Valentine's Day weekend good for Yosemite business

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- The holiday weekend is turning out to be good news for mountain area businesses.

The start of the holiday weekend brought cars and buses through the town of Oakhurst, and it also brought some business. "It's going to be really good," said Bill Putnam with Best Western. "We have a three-day weekend coming up and Valentine's Day at the same time and, of course, we've got snow in the mountains that made a big difference."

Putnam says the hotel is booked up this weekend. He estimates travel is up 20 percent this year. One reason is the snow and the other is gas prices. "Bay area even, southern California," Putnam exclaimed. "It's just people are out traveling because they can afford it."

Travelers came from across the country to see the sights on Yosemite. A Pennsylvania couple was happy to be in the California sunshine. "It's beautiful compared to where we came from," tourist Mark Evangelist said.

They say while they planned their vacation months in advance, they were looking forward to spending the holiday weekend in one of the country's most iconic national parks. "It's very beautiful here," traveler Elizabeth Tran said. "Everyone has been very friendly. I'm excited about seeing nature."

In Y0osemite, travel was so busy that a few campgrounds were full of visitors.