To get to Yosemite you cross through the rich central agricultural valley. We had seen signs of the drought in Silicon Valley. There were constant reminders to conserve water and things were definitely dry. Stanford’s beautiful fountains were all turned off as well as fountains in restaurants.

But it’s not until get into the agricultural areas in central California that you really appreciate the magnitude of the drought. It is another dust bowl in the making. This is my third trip through that area. I remember it being filled with lush crops, orchards & vineyards. Now you hardly see any crops planted and the orchards and vineyards are just shriveling up. Many of the irrigation ditches are bone dry. We passed by San Luis Resevoir and the normal water level easily appears to be 50-75 feet above the current water line. The hillsides are almost bare of grass. And it extends all the way over to Yosemite. It’s pitiful there as well. Water in the Merced River is mostly limited to the deeper pools – most of the riverbed is exposed. Of course there are no signs of waterfalls. There is dust just about everywhere you step.  I’m going to have to read up on this when I get home.