Yosemite and More

 Was recently in Northern California for a few days. It was really good to get back up there. The McCloud River was running high and deep with the warm weather and the snow melt. The days were almost perfect. The California Lilac were prominent along the river and these were growing just in front of lava rock that is throughout the region. My brother and I took the Military Pass Road which goes around the back side of the mountain. We actually only made it part way (very slowly) until we met with snow drifts that were a little too deep. This is not a well maintained road. The north side of the mountain is generally very windy and this might explain the general lack of snow except in drifts. We also took a trip to Castle Lake which has an elevation of about 5400 feet.  This is actually lower than the Military Pass Road but had a lot more snow and still covered in snow and ice. Probably my favorite photo from the trip, parent and child enjoying the snow. Go, See, Enjoy, Stay Saf...

A couple of weeks ago I went up to the  McCloud River to do some fishing with my brother, family and friends. Due to a fishing reel mishap my line barely got wet. Sooooo I just happen to have my camera with me, what to do..... What to do? The river was and is running very high and fast, the most water I've seen this time of year that I can remember, which may not be all that long ago. Here's a couple of images of the river itself. The first is a longer exposure using a couple of neutral density filters. The second is what it really looks like. This is called Lower Falls. It seems much wider now than it used to. The winter river flow has definitely had an effect on the river and it's banks.   As I grew up we considered Manzanita almost a weed because it would take over an area and stifle tree growth, I grew up in a lumber town. Now I'm actually thinking of adding some to the landscaping of my yard. Go figure. Thr...