VIDEO: The Grand Entrance

You enter the park through a tunnel which opens into a spectacular panaroma of mountains. As you drive further along you catch fleeting glimpses of El Capitan through the trees. Then you break into an open area and the famous mountain is right there in front of you.

It is breathtaking.

VIDEO: Mary Finds Gold

Roaring Camp Mining Company
http://www.roaringcampgold.com/

We panned for gold at Roaring Camp which sits at the base of the Mokelumne River Canyon.

Yes, we did find a few flakes of the stuff in our dirt. However, the only true value was in the fun of doing it.

Here's a little insight--the real profit is in selling the little vials to keep your booty in. A dollar a vial and the seller cleans up.

Gold Digger

I don't remember if his name was Rocky, Jasper, Charlie, or Gus but any of those names would surely fit the tour guide who took us deep into the Sutter Creek Gold Mine. It's a working gold mine that has been fairly profitable. He is a third generation gold miner who told us plenty of stories about life in a mine. I'm pretty sure some of the stories were true!

Lost Luggage Sculpture at Sacramento Airport

Here's a cool way to use all of the lost luggage at an airport--build a floor to ceiling sculpture with it.

A New Adventure

Mythologist Joseph Campbell said something that I've carried with me through most of my adult life, " The adventure you get is the adventure you are ready for...".

Mary and I believe that marriage is an adventure with two people being in a place that neither of them have ever been before. That's why I choose our vacation--Yosemite specifically--to be the place where we would be engaged.

What Mary Saw

Inside the tree was a small box with a diamond ring. After nearly three years of dating Mary and I got engaged there in Yosemite.
Yosemite is the most beautiful place in the world so it was only fitting that the most beautiful person (in my humble opinion) should get the ring here.

My Favorite Photo

I literally climbed inside of this tree on my stomach hoping the ants were on lunch break.

There was a certain picture I knew I had to take. I asked Mary to look through the hole

and she would see something that would make her smile.

Mary and the Tree

Chapel in the Park

Wide Shot of Half Dome

BW of Half Dome

Mary on Edge

Ansel Adams Was Onto Something

Black and white gives a whole new perspective on a scene.

Crowd at Glacier Point

On the Edge

I think I was so taken with the view that I forgot I was sitting on the edge of a rock that was an easy 7,500 drop. All things considered I usually prefer both feet planted on solid ground.

A View From the Top

If you visit Yosemite DO NOT miss Glacier Point. It's worth the hassle of traffic jams going
up the mountain. The last shot on this clip is zooming into the Awhanne Hotel. I'm impressed with the range of my camera's zoom.

Half Dome as the Sun Sets

The Sunset Above the Valley

My objective was to capture sunset from down in the valley and from Glacier Point which sits high above the Yosemite Valley (more than 7,500 feet) from what I read. It's a tremendous vantage point worth the one hour drive south of the park and up the mountain.
Go early if you want to be there for sunset.
It's crowded.

Stream Reflections

Sunset Reflection in the Stream

A Fifteen Minute Finale

The day at Yosemite ends with a grand finale as the setting sun illuminates the tops of the

mountains. However, you have to act fast if you want to catch it on film. This fantastic effect really only lasts about 15 minutes.
I had to climb down into the river bed to catch these shots. Mary was parked nearly a half mile away at a pull-off point.

The Sun Set Lights Up the Mountain Range

A Lone Tree Against Big Meadow Burn Out

Beauty Among Devastation

Fire Forest

As we drove down the road back into the park I saw a large section of forest that had been burnt out the previous week.
Although you weren't technically allowed in the area I saw some incredible shots of the sun coming down through the still smouldering trees.

There was no danger unless you went looking for it so I decided to make a go of it.

I climbed down the hill and captured some of the devastation. Amazing. It was as if there was a blanket of snow on the ground, but it was all ash.

Frankly I'm surprised Mary let me back in the car as I smelled like a burnt pine tree for many days.

A Bigger Fire

Results of the Big Meadow Fire which began as a controlled burn but got out of control. Hundreds of acres were destroyed. Parts of the valley were still burning when we arrived, but it was contained.

Mary and I enjoying the work of our neighbors who built a fire and then invited us to enjoy it after they went to bed.

We got back to our camp late and the last thing we felt like doing was building a fire. Thanks to our friendly neighbors for the fire and the extra beer they gave away.

Ring of Fire

It only looks like an over-sized frying pan torching our dinner. This is a fire ring that comes with your tent/cabin.

Easy on the wallet camping

This is an affordable (around 70.00 a night) way to stay inside the park.

Our Kitchen

Rent a stove for $1 a day and it's all you need for cooking meals.

Four Star Primitive Camping

This is camping? Inside the structure is a bed, a set of bunk beds, a dresser, and ELECTRICITY!
Amazingly comfortable. And there is another adjoining unit so you can keep the family together in one place.

Roughing It in Style

What do you get when you cross a tent with a cabin. I'm not sure of the name, but it looks something like this structure. We stayed in the Housekeeping Campsite which has hundreds of these shelters. Surrounded by a hand-built fence the unit has a floor and three walls. This is the answer for those of us who are no longer interested in sleeping in a tent on the ground.

Speaking of Rough Faces...

Here is where a super zoom lense is a blessing. This is close-up of El Capitan's granite face.

The Great Unshaven

Every day is casual day in the park. A full three days of not shaving is a wonderful thing, but Mary celebrated when I finally broke out the razor.

Built to Scale

You are immediately struck by the scale of the surrounding mountains. As shown in the picture everything is pretty much engulfed by the sides of the valley.

Come here with a big ego and it will get cut down to size. If ever you realized you're just a speck of dust on the Sierra Mountain shoulders it's in this park.

Early Light

Early morning light on the eastern face of the mountains.

The Valley Comes to Life

Yosemite reveals itself slowly in the morning.

The mountains above you are bathed in sunshine, but it's often still dark down deep in the valley. It's almost like an orchastrated show revealing more and more, but at a pace determined by Mother Nature.

Morning Light

I got up both mornings around dawn to catch the first light hitting the mountains.

The Valley from Above

This photo taken from Glacier Point helps to photographically show the valley and how its surrounded by these huge mountains. Remember--in this picture you are looking down nearly 7000 feet onto the park.

So it's a valley.....

It's funny how expectations and reality sometimes veer widely away leaving you with a new perspective.

For many years I've read about Yosemite however, I had a pre-conceived notion that quickly evaporated as we entered the park in the late afternoon.

I had always visualized Yosemite as a park where you go in and you look up and see El Capitan, Half Dome and maybe a few other spectacular peaks. Maybe they were all clustered together. In my eye there were just a few of these icons and the rest was forest area.

It was a revelation to find that Yosemite is a valley surrounded on both sides for miles and miles by this towering granite mountains. El Capitan and Half Dome are just a few of the many massive mountains that surround you.

Here is a model of the park in the Yosemite Museum that shows how the route through the valley.

Yosemite: Our Photographic Journal

You've heard that a picture is worth a thousand words. For me, I was at a loss for words when I first entered Yosemite Valley. Luckily I'm a photographer so when words escape me I can hopefully show the magnificence of Yosemite through a lens.

I hope you enjoy the pictures.

The Trouble Is That You Think You Have Time

Wednesday, September 12, 2009.

4:30 a.m.

It was time to leave for the airport.

In two weeks we were going to cram in a visit with relatives, three days in Yosemite, and a drive along the Pacific Coast.

As I headed out the door for the airport I stopped once more to say goodbye to Buddy, my 14 year-old Border Collie Spaniel. This was the first time I would be away for this long so he got extra assurance I would return.

Little did I know that I would only have about 72 hours with him when I got back.
Who knew?
You never do. That's why you never take goodbyes for granted.

We were supposed to have 45 minutes to catch our flight in Phoenix. Instead we found ourselves racing full throttle to catch the flight through no fault of our own.

This is why the Zen saying "The trouble is you think you have time" is so...um, timely.

You can't "Have" time. You may think you do, but when it comes to dogs and airplanes time has a way of running out on you.