Clearing Tioga Road

Tioga Road, the east-west ribbon of roadway that accesses Yosemite National Park's back country, opened for the season at noon Monday, the earliest opening date for the road since 1987.

Last year, the road that leads to Tuolumne Meadows didn't open until June 18 because of higher-than-average snow pack, thwarting Memorial Day plans for hikers and backpackers. But this year it's the complete opposite.

http://articles.latimes.com/2012/may/02/news/la-trb-yosemite-tioga-pass-20120502