Another Hazy Shade of Winter...

Its snowing again, so no big dramatic landscape shots with a bright blue sky, white clouds and famous granite cliffs for anyone today. Instead I wandered behind the medical clinic to the north side valley loop trail and walked against the cliffs and slightly above the trees to the lower Falls bridge- where the snapshots were taken. All bundled up in mountaineering boots, gaiters, three layers of clothing and extra gloves, plus an umbrella to hold over the camera while it sits on the tripod. It started off with a light snow, then would ease into a nice downfall of snow. Anyways, it was good to be out. For X-Mas I received a new record player with a USB port so we can now record vinyl to a digital format....perhaps I can attach a song to an occasional posting soon. Everyone enjoy today's postcards, taken today.

Post Christmas Blues...

...but not in the unhappy way, the depressed way, or the sad-eyed lady of the lowlands behind blue eyes way. Simply the way the sky was all day here after a night of rain turning to snow, leaving the ground blanketed. Then a stroll down a familiar sidewalk and some quick pics of Half Dome tonight during the time after the sun went down, but while the blue sky was still lingering before fading. After a few days of black and white snapshots, I thought I'd offer some color. And I have an idea for tomorrow's photo if I follow through. Enjoy the "post x-mas blues" postcard.

The Day After the Solstice

Yesterday was the first day of winter and I forgot to announce it. Luckily here in Yosemite winter began the week before Thanksgiving, bringing us a couple feet in the Valley back then. So far this past week it rained for three days, then snowed, and now has stayed completely overcast with drizzle for two days. I did go out and take some snapshots today, but everything is so full of mist I'll try again later. I do have some cool ideas for winter walks to go to for photos. Here's a postcard of the 3 Brothers in majestic winter pose. Enjoy.

Why is it Always so Vintage?

I know- sometimes I overdue it on the vintage touch. These two postcards are from today (if you can believe that- I actually went out and took some photographs) and neither one of them started out looking like this. But with Yosemite snapshots it seems like you always have to go with the B&W look, and at least see the effect it creates....And then I do like the old vintage postcards from a bygone time, and those faded, classic colors that evoke memories of elementary school no matter your age. Here's a classic entrance view from a top secret spot: taken from a turn out on a highway! The weather has been rainy and then snowy, and then grey and cloudy...but tomorrow we will go out and find another gem of a postcard for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy every one of you looking at this.

Hwy 41, I Love You

Sometimes I just love Hwy 41. And its not for the (obvious) reason of where it starts and ends: Yosemite Valley and Morro Bay, depending on the direction. Its beauty comes in spates, but even when crossing the Central Valley it is never a busy highway, and is usually interesting. Then on those magic moments when driving back from Oakhurst or Fresno, around sundown, and looking west you get to see these sights. (I know a few posts ago was something similar.) But this postcard is from today, actually tonight, Tuesday, Dec 7th, and I was happy for my timing. All it cost was an afternoon dentist appointment in the city. Enjoy

Winterlude Part 2

Another winter snapshot taken today of the semi-famous Bridalveil Falls. Enjoy.

Winterlude

Winter is here. Here is the first postcard from the Valley.

Its Only (Something to Post)

I know, I know it keeps being longer and longer between posts, but I hope that will be coming to an end and I will start walking around more. In between that happening is this postcard from Oct. 17th from an overlook on the Glacier Point Road. We were blessed with an amazing sunset and so we all had to stop to take it in. It appears you are looking out across the sierra foothills and beyond into the central valley. Enjoy this one today and tune in again for some winter landscapes coming soon- before all the snow we got disappears.

Trail Open! (Alpine Training)

So, while using up the last of my vacation, it became a good idea to go outside again. With Jim along (it was his suggestion) we strolled up the 4 Mile trail to Glacier Point, then down the Panorama trail past Nevada and Vernal. It has snowed a few times at the higher elevations, so we came prepared to do battle with the elements- me with crampons and Jim with Yaktraks for the shoes. Luckily, tennis shoes and thick socks were only needed for the (at most) 5 inches of packed down snow we encountered. Still, our number 1 ally of the day proved to be the trekking poles and the most dangerous part of the trail was on mile 13 heading down from Nevada on the Muir trail. I can't believe the gate is still open as these sheets of ice of today's postcard give witness to. Make it past three or four sections of this style of trail, then continue on past another 3 or 4 sections of sheer ice and then you find yourself safe. Still its all alpine training as I said; Jim saying he didn't want to make it too easy. But if we can make it up, we can make it down. And always in tennis shoes. Enjoy whomever reads this thing.

The Best Seat in the House

So, a late afternoon stroll took me over to the lower Falls and a meander around the stream coming from it. It was getting towards dark and then I took some more pictures, really liking this one. The gentleman and his friend (out of the picture) were taking some snapshots of each other and I was focusing on the bench with the falls behind it when he sat down in my frame. I rather like it- his dignified posture sitting on the rock, while the best seat in the house is open, the bench. Plus, the head scarf adds a little touch of color, similar to the trees. And then there's the beautiful waterfall in the background. Enjoy.

Valley Roads

In keeping with the theme of posting things just a few days old, we will now offer up this postcard from Thursday. A snapshot taken from good old Columbia Point going up the Yosemite Falls trail and looking down into the valley. This little part of the road is passed shortly after leaving Yosemite Lodge and Camp 4 heading out of the park. You have it all almost: the grey granite rockfall, the color of the fall trees, a nice scenic road next to a river leading towards a green forest....Now if there was only some traffic!!! Or carhorns!!! Enjoy everyone, or someone.

Falling on the Mist Trail..

Okay, okay, so it's been awhile (again)...Hopefully, this will start back up. I was out and about the past couple days with my old cohort Rojo, and found some motivation. Here's a couple snapshots of the Merced River along the Mist Trail on the way to Vernal Falls. We did the loop around Vernal- up the Muir Trail to Clark Point, then dropped back down the Mist Trail. Still beautiful mid 70s or higher in temperature and beautiful scenery. These postcards go out to our friend Chris from Benzinger Wines in Glen Ellen (www.benzinger.com), who spent the early part of the week here for the Vitner's Holidays, and walked this same pathway the day before us. I'd like to say he broke it in for us, making the steps easier. Thanks Chris, from Yosemite.

It's Been a Long, Long, Long Time...

So it has been, as George Harrison sang on the White Album, a long, long, long time since I've posted anything and that should begin to change again. Starting tomorrow we will be wandering the streets of the valley floor (and hopefully the valley rim) for some last fall season postcards before it disappears. And they will be taken daily and posted daily- so be on the look out. This snapshot was taken from Glacier Point looking at the diving board where Ansel stood and took his famous face of Half Dome photo on Wednesday, the day we finished vacating the GP store for the season. Enjoy everyone.

The 3rd 13neer

It was off to the races with Jim last Friday, after weeks of talking about it and planning it over beers. The goal was to find our way up the last of the three 13,000 ft peaks within the boundaries of Yosemite; we had both already been to Mt. Lyell and Mt. Dana, and now was the day for Kuna Peak. To get there you have to hike out of the park over Parker Pass, then work your way up Koip Peak Pass (the second postcard) which tops out at 12,250 ft!. After catching your breath, you then summit Koip Peak (the first postcard) 20 ft. shy of 13,000, then descend and follow the ridge over to the top of Kuna. What's interesting is that you are not in the park boundaries until your at 13,002 ft., marking the summit of Kuna and the park entrance again. Between the two peaks is wreckage scattered about from a military plane crash in the 40s or 50s, which you can see in the third postcard. A little spooky, and when you add the sonic booms that were occupying the airspace around us going up Koip Peak Pass from bombs being detonated across the desert in Nevada (we could see the smoke rising), it made the day a little more weird at times. Still, a beautiful day in the Sierras, which is all Jim and I were looking for. Enjoy everyone.

Clouds Rest

So, since I had the day off and the next day off is the dentist, I figured it was a good day to eat nothing but sugar GU's and sugar Cliff Blocks and head up from the Valley to Clouds Rest. I've come up from Tenaya Lake before, but never the 10 mile, 6000 foot elevation push sidewalk. The views are more superb than any from Half Dome, though the trail is never ending uphill. Here's a postcard in both color and B+W, with very little adjustments made. 20.4 miles in 6 hours and 4 minutes, but that's another story....Enjoy. Maybe another view tomorrow.

Red Peak Vistas

Here's some snapshots from the summit of Red Peak for those not ever going to make it there (including me, probably, ever again). In the top postcard you can see the south face of Half Dome in the center and the smoke from the Signal Fire out near Hetch Hetchy I believe. In the bottom postcard you can see all the Tuolomnee peaks rising all throughout. Enjoy.

Rojo Peak Pass

For those about to hike, we salute you. And for those returning to their cars after a long hike, hallelujah. What began as a crazy idea on our last hike, materialized on Wednesday: let's go out to Red Peak Pass 18 miles away, then summit the peak and come down the other side, then hike back. 36 miles, all in fourteen hours, leaving from Mono Meadow near Glacier Point. This time Rojo and I recruited our ultra-runner bartender, Kelly, to slow down and walk with us, and provide the transportation. The logistics are simple: leave the valley at 5:30am and start walking at 6:30am from the trail head. Never stop walking until you return to the car at 8:30pm, with headlamps on. Then drive down to the Curry Bar where beer and pizza is waiting. Then take a shower to get the dirtiest feet ever clean. Then fall asleep. Simple. Then over beers the next day begin dreaming of new hike from the north border of the park to the south border of the park.....

The Real Valley Loop...

...or the Rim to Rim Link-Up....or the Let's Do All the Valley Trails People Spend a Lifetime On in One Day trail...or the Labor of Love, as Rojo called it. What began as an idea a few years ago at work, finally came to fruition yesterday (when these snapshots were snapped). The goal was to go up and across the north rim, then cross the road and go up and across the south rim. After several talks we envisioned the best path: Leave a bike at the Mirror Lake bus stop; hike up to Mirror Lake then continue up the Snow Creek Trail; come down the Yosemite Falls trail and then cross the road and walk over Swinging Bridge to the 4 Mile Trail; go up the 4 Mile Trail to Glacier Point, then walk down the Panama Trail past Nevada and Vernal Falls; from Happy Isles walk back along the road to the bike parked at the Mirror Lake bus stop. A fully overcast day awaited us (but no rain) yesterday and by the evening it was a memory and a great story. I highly recommend it to everyone, with some practice first. The top postcard is one of the views from the north rim after passing over Indian Creek on our way to Yosemite Point: Half Dome rising with the Clark Range behind it- Mt. Clark, Grey Peak, and Red Peak with a touch of faded coloring. The second postcard is from the streets of the end of the 4 Mile Trail when it has leveled out and is turning a slight corner on its approach to Glacier Point- the whiteness is literally the low clouds we were in at that point of the trail and weather pattern. The final postcard is just a great view of the north rim and half of the terrain we covered from the Falls over rightward towards Indian Canyon and beyond- also a good view of some of the elevation gain involved. Enjoy anyone and everyone.

13,114 part 2

So I just wanted to display a few more postcards from Monday's trip to Mt. Lyell. After leaving the trail and moving cross-country, it eventually became all about the snow- which it should be because Mt. Lyell has the biggest glacier within the boundaries of Yosemite. The top snapshot is from somewhere near where the snow begins, and though it's not too steep ever, it is a little steeper than the angle shown. And then the bottom postcard could be from the sixties, with its ocean sky and faded colors, showing Bryan glissading down from the summit. What a day- glad its over. Next stop: Kuna Peak, soon. Enjoy.

13,114 part 1

Driving out of Yosemite Valley at 5am is always hard (which means you have to get up at 4 something in the morning), but sometimes even harder after leaving the bar the night before after it closed down. Anyways, it all works out in the end. These snapshots are from yesterday, a Monday, when Bryan and I decided it was finally the perfect time to go have a seat on the highest point in Yosemite- Mt. Lyell. A long, but glorious morning was spent in the never ending Lyell Canyon under bluebird skies and warm temps. A long, but glorious late afternoon was spent in the never ending Lyell Canyon walking to get back to the car. And then the thought came to me today that yesterday was the anniversary of the last ever Ryan Adams and the Cardinals concert to be performed on the west coast two years before- and it was Bryan and I hanging out together in San Francisco for that show at the Fillmore as well: 8-23-2008, download the soundboard free from archive.org. Anyways, somehow, maybe enjoy today's postcards. Tomorrow will be part 2.

No Headlamp Required...

That's the title we decided Phil Collins should've named his record from the 80's...although, outside of what the clouds are showing, it was a No Jacket Required day also. And what is the day in question you may be asking? Well, a morning spent traveling with Rojoito on the hikers bus to Tuolomnee- exiting at the Tenaya Lake-Sunrise trailhead. Then going up the Sunrise Lake slabs beneath the clouds building up, and as the first postcard shows, creating a vortex over Clouds Rest. For sure we thought our day's journey would become wet soon. We left Sunrise with directions for the shortcut to Merced Lake and began walking again. Soon we were between the Mansfields and heading down canyon- this is the second snapshot, looking southwards and at magnificent Mt. Clark in the distance. A quick lunch was had at Merced Lake, some goodbyes and promises made of mailing off a pack of smokes to them, and then a long, fast stroll through the Merced River canyon all the way home. What Van Morrison sang way back in 1973/74, was still relevant this day: It's Too Late To Stop Now. We were pulling up to the CV Bar around 7:30pm, 9 hours after starting on one of Yosemite's sidewalks- which without a few shortcuts would be 29 miles. Not too bad, just plain fun. Enjoy everyone.
P.S. Some people reading this may find themselves in the city Steely Dan called "Lost Wages", a.k.a. Las Vegas......hahaha, good luck!

The Road (but not the movie)...

Yesterday was fun. Good old Jared O'B dropped us off just past the Foresta Road and we took a stroll down Yosemite's history. The Big Oak Flat trail took us through the scorched remains of the fire of last August on the hillside, where flowers are now blooming. Then we connected the trail after the Tamarack Flat junction with the old Big Oak Flat Road (HWY120) from the valley rim to the valley floor at El Cap. Just think, in the old days you could spend your own money building a road into the park and charge a toll fee. Sometimes it works, and other times like the old Coulterville road ending in Foresta, it doesn't. Now both are forgotten about and simply part of Yosemite's history. An eight mile or so walk in the park, seeing only two other people the whole time. And its Yosemite in August- amazing, but can also be commonplace. Enjoy.

Stay Tuned...

Stay tuned....for these are from last week: postcards of the mouth of Yosemite Falls now that the river has fallen and things are drying up. But tomorrow we hit the dusty trails again and so new snapshots are on their way. I would tell you what's planned, but you'll have to tune in to find out. This was just a tease. Check back Wednesday, and things are planned for Thursday also. See you then....same bat time, same bat channel.

Hoffman Watercolors

A great day. Take a drive up HWY 120 East out of Yosemite Valley at noon with your wife who worked all morning and your buddy. Pull in to the May Lake parking lot about 1:30pm. Then put a daypack on and take a 2 hour stroll to the summit of the center of the park, Mt. Hoffman, take a look around and head back to the car. Arrive back home before 7:00pm and support the local community event at the school with raffle tickets. Then play ping pong and have pizza with family. Then thinking about how much you can accomplish in one day later that night- priceless.

The Bat Cave

So once again Rojo and I find ourselves walking down some dusty street in Yosemite on a Wednesday. This time its following the Yosemite Creek trail down from the Tioga Road to the mouth of Yosemite Falls. Then a quick cobblestone pathway down, to a side route off the trail, to the base of the upper Falls. Then to what we called, The Batcave, which is today's postcard. A little blown out on the right side of the snapshot, however a unique view for those folks never going there themselves. That was yesterday, today we should be heading to Mt Hoffman, the geographic center of the park. More on that later.

June 2010

I know, I know, I know, this is not from today or close to it...but from last month taken from that rising mushroom known as Liberty Cap. An overview of Nevada Falls with the bridge and the river leading to it and people scattered about. I needed something to post and this is the holdout I talked about when we went up there and I posted a postcard in June. Enjoy. I know I will.

For Rojo

A great view at our backs as we walked out of camp last Wednesday. Good thing we turned around. A snapshot of the Volgolsang area- the reason its the most alpine of all the camps. Mountains rising all around and everything....sort of like how the Stevie Wonder song says "Skyscraper's and everything..." Rojo liked the clouds. Sam might see this view this Wednesday. Enjoy.

We Just Went to Have Lunch at Ireland Lake

It was another great walk in the park yesterday with Rojoio- this time with a suggestion from Kelly. Why not go up Lyell Canyon and have lunch at Ireland Lake 10 miles away? Then go up the ridge and drop down into the hanging valleys filled with little lakes above Volgolsang High Sierra camp. Drink a glass of lemonade and buy some postcards while there- then head back down the regular trail to the car parked at the Tuolomnee Lodge. Its the perfect loop for any day. The top postcard is Ireland Lake with Ameila Earhart Peak rising above to the left; the bottom postcard is the great Kuna Crest ridgeline that one day I will traverse. For fun we have each snapshot in only 3 colors....

Further On Up the Road

So there's a great Taj Mahal song called the title of this post. And my wife walked up to see me at work, and we then proceeded to walk further on up the road to get home. This shot is from the Panorama Trail tonight going home. Then a quick couple beers at the CV Bar. Then actually arriving home. What a good day in Yosemite- again. Enjoy folks.

A Grand View

So here's a few views that we encountered on Tuesday as we romped our way across some of the Yosemite high country. The beautiful light filtering across the trees as we left Glen Aulin; the grand view coming down the slabs from Sunrise Lakes looking across towards Mt Hoffman and all the terrain we would be covering in the following hours; and a great moon rising above as we exited Glen Aulin. Enjoy these views if you can't be there yourself today.