Yosemite and More

 Spent some time at the Sacramento Wildlife Refuge and the Merced Wildlife Refuge and thought I'd share a few (okay a lot) of photos from those Refuges.  I've kinda mixed the photos up, i.e. no rhyme or reason!!! Let's start off with two types of geese that are very common. The Snow and Ross geese.  The two look very similar and can be difficult to tell apart. The Ross goose  has a shorter neck and rounder head. They also interbreed and can come in different shades or morphs. Speaking of geese, the Iconic Canadian Goose Okay not a bird but I liked the look of the thistle against the water. I don't know why all these blackbirds chose this particular tree.  There were other trees just like it nearby with very few birds on them!? There weren't may of these buffleheads and I had to try and catch this one through the reeds. I'm never good at identifying Hawks, but there were several  lurking around, mostly in the distance. This one thankfully  posed for me....

 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 Sa...

 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