Driving out of the park from the Village, I parked just past the turn-off for Sentinel Beach (where the road widens for parking -- this is when the road on the other side of the valley was closed to traffic). Then I headed towards the falls and eventually hit the creek from the falls high up the slope on its west side. I crossed the creek not fall from the falls. The creek from the falls does not go into Sentinel Creek as far as I could tell...but it may have.
A great view from there. I leveled my 8x10 and sighted along it...it looks like my elevation was about the same as the top of the middle Yosemite Falls. It was great checking out all the falls coming off the other side of the Valley. I should have made my way east to Sentinel Falls, but I was not all that sure it was possible. I was relunctant (lazy) to do too much extra rough-country stuff hauling my 60 pounds of 8x10. I should have worn my leather hiking boots instead of my lighter pair. Perhaps next Spring! My negs from there are not working out too well, so I have an excuse to go up there again!
I found an old Native American medicine bowl on my way across the Valley floor heading to the Falls. It was carved out of a piece of round granite. It was amazing to hold...I put it back where I found it. I am hoping it will still be there the next time I take my kids. I let the Park know about it and also the folks at the Native American Museum there in the Park. If they have not collected it, it still should be there. It is one thing to see something like that in the museum, it is a whole other thing to find one in place (the museum has two..one out of soapstone and another that may also be granite.)
Vaughn
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