Pam Kopitzke: We can go back to Yosemite, but foreign visitors might never get the chance
Re “Yosemite so crowded you can’t stop” (www.modbee.com, July 10): Thanks to John Buckley for giving some solutions to a tragic situation. July 1st we took the YARTS bus to Yosemite and hiked from a shuttle stop to Bridal Veil Falls.
We caught a ride back with a visitor from Sweden who was stuck in the well-described traffic jam that gave us almost two hours to learn about his travels and how much he had enjoyed Sequoia National Park the previous day. A ranger waved us away from a turn into a full lot and told us parking was available at Yosemite Lodge. The Swedish visitor never was able to park his car; we left him as a ranger waved him past the last parking area with, “There is no parking in Yosemite Valley.” Thankfully, he had taken a snap shot of Half Dome and a few shots of Yosemite Falls as we slowly followed the line of cars.
Unlike Modesto residents, our Swedish visitor will probably have no chance to return. If permits to enter the park are sold, the park has an obligation to provide parking; parking in normally reserved areas should have been created.
Pam Kopitzke, Ceres
This story was originally published July 13, 2017 at 6:32 PM with the headline "Pam Kopitzke: We can go back to Yosemite, but foreign visitors might never get the chance."