Yosemite

[ROL]

It was very busy and crowded in Tuolumne. In fact, I don't think I've ever seen anything like it. My wife reminded me that we rarely visit in high season anymore, mainly shoulder seasons. Every parking lot, turnout, and road shoulder was filled to overflowing, and yet, she was still able to get her chocolate frosty in record time at the T Grill . One good thing – the lightning, thunder, and rain sent all the rats scurrying for their holes. The place had really emptied out by Sunday afternoon, though. My wife likes to camp at Ellery Lake, and I have to admit, OB camper that I am, it was pretty nice (and Geezer Pass cheap too!)

[Drew Wiley]

Oh yeah... I've been watching the clouds pass over here on the coast. Driving into work, there was even a spectacular cumulus cloud over the Golden Gate bridge, something rarely seen. So I would have loved to have been in the Sierra this past weekend. Too many chores. But I did make it out for a good hike with the Norma
at Pt Reyes, which was pretty much drippy beautiful cloud forest all day. I generally camp on the backside, outside the Park toward Virginia Lks, in unofficial sites, since my Geezer Pass lets me in free, and I can come and go at will. Where I would have really liked to have been in the thunderstorms is up by Courtwright, with
all those domes and uncrowded spots to set up a tripod. Oh well ... One more summer here at the salt mine. And one more month before my long backpack. Hope
the weather and fire situation works out where I'm headed.

[tgtaylor]

When I pulled into the park last Wednesday, Yosemite Falls was dry. It clouded-up that afternoon in the valley and there was thunder but no rain. Thursday morning I was pleasantly surprised to see that the falls had a good flow which of course is from run-off from rain in the higher elevations.

After finishing up with some early morning shots on Friday I drove to Bodie. Because of the ongoing road construction it was slow going all the way to the Tioga entrance station behind at least 20 vehicles with the lead ones, big campers, just crawling along stepping on the brakes every few feet. No use in trying to pass as there were too many vehicles in front. At the entrance station they had the exit side stopped to allow two lanes to the entrance – the right for those who had to purchase park passes and the left (ordinarily the exit lane) for those entering who already had passes. “It will be about a 5 minute wait,” said the flagman, “we want to let those who already have passes to get into the park without a big delay.” It was the biggest line of vehicles waiting to enter that I can remember seeing at either entrance let alone at Tioga.

But I was ready for a leg stretch and got out and started talking with him. He said yesterday afternoon it rained hard for about 2 hours without stop and lighting was striking Mt. Dana so the park closed the road. It's been a few years since I was last on the Dana summit which is the highest peak in Yosemite ~13.5K and you certainly wouldn't want to find yourself on top during a thunderstorm. I always went up and back on the same route but he said that you can make a loop out of it by coming back down by Mt. Gibbs. Interesting. Next time I think I'll try the loop.

After finishing-up in Bodie I decided to take Sonora Pass on the way back and stop in Bridgeport to shoot the courthouse http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mono_County_Courthouse which I have been meaning to do for some time now. When I hit the asphalt on 395 thunder was rolling through the hills and the sky to the north was coal black intersected with spectacular lighting strikes – right around where the pass would be I figured. I pulled into Bridgeport just ahead of the storm and quickly set up the camera with a 90mm lens and got a pleasing straight on composition with tree branches and leaves silhouetting the foreground above the courthouse. After taking the shot I drove through the storm - free car-wash (: - but when I got to the pass it had already passed through.

Great trip!

Thomas

[ROL]

Maybe Taylor will meet up with you

He obviously thought better of it once he realized I was the only one who responded to his offer. Good call.

[John Kasaian]

In the Summer we drive straight through Yosemite and camp at either Saddlebag or Trumbull. Life's too short to wait in long lines just to use the lavatory in Yosemite

[tgtaylor]

That's crazy to drive all the way into the valley just to use the bathroom when there's one at the entrance station, another at the Crane Flat store and also at Tuolumne Grove and, in a storm, any tree or boulder along the way will suffice.

After shooting Bodie (all images of which were shot with a 250mm Imagon lens) I would have drove to the Buttermilk mountains and the Alabama Hills but, alas, I left the air mattress home and didn't think that I would find a campsite that had smooth dirt as I had at Upper Pines. Still can't believe that I left without the air mattress.

Thomas

[ROL]

Thomas, JK's preferred, and shortest I assume, route into the Park would probably be up 41. That takes one through the interchange at the western end of the Valley on one's way to the high country. More than once, I was tempted, to drive the Valley Loop on my way through to better clime/bs. It's just to good to miss any opportunity, no matter how fleeting or ill advised.

[Drew Wiley]

I almost never stopped in the Valley, cause I was either going past there from the south entrance in the wee hours of the morning, trying to get to some east side
trailhead by midmorning, or was doing the opposite, and heading back over all tired and scruffy after some death-march (borrowing my nephew's term for those off-trail forays). I did usually stop somewhere up by Tioga to soak my feet in the creek and rest my butt from the driving, and maybe bag a shot up that way. I figure I'll have plenty of opportunities for the Valley once I retire, preferably off-season, though I really like the lower hill country a lot lot more in terms of personal photographic interest. There are certain crags up high that I like to tinker with, with long lenses; but those road spots are often easier to approach from the other
side. Zip up the Tioga grade from Lee Vining, do your thing, go back down, then back over Sonora Pass on the way home, where car-camping is a lot more convenient and ordinarily there aren't many mosquitoes either. They don't seem to like those volcanic soils, probably because it tends to drain, and doesn't hold
all those little pools like granite.

[tgtaylor]

In that case then El Portal, Entrance station, and across from...what, Wildcat Falls, and then on to Crane Flat/Tioga Rd.

Thomas

[ROL]

I almost never stopped in the Valley, cause I was either going past there from the south entrance in the wee hours of the morning, trying to get to some east side
trailhead by midmorning, or was doing the opposite, and heading back over all tired and scruffy after some death-march (borrowing my nephew's term for those off-trail forays). I did usually stop somewhere up by Tioga to soak my feet in the creek and rest my butt from the driving, and maybe bag a shot up that way. I figure I'll have plenty of opportunities for the Valley once I retire, preferably off-season, though I really like the lower hill country a lot lot more in terms of personal photographic interest. There are certain crags up high that I like to tinker with, with long lenses; but those road spots are often easier to approach from the other
side. Zip up the Tioga grade from Lee Vining, do your thing, go back down, then back over Sonora Pass on the way home, where car-camping is a lot more convenient and ordinarily there aren't many mosquitoes either. They don't seem to like those volcanic soils, probably because it tends to drain, and doesn't hold
all those little pools like granite.

If anything expresses the difference in our outlooks and artistic expressions, perhaps nothing says it better than that. All is not photography for me.