California's Central Valley - Part II: Merced and Yosemite

[plinko]

• Video Link

Part I: Fresno
Second on my most recent trip through the Central Valley is Merced.

Merced is one of the more interesting cities along the 99. It’s not a super sized like some of the others, but it punches above it’s weight. Less than 300,000 in the County with just 80,000 in the city, it is home to the CV’s only UC campus, a lively downtown, some decent inner city neighborhoods, and a great air museum at the nearby old Castle AFB. I think Merced (along with Modesto) seem to be the cities that at least put the best aesthetic face forward amongst those between LA and Sacramento.

I didn’t venture out to the UC campus (it’s kind of out on its own), but I did explore downtown (which I have never done), hit up the air museum, and then venture just 2 hours into the Sierra to Yosemite, which is one of my favorite places in the entire world.

As always, I share pictures…


MER 001 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr


MER 002 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr


MER 003 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr


MER 004 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr


MER 005 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr


MER 006 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr


MER 007 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr


MER 008 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr


MER 009 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr


MER 010 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr


MER 011 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr


MER 012 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr


MER 013 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr


MER 014 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr


MER 015 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr


MER 016 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr


MER 017 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr


MER 018 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr


MER 019 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr


MER 020 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr


MER 021 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr


MER 022 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr


MER 023 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr


MER 024 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr


MER 025 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr

The old Merced County Courthouse

MER 026 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr

Replaced by something so lovely…

MER 027 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr


MER 028 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr


MER 029 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr


MER 030 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr


MER 031 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr

Almond trees forever…

MER 032 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr


MER 033 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr


MER 034 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr

Castle Air Museum, a wonderful collection of planes at the old Strategic Air Command Castle AFB, now serving as Merced’s airport, in nearby Atwater…

CASTLE 027 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr


CASTLE 001 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr

Blackbird…bitch!

CASTLE 002 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr


CASTLE 003 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr


CASTLE 004 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr


CASTLE 005 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr


CASTLE 006 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr

One of only 8 B-58 Hustler’s left, and the third that I have seen in person. My absolute favorite aircraft of all time, but it’s not in great condition…

CASTLE 007 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr


CASTLE 008 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr


CASTLE 009 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr


CASTLE 010 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr


CASTLE 011 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr

The newly restored Black Bunny F-4 Phantom No. 1 (VX-4) from Pt. Mugu (near where I live). Gorgeous!

CASTLE 012 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr


CASTLE 013 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr


CASTLE 014 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr


CASTLE 015 by Michael Stroh, on

Flickr
CASTLE 016 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr

F-15C Eagle

CASTLE 017 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr


CASTLE 018 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr

Harrier

CASTLE 019 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr


CASTLE 020 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr


CASTLE 021 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr

A-6 Intruder

CASTLE 022 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr

F-14 Tomcat

CASTLE 023 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr

F-4 Phantom Thunderbirds

CASTLE 024 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr

A-8 Crusader

CASTLE 025 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr

A-4 Skyhawk

CASTLE 026 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr

And off into Yosemite National Park. What a special place. My grandparents live IN the park in the early 1990s while I was in high school and early college. My grandfather was a federal marshal, officially protecting the judge in the court, but unofficially being a really well paid bailiff. I spent so much time here exploring, hiking, doing mountaineering school, ride-alongs with the park rangers, and even spent a few weeks doing field surveys with the park landscape architect. It’s one of my favorite places on the planet. Amazingly I’ve only been there once since 1996. It was time to go back…

Cascade Falls. This is along Highway 140 a few miles inside the park. My grandparents lived in a cabin near the base that is no longer there (it was washed away in the floods of 1997).

YOS 001 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr

This was their view…

YOS 002 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr

El Cap’s nose…

YOS 003 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr


YOS 004 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr

Horsetail Falls

YOS 005 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr


YOS 006 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr

Bridalveil Falls

YOS 007 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr


YOS 008 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr


YOS 009 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr

Yosemite Falls (this is a bitch of hike, but totally worth it)

YOS 010 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr


YOS 011 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr


YOS 012 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr

Built by the Sierra Club a long time ago…

YOS 013 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr

The magnificent Half-Dome. I hiked to the base of the dome one year, but I was alone and the cables scared me so I turned around. Someday…

YOS 014 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr


YOS 015 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr

The Ahwahnee Hotel

YOS 016 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr


YOS 017 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr


YOS 018 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr


YOS 019 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr


YOS 020 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr


YOS 021 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr


YOS 022 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr


YOS 023 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr


YOS 024 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr


YOS 025 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr


YOS 026 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr


YOS 027 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr


YOS 028 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr


YOS 029 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr


YOS 030 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr

Mirror Lake

YOS 031 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr

[plinko]

Just a couple of panoramics...

Nice 1970s flightline (F-18 Hornet, F-15 Eagle, F-16 Falcon). Interestingly enough, Joseph Widmer designed the F-15, F-16, and the B-58.

CASTLE 028 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr


YOS PANO 001 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr


YOS PANO 002 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr


YOS PANO 003 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr

[xzmattzx]

Excellent pictures! Yosemite is on my short list of places to go!

Merced looks fairly decent.

[LAsam]

Great set of photos! I'm a lame Californian for having not been to Yosemite yet. I have been to Sequoia, though! Yosemite is on my short list, for sure.

[38 Geary]

Nice tour! Looks like there is def more than meets the eye with Merced. Also a very nice collection of aircraft nearby. And Yosemite is always simply amazing.

[Metro-One]

Really cool tour!

[sopas ej]

Nice pictures!

I've only ever been through Merced, I've never stopped there. I've driven through its downtown, and I drove through the then-new UC Merced campus; I think at the time, it was only 2 or 3 years old. I wanted to see what the "vibe" was like, being that this was the first UC campus built since 1965, when UC Santa Cruz and UC Irvine both opened.

Like LAsam, I've never been to Yosemite either. It does look beautiful. Maybe one of these days, I'll eventually go there.

[ColDayMan]

Very nice.