Yosemite and More

  I took a trip to Sequoia National Park on Tuesday. Sequoia is the second  National Park, established in 1890 after Yellowstone, I believe Yosemite was third. I left a little late, but it was still a great experience.  Did some hiking and just a little photography 😀 Most of my photos aren't of the trees, they tend to be a little hard to photograph. This one is from across a meadow. For reference see the people walking near the base of the tree. However there was a lot to photograph that weren't on such a grand scale. The meadow provided a lot of opportunities. The age old question ' What came first the boulder or the tree?' Nature heals itself though it may take many, many years. Go, See, Enjoy, Stay Safe and Photograph Dave

 Took a trip to the Eastern Sierras with some friends a couple of weeks ago. There was snow, water and plenty of wildflowers. These are small, close to the ground and you have to be careful not to step on them.  I liked the gravel background. These Mariposa Lily's were a lot easier to spot.  They were everywhere during parts of our journey.   As I said there still was a lot of snow in the upper elevations. I almost laughed at the name of this beautiful flower. We dropped by Mono Lake which never disappoints. The lake has risen and  is expected to rise even more as the Sierra snow melts. Let's hope L.A. doesn't take too much of the water that should flow into the lake. One of the highlights for me was spotting this Marmot along the side of the road. As the snow melts it's creating an interest pattern. And even letting a bush push trough to the sun. This creek empties into June Lake. It was just barely below the road into June Lake Village. One of the straighter s...

I recently went over to the other side of the Sierras via   Yosemite and Tioga Pass. My destination ended up being Bodie (surprise) and Mono Lake. On the way I took these (and a lot more). Photos of Bodie and Mono Lake to come The sky was great on my way over. Mostly deep blue and lots of puffy clouds.The rivers and creeks were running high and there was snow on the mountains. I stopped at Olmstead Point but instead of following the paths I crossed the road and climbed up the rock face and got this image of the High Sierra and in the middle Tenya Lake. Along the way I stopped several times to photograph, mostly the landscape. I was surprised at one stop to spot this flower. I believe it to be a  Sego Lilly though my flower book says that this is a little west of it's usual range.  Just added an app to my phone. This is really a Smoky Mariposa. Taken a bunch of miles from the town of Mariposa, Ca. I...

Finally made it to the Eastern Sierras for the fall Aspen color changes. It was an eventful trip in many ways.  The colors were spectacular. Some areas past, some in full color and some yet to change. Most places were a mixture of all that. As you come over Tioga Pass and head down the steep grade, if you look behind you, you see something like this. The sky on my first day was almost completely clear of clouds. This allowed for a great contrast between the leaves and sky. I read on another blog that the June Lake Loop was past it's prime. I beg to differ. This is Silver Lake on the June Lake Loop. I have a lot more  great photos ( I think) from this area, just need to take the time to edit them. The Aspens weren't the only attraction. The sky itself provided a wonderful  background and ranged from totally clear to almost overcast. The con-trails lined up almost perfectly with the hills outside of Lee Vining. ...

I took a trip to the Eastern Sierras and Bodie last weekend. It was quite a weekend. They closed Tioga Pass Friday evening after went over. Here are a few of the landscapes from that trip. Photos of Bodie to follow. This was taken from Highway 140 while I was still in the Valley. As usual the High Sierra was magnificent, but real cold and windy. Once on the other side I took a trip to the June Lake Loop area. I mentioned it was windy and cold.   I took some photos of a very choppy Mono Lake, They were all blurry, the wind was such that using my 300mm lens I didn't get a sharp photo. If you've been to the north side of Mono Lake on Highway 395 you know what this is a picture of. I don't know what the wind speed was or the wind chill factor, but it was d.... cold. The high Sierras from the road into Bodie. They closed Tioga Pass on Sunday morning. When I checked at about 9:30am I was told  the s...

Last weekend I took a trip to Yosemite, this time staying pretty much out of the Valley and photographing along Highway 41. Didn't even stop  at Tunnel View, more on that probably tomorrow. I stayed at the Cedar Lodge Motel just outside the park. When I woke up (mis-set my alarm) there was a very heavy fog outside. I figured Yosemite Valley would be socked in. Nope. It was clear as a bell just above where the lodge was. From Highway 41 you can see the fog covering the Merced River Valley. It had snowed the previous night but only in the high country, leaving just a dusting of the white stuff. I hope to post a few more tomorrow or early next week. Go, See, Enjoy! Dave

Here are a couple of images of  high country flowers I really like the contrast of the flowers and the granite background. Now it's time for the yellow flower to be the backdrop. Go. See, Enjoy. Dave

On my way to Rainbow Falls I came across this butterfly taking a little rest. It was about the size of a quarter. This is what awaited me at Rainbow Falls Well worth the hike. Go, See, Enjoy. Dave

I decided to get away last weekend. On my trek I visited Olmstead Point  in Yosemite's high Sierra. You get a beautiful view of the back side of Half Dome. You also can see Tenya Lake among the wonderful Sierra Nevada range but you have to look a little harder. Easier to spot were these Prickley Poppies blooming along side Highway 395  They are very similar to the Matilja Poppies I posted earlier.  Prickley Poppies are about 12-18 inches high. The Matilja stand 5-7 feet high. Go, See, Enjoy Dave