09 – DUE TO CONSTRUCTION – A DETOUR IS
AVAILABLE
1-WAY CONTROLLED TRAFFIC 16.2 MI EAST OF STRAWBERRY (TUOLUMNE CO) FROM
0800 HRS TO 1100 HRS & FROM 1300 HRS TO 1800 HRS TUESDAY THRU FRIDAY THRU
5/15/09 – DUE TO CONSTRUCTION
CALTRANSのリンク

Bicycles on Tioga Road – On Friday May 15, Tioga road will be open to all vehicles to Yosemite Creek and to bicycles to May Lake junction.
Administrative travel is allowed beyond Yosemite Creek gate. Please keep in mind that signage along the road is accurate because it is updated each day as conditions change. A sign at May Lake junction indicates that bicycles are not allowed past that point. Also, any administrative traffic should be on the lookout for bikes so that we can provide visitors that experience without interfering with opening operations. (S. Sprouse – 5/13/09)

先日のおまけです。Olmsted Pt.においてあったもの2点ほど。
[1] US Gov.はMade in USAのみを使うわけではないようです。路上においてあったYAMAHA社製のスノーモービル(RS Venture)2台。それともこれはUSで製造されたものでしょうか。

[2] 監視カメラ。データを衛星に送っているのか、Sentinel Domeの無線塔に送っているのか、携帯を内蔵しているのか、はたまたLANが地中を通っているのか不明。カメラは白い箱の黄色の丸い部分。ソーラパネルや風向計つき。

で、じっと見つめていたのはOlmsted Pt.の斜面。雪崩の観測用に設置したと思われます。

Tenaya Lake。出水口付近の水面が現れ始めました。

Tioga Road：SunriseのTHからOlmsted Pt.方面。

Olmsted Point。除雪跡にチャコールをふりかけ融雪を促進。

道路保全中のNPS staffと話をすることができました。その中から数点ほど。
[1]今年は、Olmsted Pointを通過するのにたった２時間しかかからなかった。その後数回発破をしかけ、危険な雪の部分を取り除いた。
[2] Tioga Roadの開通日は１９?２３日あたりのよう。
[3]チャコールで岩が黒くなるのではと聞いたら、後で水洗いするとのこと。

Olmsted Point、Clouds Rest、Half Dome。

ミラーレイク(夕方)。Tenaya Creekの水量はかなりありますが、レイク自体はあまりぱっとしていません。

ヨセミテフォール(夕方)

Tuolumne Meadows Visitor Center前に到着。
勝手な予想ですが、開通は17-２3日の週の後半になりそうです。
Tioga Road progress for May 6, 2009
Starting Location: 35.2 miles from Crane Flat Gate
Ending Location38.6 miles from Crane Flat Gate (TM Visitor Center)
Distance plowed today 3.4 miles
Average Snow depth: 4.5 ft..(T. Ludington – 5/7/09)

続きを読む →

これまで閉じていたメルセド川北側の道路が開通、南側の交通規制も解除の予定。
Valley Roads update
Here’s some really good news… ! ! (subject to the usual disclaimers and unforeseeable acts of nature….)
Northside Drive will open for two lane, one way traffic westbound from Camp 4 to the Pohono Bridge by 5PM this Thursday, May 7, 2009. Southside Drive will open for two lane, one way traffic eastbound from El Cap Crossover to the Curry Village intersection by 5PM this Friday, May 8, 2009.
“River Straight” (between the Curry and Camp 6 intersections) will revert back to two lane, one way traffic
westbound with the south lane redesignated for “Special Use Only” (emergency vehicles, NPS/DNC utility vehicles and shuttle buses only)
Additional road construction news –
El Cap crossover will close between Southside and Northside Drives on Monday, May 11,2009. The crossover will remain closed to all but emergency vehicles through May 22, 2009. The closure is for grinding, repaving and restriping. The contractors anticipate all painting and signage to be in place by Friday May 22, 2009