Yosemite and More

 I took a trip to Yosemite a couple of days ago just after the storm cleared. It was a magical day, fresh powder, snow on the trees, few people and great reflections. The road was packed snow and ice when I first got there, it eased up a little when the sun warmed non-shaded areas. This Pine Tree took the weight of the snow pretty well. Kinda looks like a hunched snow monster.   Tunnel View in the Winter never gets old. And there weren't many people. And of course El Capitan, reflected in the Merced River Then came the Three Brothers Just about anywhere you looked was great. These frosted pine needles caught my eye. The oaks formed a canopy over part of the road.  This oak leaf has a winter coat on. As did this railing The Swinging Bridge that doesn't swing The clouds played with El Capitan all day. Iconic Half Dome from Paparazzi Bridge Line of snow covered trees along the Merced River You can guess from these trees which way the wind was blowing. Go, See, Enjoy, Stay Safe and

 On this last trip to Bodie I tried to shy away from the usual things I photograph. Can't say I succeeded but I tried. This panorama of Bodie is the only exception to posting images of Bodie in black and white. Really can't see much on a phone, best viewed on a large monitor. I like the shadows produced by the ends of the boiler tubes. The time of day wasn't very forgiving but perfect for this shot. Not sure this fence will keep anything out or in.   Wonder if this is part of the water system that failed when most of the town burned. It's probably just some of the left over mining artifacts, they used and moved a lot of water. I've seen this mop bucket before and this is the first time I liked the result.  Even used one like it many years ago. Supposed to be a reflection but turned out to look more like a ghost image. Another one where the sun produced some shadows I liked  and in this case great contrast from light to dark. I have never seen Mono Lake this low. If

 Recently took a trip to the Eastside of the Sierras in part to find some fall colors, and boy did we. It was a great day if not rather long. Also went to Bodie and  Mono Lake but that's for another post. This was our first stop, not bad!! I always like how the sun make the aspens jump with color when backlit. These leaves while not turned completely formed a nice heart shape. Aspens, Aspens, Aspens Aspen trunks seem to just grow any which way, and I like it. Many layers, Aspens, Pines, Mountains. Makes a guy who likes lines get a big smile. Go, See, Enjoy, Stay Safe and Photograph Dave

 By the time we got to Canyonlands National Park, as my sister said 'We'd seen a lot of rocks'. And we had a lot more ahead of us, each park is unique, and as you look around you find more than just rocks. This was our introduction to Canyon Lands One of the hikes we took was the Cave Springs Loop.. It took us under this overhang where there was a small spring, up a couple of ladders and across the  top. A good hike. While not overly abundant there was (for me) a lot of colorful plants. I don't know the name of some. While some of this one has seen better days I was still taken with it. And yes there were a lot of canyons This is Harvey (my name for it) an Elvis impersonator who watches over Canyon Lands As you might imagine there are cacti in the park. I felt very lucky to catch this Hedgehog Cactus in full bloom. If you look very closely you can  see a black striped bee in the lower right of the right flower The Prickly Pear Cactus is actually edible, but you have to

 The next stop on our trip was Brice National Park, famed for it's Hoodoos.  One legend is that a long time ago an evil people lived in the land and because of their evilness  were turned to stone. Thus the Hoodoos. The weather here was very cold and windy in the morning with the wind increasing  and continuing in the afternoon.  There were a number of arches throughout the park and beyond. The Hoodoos are of course the main attraction As a kid (and now) clouds sometimes remind me of other things. This was very apparent with the Hoodoos. Below I saw people approaching a castle wall. Even the land beyond the main attraction of the Hoodoos is pretty interesting. If you look to the upper left you can see a lady standing on a pedestal This gives you a pretty good idea of the many layers that make of the park. This is Thor's Hammer. Here's the Two Brothers, though I think it's more like father and son. Just outside the park is the Mossy Cave trail. It's a nice little hik