just inside Yosemite Park
morning
Sentinel Meadow, Yosemite Valley
sunny, warm, light breeze, a little smoky -
controlled burns in the park
trip on the motorcycle with Scott
celebrating our 25th anniversary today
Lots of people, but the beauty of the Valley makes up for it - several different kinds of trees, pine, cedar, oak & others all in close proximity - Indians used to burn the meadow so they could plant deer grass which they used to make baskets.
Leaves rustle in the trees along the river, a yellow butterfly flutters among broad leaves, and human voices speak in several languages.
afternoon
hiking up to Vernal Falls -
sunny - very windy approaching the falls
Quite a hike - lots of people, all friendly and having a great time. Ubiquitous squirrels always looking for a bite - one stole my mayo packet from my sandwich when I wasn't looking.
Hiked to the top of the falls - then to Emerald Pool & the bridge just above, where we saw another set of falls, Nevada Falls, where the trail continues up to but we will not.
The guide says the round trip hike to the top of vernal falls is a strenuous 3 mile round trip hike with a gain of 1,000 feet - we're doing a bit more - went to the top of Silver Apron. Oaks up here are some kind of live oak with small leaves.
I see a couple of pairs of trees, one incense cedar with a live oak huddled at it's base. At the base of the cedar where I'm sitting, I find a tiny cluster of small succulents, each rosette maybe a quarter inch across.
We've seen several blue jays with their tall crests, squawking a little but seeming to be a little quieter than the scrub jays in our backyard at home -
That's Nevada Fall farther above us...
6 p.m.
Had to try to get a classic shot of Half Dome - outdated Polaroid film is showing it's age with blotches. I've been shooting with a yellow filter to cut the smoke haze so I try one without as well to see if it minimizes the problem at all - maybe a little, maybe a coincidence...
No comments:
Post a Comment