Blogs from Yosemite National Park, California, United States, North America - page 39

So we're in Yosemite. We're staying with a really great couch-surfing host named Paul who lives right outside Yosemite, we sleep in our bus parked on his land. Yesterday we hiked the Upper Yosemite falls trail, got some great pictures and enjoyed killer views. Today we hiked around the valley, got great views of Half Dome, The Three Brothers, El Capitan, and we got really close to some Coyotes (pictures to prove it). It's raining pretty hard now, it's cold, and we're considering heading down to southern California because the place we are staying is on steep, muddy, windy roads. Just coming back to Yosemite again is getting us thinking about applying for jobs there sometime in the future. To be able to live in the valley would be amazing. More to come, cheers, Wes & ... read more

Lyell AScent to Donahue Pass One of this man's greatest memories.... there are things in life that seem unimportant at the time, which have the possibility of being the highlight of a lifetime. Such was the hike that I took with my two boys, Joe and Gabe... I love you guys so much dad Joe, don't ever forget who beat you to Agnew Meadows.... BWaaaaaaaaaaaaa... read more

After arriving in San Francisco at 11 am we picked up the rental car and headed straight out of San Francisco for the town of Tracy. Driving on the other side of the road was a really strange experience at first and took a lot of concentration! We bought supplies and food in Tracy and stayed the night at a motel before heading out the next morning for Yosemite National Park. We came in on the north road (120) and got our first glimpse of Half Dome from a little roadside stop at the end of the valley. We also went up to Tunnel View and Bridalveil Falls before heading to Upper Pines to set up camp. That evening we went for a walk to Mirror Lake and watched the sun set on Half Dome. The ... read more

October 26, 2006, Thursday. We signed up for a photography walk with a gal from the Ansel Adams Gallery. Ansel Adams, noted photographer of the beauties of nature was commissioned to capture on film the unique beauty of the national parks in the west. This was basically an advertising plan to educate people…. and my did it work!! Back to the photography walk, we got tips on lighting, composition, etc. etc.---quite informative. Of course, we got some more photos. One comment we heard over and over---is---“You don’t want to come to visit Yosemite in summer---it is a zoo!” The number of tourists visiting Yosemite in the summer months is mind boggling. Glad we are here in the late fall. After lunch we biked to the trailhead of Mirror Lake. When filled with water, this lake offers ... read more

Here it is, after midnight, while the rest of the world slumbers (at least around me) I sit up, busy parking memories. Circa, mid fifties. The Buick was the classic black and white. We'd load it to the hilt, and off we'd go for our annual camping trip. Trust me. I knew where the middle of the seat was. Because if my sister's elbow or knee or God forbid her foot crossed that line, there's be a cat fight in the back seat. To a skinny nose picking toe headed kid, we were headed to the North Pole Mountains. I didn't have a clue. And yes, I asked umpteen times, 'are we there yet?' But the truth was, our destination was either Kings Canyon or Yosemite. Some times we'd head up Hwy 99 to Kings ... read more