But the pair and another friend shortened their road trip down the Pacific Coast Highway to Los Angeles by several days. When they arrived in Santa Monica, the welcome mat had been rolled up and the ambiance they hoped to find in a normally vibrant city had evaporated. While hiking trails had remained open, Yosemite and Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks closed visitor centers, hotels, restaurants, food markets and campgrounds before finally closing the parks themselves Friday. Under a coat of new fallen snow, Yosemite Valley was even quieter than normal when the wave of closures began driving people out of the park. It would have been the same even with a couple hundred cars.”

Source: International New York Times March 22, 2020 16:41 UTC