Yosemite

[Bowwowmeow]

I guess I'll just make a thread about Yosemite, since I seem to keep going back there, and taking pictures. I've lost track of where I've posted what previously.

This is the scene the first white people, led by James Hutchings, saw when they came around the bend at what is now called the Wawona Tunnel View. It took them twenty two days to journey there from San Francisco.
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Yosemite/ViewFromWawonaTunnel.jpg

[Oracl]

Stunning! :colors:

[Bowwowmeow]

Thank you! :nanakiss:
It was a beautiful day, with a few clouds in the sky for interest, and the best time of the year to photograph this particular vista. :) :photo:

[Gliondrach]

Yes, beautiful. It didn't take you 22 days to get there, though.

[1vegan]

Beautiful!

[paul]

:thumbsup::s:igh:Wow so Beautiful, ive just typed inYosemite, on the internet, wot a amazing place.

[veggiesosage]

Fantastic pic. Is it a stitched together panorama?

[Bowwowmeow]

Thanks everyone! :nanakiss: :nanakiss: :nanakiss:
Fantastic pic. Is it a stitched together panorama?
Yes. Its very difficult to stitch blue sky, since every photo has a slightly different tint, but I do my best. :o

[Bowwowmeow]

I took this photo of the Valley from the same spot where, at the age of 14, Ansel Adams took his very first photo of Yosemite:
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Yosemite/ValleyViewAnselAdams.jpg

[VeganD]

very nice

[Bowwowmeow]

Thanks VeganD!

Here's the sunset on Half Dome, as seen from Glacier Point. This is a world famous spot from which to photograph Half Dome, and everyone wants to photograph it at sunset too, to watch it changing colors.:
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Yosemite/SunsetonHalfDome.jpg

[Oracl]

That's spectacular! :thumbsup: Not unlike the effects seen at Uluru (aka Ayers Rock) here in Oz. :updn:

[Gliondrach]

Beautiful. Was it a full dome at one time?

[Bowwowmeow]

Thanks! :smile: :smile:

Actually no, they don't believe it was a full dome before the glacier carved that flat face on it. There are several full domes in the high country, polished by glaciers but not carved.

[Gliondrach]

I thought the left half had fallen off or been weathered away.

[paul]

:rubchin:None of the photos look real, they are just amazing colours,Mmm and something else

[Bowwowmeow]

You should see the Grand Canyon sometime paul. You won't believe that is real when you are standing at the edge and looking right at it. Its unbelievable.

[my3labs]

Those are beautiful BWM.
We went to the Grand Canyon about four years ago. It really is incredible to learn the history of it.

[Bowwowmeow]

Thanks my3labs! :)
Yes, the Grand Canyon is beautiful. I need to go back there again someday, and to the Painted Desert too.

The bushes you see just beyond those elegant feet of mine :whistle: mark the edge of an approximately 3000 foot drop from Glacier Point to the Valley floor, and then across the Valley floor you see Half Dome rising. Glacier Point is over 7000 feet above sea level. I had to find myself a nice place to sit and photograph the sunset away from the throngs who had already gathered. Fortunately I do not suffer from vertigo, so I didn't mind being as close to the drop as some might. :
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Yosemite/MyFeetandHalfDome.jpg

[Oracl]

Fortunately I do not suffer from vertigo, so I didn't mind being as close to the drop as some might.

I would have been terrified to be so close to the edge! :eek: Fantastic photo. :thumbsup:

[Bowwowmeow]

I suffer very mildly from claustrophobia, though I do love to go caving. I must do that again soon. There are some fun caves not too far away. Heights have never been a problem.

[paul]

Mmm not sur if they are the most sensible of shoes to be wearing.

[Bowwowmeow]

What's wrong with 'em!?! :slappy:

[Gliondrach]

They hardly be the footwear of any self-respectin' pirate. More like the way them landlubbers shod themsels. Arrrgh!

[thevegantwins]

Breathtaking photos, BWM. I finally got to see them tonight since my work computer doesn't get photos here. You must have stared at that landscape for ages. Were you alone or were there loads of other hikers as well?

[Bowwowmeow]

There are always plenty of other folks around at all the most popular places in Yosemite. The only time I was alone was when I was back at my campsite, and when I took a walk to Soda Springs in Tuolumne Meadows in the evening. I've got pictures of that too, but its taking me a while to sort through my photos and resize the ones I like the best so I can post them here.

[Phoenix]

Magnificent photo's Bowwow-meowmeow! :D

Thanks for sharing them with us. :daydream:

[Soynut]

BEAUTIFUL pictures, Bow! California is amazing, isn't it? It has such diversity.
I spent 3 days on Santa Rosa Island (one of the Channel Islands) in July and it was AMAZING... like nothing else I've experienced. We were only 13 people on the campground and on the whole Island. There were no stores, no restaurants or anything else really My cell phone didn't work either. The ferry came 3 days later to pick up us up, so there was no daily connection to the mainland. The interesting thing was that my mind "chatter" shut off from the the first step I took on that Island. I didn't think about ONE problem the whole time, amazing, huh?

We had a hard time coming back to "reality" after that experince and we talk alomst everyday about how special those 3 days were....

[Bowwowmeow]

Magnificent photo's Bowwow-meowmeow! :D

Thanks for sharing them with us. :daydream:
Thank you! :nanakiss:

BEAUTIFUL pictures, Bow! California is amazing, isn't it? It has such diversity.
I spent 3 days on Santa Rosa Island (one of the Channel Islands) in July and it was AMAZING... like nothing else I've experienced. We were only 13 people on the campground and on the whole Island. There were no stores, no restaurants or anything else really My cell phone didn't work either. The ferry came 3 days later to pick up us up, so there was no daily connection to the mainland. The interesting thing was that my mind "chatter" shut off from the the first step I took on that Island. I didn't think about ONE problem the whole time, amazing, huh?

We had a hard time coming back to "reality" after that experince and we talk alomst everyday about how special those 3 days were....Thank you too! :nanakiss:
Yes, California is really blessed, not just with natural beauty, but with people who managed to step in and save what's left of it before it was too late. The next time you go camping somewhere where there are National Park Service Rangers, look at the design on the bands of their hats. Those are Giant Sequoia cones, and they are there because the Giant Sequoia trees in Yosemite are what inspired people to get President Abraham Lincoln to establish Yosemite as the USA's first national park. No matter where in the country they work, all the rangers have the sequoia cones on their hat bands in commemoration of the role the trees played in showing people how important it is to preserve natural wilderness.

Your trip sounds great! I'd love to go there some time. There's camping on Angel Island here in the Bay, but I doubt that it has the same feeling of remoteness. :colors:

[Soynut]

I love Yosemite, but I like to go in the winter because there seem to be less people at that time of the year.

[Bowwowmeow]

Here's another shot of the Valley from Ansel Adams' famous location:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Yosemite/AnselAdamsValleyView2.jpg

[Bowwowmeow]

Here are a few shots of Bridalveil Falls. Bridalveil runs all year because its source comes from a different area than Yosemite Falls' source. One of these days I must go there in the spring and try to photograph the famous rainbows:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Yosemite/Yosemite2006BridalveilFalls2.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Yosemite/BridalveilFalls3.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Yosemite/BridalveilFalls2.jpg
In this last shot you can see the beautiful, glacier-carved hanging valley Bridalveil Falls descends from.

[Bowwowmeow]

Another shot of Half Dome:
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Yosemite/HalfDome1.jpg

If anyone notices a prominent feature of this batholith, I will tell its story.

[my3labs]

If anyone notices a prominent feature of this batholith, I will tell its story.
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I see something phallic???? :whistle: And I also see part of a face.

[Bowwowmeow]

I see something phallic???? :whistle:
Huh? Where, where? :D :bhead:

[Oracl]

Wonderful photographs! :cheer:

I can't see anything on the batholith! :pouty: But I want to hear the story anyway! :tantrum:

[Gliondrach]

There seems to be a ledge on the left-hand side. And deep grooves running down from the top.

[paul]

Wow so beutiful, come on tell us the story.

[Bowwowmeow]

Whoops, hehe, I forgot to tell the story!

Okay, this was the view out in my "backyard" at the campsite in Wawona, along the banks of the great Merced River:
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Yosemite/Yosemite2008186.jpg

And a few studies of the river:
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Yosemite/Yosemite2008180.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Yosemite/Yosemite2008178.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Yosemite/Yosemite2008176.jpg

It was very soothing to listen to the river rush along, and the crickets came out in the evening and sang too.

I'd never camped in Wawona before, so I thought I would try it. I needed reservations, which I didn't have, but there was space available, so they gave me #87, which I hated! It was too small, and too close to the neighbors. I thought "Man I'll never camp here again."

Then at nine o'clock the next morning the heavy equipment showed up. They were re-working the adjacent campsite, and were going to be at it nine to five every day, and the ranger failed to mention this after I paid my non-refundable fees! Then I really thought "Now I KNOW I'll never camp here again!"
My neighbor came over and told me that she was told that they could trade sites, which is not normally allowed. They were so mad though, that they got their money back and left. I asked for a trade, and got one of the most beautiful sites on the campground. So next year I believe I will pick out spot #4, which is the best one in the campground, which I never would have discovered if they hadn't given me spot #1 in trade.

There is a beaver living there, who comes out in the evening and slaps the water with his tail, making a sound like someone throwing a rock into the water. My neighbors saw him, but I couldn't get close to the river quickly enough from my own spot. Next year, in spot number 4, I will have the best access to the river, and I'm going to spot that beaver!

There were also literally hundreds of sparkling blue dragonflies swarming all over the river in the afternoon. I love dragonflies! And there is a spot of mud where the butterflies cluster to sip water from it.

[Bowwowmeow]

Here is Fern Spring, the tiniest cascade in Yosemite:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Yosemite/Yosemite2008143.jpg

Unlike its famous brethren, it runs all the time because it comes from an underground spring instead of melted snow.

And here is Soda Springs, in Tuolumne Meadows, which is located in Yosemite's High Country, and, if I am correct in my memory, is the world's largest subalpine meadow. Soda Springs is a spring of highly mineralized and naturally carbonated water that geologists can't determine exactly where it comes from:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Yosemite/Yosemite2008165.jpg

I tasted some, and lived to tell the tale!

[Bowwowmeow]

Oh BWM there are beautiful and it looks so peaceful. The air also looks clear, is it?.

Can you take dogs there?.
There was a lot of smoke and haze this time, actually, from forest fires. Many of the fires are deliberately set to control the burning, and simulate the action of nature. California is wildfire country, and conservationists learned almost too late for some species that they are adapted to fire, and need it in order to reproduce, like the giant Sequioa trees. The animals are savvy, because they too are adapted to fire country, and know how to stay safe.

Yes, in Wawona I could have camped with Daisy, but there are places you can't take them, and I wouldn't have wanted her in the car for so long, especially since we got hit with another heat wave, and I was driving for four to six hours on Wednesday and Thursday.

[Bowwowmeow]

Here are some of my new friends. I think they are half the reason I cry when I leave. I get attached so quickly to the little rascals.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Yosemite/Yosemite2008066.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Yosemite/Yosemite2008089.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Yosemite/Yosemite2008126.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Yosemite/Yosemite2008127.jpg

[Oracl]

Great pictures. :) What a beautiful place. :colors:

[Gliondrach]

Yes, it's a beautiful place. I understand why you'd like to live there.

[Soynut]

Simply beautiful, Bow, I love Yosemite, too. We pack up and go there almost every year as a mini-vacation. Last year we took a camping trip to The Channel Island instead, but we'll go to Yosemite very soon, I think. It's less people in the fall and winter, summers are too crazy there.

Nice to know about the beautiful lot, we'll try to make reservations there.:)

Any good suggestions for hiking and camping with dogs in the park?...

[Bowwowmeow]

Great pictures. :) What a beautiful place. :colors:
Thank you. :)

Simply beautiful, Bow, I love Yosemite, too. We pack up and go there almost every year as a mini-vacation. Last year we took a camping trip to The Channel Island instead, but we'll go to Yosemite very soon, I think. It's less people in the fall and winter, summers are too crazy there.

Nice to know about the beautiful lot, we'll try to make reservations there.:)
We should get all the Naked Vegans to have a meetup in Yosemite! Thevegantwins can stay in the Wawona Hotel if she doesn't want to rough it.
Yeah, I don't like to go in the summer myself. There are plenty of folks even in the off seasons.

Any good suggestions for hiking and camping with dogs in the park?...
I know that Wawona and Hodgdon Meadow allow camping with your dogs. They have to be on leash at all times though. Not sure about the sites in the Valley itself, as I've never camped there. Its always full, and very crowded. You need reservations in advance in all those places most of the year.

I'll have to recheck the first-come first-served sites. If I recall, my favorite place, White Wolf, does allow dogs.

I know for sure that you can't walk your dog through the Mariposa Grove, which is why I don't take Daisy with me when I plan to visit there. I spend a lot of time on the hike, and I don't want her in the hot car in the sun for hours. There are people in the Valley who do offer dog sitting while you are there though, and would watch your dog while you went somewhere on a hike they couldn't go on. No dogs are allowed in the wilderness, nor most of the popular trails.

[Soynut]

Good idea, Bow... I would love to meet you all, my friends!:blinkwave:

Maybe I'll PM you before I leave to Yosemite to get more details about the camp site you stayed in if you don't mind. I have to bring my dog, but I'll modify our activities to suit him as usual. He loves it there with all the fresh air, lakes and woods. I'll probably take advantage of the dog sitting services.:)

[Soynut]

Oh, I can see you with your dogs there too, Tails... We would all have so much fun! I'll invite you if I win the the lotto first, I promise.;)

[Gliondrach]

I'm a witness.

[thevegantwins]

We should get all the Naked Vegans to have a meetup in Yosemite! Thevegantwins can stay in the Wawona Hotel if she doesn't want to rough it.

As long as the hotel has a vegan cafe, indoor pool, sauna, playground and room service, thevegantwins' clan will be fine. :thumbsup:

[Gliondrach]

I just need my Swiss Army knife.

[Gliondrach]

He doesn't need a knife. Have you seen his claws?

[Fauxmage]

After I looked at several lots for sale in Yosemite West, I went to the valley and took pictures of snowy things.

Bridalveil Falls
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Yosemite/BridalveilFalls.jpg
You can see how it got its name!

Some icicles hanging from boulders along the main road
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Yosemite/Icicles1.jpg

I saw a fox! Its another blurry picture because I was still in the car when I took it, and some dumb tourists had just thrown bread at him, which made him run away.

I've never seen a live wild fox before. :colors:
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Yosemite/Fox.jpg

Here's a raven. I swear, they hop right up to you when you are in your car. look you right in the eye, and start vocalizing very gently. No one's gonna tell me they aren't trying to say something!
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Yosemite/Raven.jpg

More icicles.
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Yosemite/Icicles2.jpg

[Gliondrach]

I like ravens although I've never seen one in real life. That fox looks strange. More like a dog, unless it's just a strange angle.

[Fauxmage]

Maybe its not. I did look up Yosemite's animals online, and saw pictures, and many of the animals there don't look like the animals elsewhere, but I remember seeing a bunch of pictures of African hedgehogs on Google who were labeled as porcupines.

He does have a very bushy tail and a very fine face. I saw him again later trotting down the road heading right for me. He's exquisitely beautiful whatever he is. :colors:

More snowy scenes:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Yosemite/Oaks.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Yosemite/SnowyRoad.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Yosemite/ValleyView.jpg

[Gliondrach]

Beautiful pics. Fuzzy said they remind him of the Ice Age.

[thevegantwins]

I really love those last 3 photos. I want a good snow!! :tantrum: The kids have snowsuits, snow gloves and snow boots but no snow!!! :crying:

[Phoenix]

The photos are beautiful, Faux. :agree:

It all looks so cool and clean. :) We don't have ravens here, but we have crows, and I love them. :colors:

:snow: I have all kinds of strange, romantic notions about snow, particularly when it's 104 F here...

[Bunny]

Beautiful! I love those pictures!

I see foxes quite often, I like them :)

[Gliondrach]

There's a new series on BBC2 on Sunday, at 8pm. Three parts. It's called Yellowstone.

[Gliondrach]

I enjoyed the programme about Yellowstone. The temperature was at minus 66 fahrenheit at one point. At that temperature all the moisture in the air turns into ice crystals. You could see them floating about like tiny points of light. Some had colours in them, like rainbows. They were beautiful.

[Fauxmage]

The snow has melted, and spring has sprung in Yosemite!

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Yosemite/CopyofYosemite001.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Yosemite/CopyofYosemite002.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Yosemite/CopyofYosemite003.jpg

The Merced River flows along just out of sight at the base of these mountain slopes, which are thickly carpeted with tiny golden blooms.

Every time I go there I see a thousand things that take my breath away.



The falls are flowing too.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Yosemite/CopyofYosemite006.jpg
I've forgotten the name of this falls. Its not far from the El Portal entrance to the park.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Yosemite/CopyofYosemite028.jpg
Yosemite Falls.

[Oracl]

Gorgeous. :colors:

[Fauxmage]

It is, and its somehow healing to me. I've had a rough time these last seven years of my life, and being in Yosemite makes it go away.

I had a mishap though, on Monday afternoon. I had just seen seven houses in a place called Coarsegold, and stopped to see one in Oakhurst on the way into Mariposa, when I ran into something I couldn't see in the overgrown driveway. It punctured my tire. I found a real estate parking lot to pull into, and proceeded to get out the gear. But I couldn't break the lug nuts loose! I do have emergency roadside service, but they can take up to an hour to come help you if you are safely off the road, so I didn't want to call them. It looked like I was going to have to after all, so while I was letting the spare tire down from under the van where it is stored I heard a voice say "I'm here to help you!"
I said "Oh, thank you!"
He said "I was just driving by, minding my own business, and I decided to stop and help."

I told him I couldn't break the lug nuts loose, so he jacked up the van and changed the tire for me, and told me to take it to Lonnie at Oakhurst tire just up the street from the gas station I was headed to, and he would fix it for seven dollars. I thnked him very much. Lonnie couldn't fix it though.

So, a little bit later I found a road to pull off of to give Daisy a potty break, and stow the lug wrench and jack back where they belonged, and another man stopped and asked if I needed help. I thanked him and said I was ok.

What nice people there are there! Here in the Bay Area a hundred people can pass by without blinking an eye at people in trouble. I've seen folks walk right past people who collapse on the sidewalk. Its disgusting.

[Gliondrach]

Yes, they seem friendly.

[Fauxmage]

More pictures of the falls, as they are running quite vigorously with the snow melting now:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Yosemite/YosemiteFalls-1.jpg
Yosemite Falls

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Yosemite/Bridalveil.jpg
Bridalveil Falls

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Yosemite/FernSpring.jpg
Fern Spring

The redbuds are in bloom all along the banks of the Merced River. They are truly stunning. I can't capture how beautiful they look, but here are a few shots:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Yosemite/Redbud2.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Yosemite/Redbud1.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Yosemite/Redbud3.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Yosemite/Redbud4.jpg


Here's Half Dome, shot from the famous Sentinel Bridge, where everyone wants to stand to photograph it:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Yosemite/HalfDome.jpg


There is something going wrong with my camera though, and its making me mad, since I haven't had it that long. I took pictures anyway, and this one came out sort of interesting:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Yosemite/YosemiteValley.jpg

Its pretty full of noise though, I think if I tried to blow it up.


I need some good thoughts too please! I found the perfect place, but its priced a little too high, so I need to try to bargain them down. Its bank owned, and I've got cash, so I hope they will give in!

[Gliondrach]

It's very beautiful there. Are any of the photographs near this place you are interested in?

Good thoughts for success on their way soon.

[Oracl]

Stunning! :colors:

[thevegantwins]

I want to live there! :tantrum:

[Fauxmage]

Are any of the photographs near this place you are interested in?
No, Mariposa is about thirty miles away. Everything is twenty to thirty miles away from everything else there.

[Fauxmage]

Yes, its Spanish for "butterfly".

[Gliondrach]

I wonder if it means Mary's flower (posy)? Like 'ladybird' means 'Our Lady's bird'.

[Fauxmage]

Its a typical California gold mining style town, very quaint. The places I've looked at are located outside the town limits.

And the place is swarming with butterflies, but I have noticed that there are masses of them here in the Bay Area too this spring. :butterfly4: :butterfly11: :butterfly12:

[Fauxmage]

Here are some pictures of the Merced river valley just outside of Yosemite, where I went wildflower hunting. Pictures of which are to follow.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Yosemite/Merced3.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Yosemite/Merced2.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Yosemite/Merced8.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Yosemite/Merced6.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Yosemite/Merced5.jpg

[Fauxmage]

I love those giant boulders at the base of the mountain slope in the last two pictures. They're as big as cars at least!

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Yosemite/RocksandWater5.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Yosemite/RocksandWater8.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Yosemite/RocksandWater6.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Yosemite/RocksandWater1.jpg


The flow of the river is nearing its peak, on account of all the fresh snow melt. Its mesmerizing to stand there and watch the constant movement.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Yosemite/RocksandWater2.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Yosemite/RocksandWater3.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Yosemite/RocksandWater7.jpg

[Gliondrach]

Beautiful pictures of the mountains. And I like to stand near rivers listening to the sounds of the water.

[Stormy]

Wow what a stunning place - I can see why it would be a very healing place to be :)

[Fauxmage]

Beautiful pictures of the mountains. And I like to stand near rivers listening to the sounds of the water.
Yes, my first four nights I camped near enough to the river to hear it. It drowned out the ringing in my ears!

Wow what a stunning place - I can see why it would be a very healing place to be :)
Yes, I find it to be. I guess I need it too.


Here are a few shots of lupines. I love them. Mariposa is absolutely carpeted with them, and they perfume the air!

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Yosemite/Lupines2.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Yosemite/Lupines3.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Yosemite/Lupines1.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Yosemite/Lupines6.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Yosemite/Lupines4.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Yosemite/Lupines5.jpg

These were all shot inside the park entrance, along the highway.

[Fauxmage]

I read about taking pictures of the rainbow that forms in the mist of Bridalveil Falls, on sunny days, in the late afternoon/early evening from April to June, so I wanted to see if I could capture it too.

We had some partly cloudy days, but finally the weather warmed up, and the sky got clear. So, I went to the parking lot, climbed on the bear-proof dumpster for the best view, and started taking pictures at about 5:30 PM.

Haha, I was all by myself on the far side of the parking lot, making a spectacle out of myself standing on the top of the dumpster, but I had gone over to the other side where the crowd of photographers had gathered, and the rainbows weren't nearly as vivid. So you see there was a method to my madness.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Yosemite/BridalveilRainbow1.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Yosemite/BridalveilRainbow3.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Yosemite/BridalveilRainbow5.jpg

You need to have the sun right behind you for the best rainbows, and the sun was right behind the dumpster, there was a nice wind to fan out the spray, and no one was in my way! The only drawback was that I had forgotten my tripod at home!

[Gliondrach]

You should have looked for the pot of gold.

[Bowwowmeow]

You should have looked for the pot of gold.
I wasn't looking, but I did find a placer claim posted along the Merced, outside the park.

Here is a series of pictures of Half Dome, shot from Sentinel Bridge in the Valley, as the sun set and produced the famous alpen glow. Its not full-on like it was from Glacier Point near the autumnal equinox, but its made some interesting patterns and color all the same.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Yosemite/HalfDome1-1.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Yosemite/HalfDome2-1.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Yosemite/HalfDome3.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Yosemite/HalfDome4.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Yosemite/HalfDome5.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Yosemite/HalfDome6.jpg

There's still a bit of snow up there!

[Bowwowmeow]

I never did tell the story of the Lady of Half Dome. Here it is.

Many, many generations ago, long before the Gods had completed the fashioning of the magnificent cliffs in the Valley of Ahwahnee, there dwelt far off in arid plains a native woman by the name of Tis-sa-ack and her husband Nangas. Learning from other Indians of the beautiful and fertile Valley of Ahwahnee, they decided to go there and make it their dwelling place. Their journey led them over rugged terrain, steep canyons and through dense forests. Tis-sa-ack carried on her back a heavy burden basket containing acorns and other articles, as well as a papoose carrier, or hickey. Nangas followed at a short distance carrying his bow, arrow and a rude staff.

After days and days of weary traveling, they at last entered the beautiful Valley of Ahwahnee. Nangas being tired, hungry and very thirsty, lost his temper, and without good reason he struck Tis-sa-ack a sharp blow across the shoulders with his staff. Since it was contrary to custom for a native to mistreat his wife, Tis-sa-ack became terrified and ran eastward from her husband.

As she went, the Gods looking down, caused the path she took to become the course of a stream, and the acorns that dropped from her burden basket to spring up into stalwart oaks. At length Tis-sa-ack reached Mirror Lake, and so great was her thirst that she drank every drop of the cool, quiet water.

When Nangas caught up with Tis-sa-ack, and saw that there was no water left to quench his thirst, his anger knew no bounds, and again he struck her with his staff. Tis-sa-ack again ran from him, but he pursued her and continued to beat her. Looking down on them, the Gods were sorely displeased.

“Tis-sa-ack and Nangas have broken the spell of peace,” they said. “Let us transform them into cliffs of granite that face each other, so that they will be forever parted.”

Tis-sa-ack as she fled tossed aside the heavy burden basket to enable her to run faster, and landing upside down it immediately became Basket Dome; next she threw the papoose carrier, or hickey, to the north wall of the canyon, and it became Royal Arches. Nangas was then changed into North Dome, and Tis-sa-ack into Half Dome. The dark streaks that still mar the face of this stupendous cliff represent the tears that Tis-sa-ack shed as she ran from her angry husband.

[Gliondrach]

A nice story but I don't think it's true. It is more likely that the rocks and cliffs were formed by volcanoes and the weather. :hungry:

[Fauxmage]

A nice story but I don't think it's true. It is more likely that the rocks and cliffs were formed by volcanoes and the weather. :hungry:
No, no volcanoes! Plutons and glaciers!

Here are a couple of shots of The Royal Arches, North Dome, Washington Column, and Half Dome, from a spot further east of Sentinel Bridge:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Yosemite/RoyalArchesandNorthDome.jpg
Royal Arches, North Dome, and Washintgon Column

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Yosemite/HalfDome-1.jpg
Half Dome

[Bowwowmeow]

This is the top of Cascade Creek, as viewed from a turnout on Highway 120, high above the valley.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Yosemite/CascadeCreek120.jpg


And here it is, falling from a cleft in the mountainside before it runs under another turnout on Highway 140, right slongside the Merced River.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Yosemite/CascadeFalls140.jpg


Here are a few shots of it in between, taken with a slow shutter speed to make the water look all weird and steamy.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Yosemite/CascadeCreek1.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Yosemite/CascadeCreek2.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Yosemite/CascadeCreek3.jpg

I like this effect. I've done quite a few pictures of cascades in this way. Its very ethereal-looking.

[Bowwowmeow]

Here's one. This one has no name that I know of. Its right outside one of the tunnels on Highway 120.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Yosemite/Cascades4.jpg

[Bowwowmeow]

People come from all over the world apparently, just to photograph the dogwoods in bloom. Here are a few of my efforts:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Yosemite/CopyofYosemite006-1.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Yosemite/CopyofYosemite005.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Yosemite/CopyofYosemite009.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Yosemite/CopyofDogwood.jpg

This one might look familiar to anyone whose seen my Myspace page.

[Gliondrach]

Very nice. I like the red-stemmed dogwoods.

[Fauxmage]

Here are a couple of shots of Vernal Falls, from the famous Mist Trail. Just looking at these makes me want to go back!

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Yosemite/CopyofVernalFalls.jpg
Vernal Falls

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Yosemite/CopyofVernalFallsDoubleRainbow.jpg
Vernal Falls with Double Rainbow

[Bowwowmeow]

I used my mirror lens to take this shot of Half Dome from the Wawona Tunnel viewpoint, about ten miles away. I was camping only a mile or so from the base of Half Dome. Sure looks inviting, doesn't it. :p

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_M8aAcoQrumc/S99nyQEQlVI/AAAAAAAABC8/8AtSaEXUOSY/DSC_0071.JPG

[Gliondrach]

It certainly is a beautiful place. I can understand why you like being there.