Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Yosemite in April

I just left Yosemite.  My previous visits had been in the end of May or early June.  This trip almost went sour.

On my arrival, it was cold and wet where I stayed 10 miles west of the west gate.  In the park, it was snowing and soon, it was snowing where I was.  The next morning, when I got to the gate, all wheel drive and all season tires were not enough.  To get to the valley, I needed chains, not just in the car but on.  My Forester owners manual strongly bans use of chains, though low clearance S cable chains can be used in an emergency, front wheels only.

Anticipating four days of watching TV a few miles from that magnificence, I returned to Enterprise, frustrated and discouraged.

I kept checking road conditions by phone, and in the afternoon, I returned and drove to the valley.  Approaching the valley, my first glimpse of it showed El Capitan clearly on the left, but Half Dome at the far end of the valley all but hidden behind the storm remnants.

The next afternoon, it looked like this.

In the valley, the majesty is overwhelming.  I have a friend, Dave, who is an excellent photographer.  He can find and capture wonderful images of small things in a place like this.  All I see is the grand views.  I wish I had his eye, but I do enjoy the things I see.

My first day in the park, I drove to and took a short hike around the Mirror Lake area.

On the second afternoon, I had heard about a guided photography hike.  I was having trouble with my knee and my energy levels, so though it sounded interesting, I passed on it.  I drove around, did a few short walks, and drove up to Tunnel Overlook.

On arrival there, I see a group of ten or so people with good cameras and tripods, walking together up out of the parking area, along the edge of a 1000' cliff on rock that was wet in places.  They passed out of sight.  I didn't hear any screams, so I figured they were fine, but I started to wonder...  That HAD to be the class.

I grabbed my gear and followed.

They were setting up on a stone ledge with a wonderful view of the valley.  The guide was talking about the rainbow that was about to appear at Bridal Veil Falls.  I set up, turned around and started shooting.

As time passed, the rainbow climbed the falls, becoming less pronounced as it went, until it was gone.  The next day, I caught a nice lighting of Bridal Veil from the base of El Cap.

Sweet visit.

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