A National Crown Jewel Sparkles Even More This Year

William - I am back!  I'm a little disgusted with myself.  I had a really great time, but there was a comedy of errors that you might appreciate.  Imagine pulling into Yosemite Valley, hauling out your tripod, and then realizing that the little thingamagadget that screws into the bottom of your camera to mount to the tripod is no where to be found.  I remembered it was back in Sacramento, screwed into the Canon point and shoot camera I left behind.  I had also planned on taking Flat Stanley along for company, but I left him sitting in my computer room.  Then I found this delightful little spring surrounded with moss and ferns.  I decided to get down on my hands and knees to photograph it.  But it was a little marshier than I anticipated, so you know the rest. . .LOL

Anyway, I'm back, I've had a bath, and I did manage to get several good shots with the D90.  It was a good idea to go there right after the rains because the skies were cleaner, and everything looked so fresh and green.  The last time I had gone it was on a Monday, and the sky was filled with contrails from airplanes taking travelers to their destinations.  Today, there wasn't a single contrail in the sky. 

I also need to know how I can photograph the lower Yosemite Falls up close and personal without drenching my lens from the heavy mist.  That was a real challenge, and I ultimately failed at getting a satisfactory picture. And I came away looking like a drowned rat. . .Photography isn't for sissies:-)

Kwee - It was worth doing.  I only wish I had had my act together though.  It was one of those "best laid plans" days.

Mary - Ofall the times I have been to Yosemite, this year tops the list for the amount of water and sheer grandeur from the experience.  There were waterfalls, that hadn't been seen in years.  Everyone was talking about it!

Ted - If you haven't been to Yosemite, you really ought to put it on your California Bucket List.  I think it should be listed as one of the top 5 best destinations in the state.

William - I would have loved having you along, but there were a couple of times today (the marsh being one of 'em), that I was REALLY glad no one I knew was nearby. . .LOL  I got a kick out of a guy and his wife near Yosemite Falls today.  They had one of those coolers that have wheels on it.  It was loaded with their camera gear.  They used it to sit on, and haul equipment.  Great idea. . . LOL  They were really friendly too!  He was shooting with a D90, his wife was using a Canon.

Wendy - Yosemite is one of those destination spots that would be really hard to not love.

Chris - I think the best time to visit Yosemite is before the end of June if you want to experience the falls in their really abundant form.  But I've been there in autumn too.  And the colors of the leaves provides an exquisite experience.

Kristine - In autumn the falls aren't as likely to be as full, but the colors of the foliage and leaves are usually stunning then.  I hope you can make it to Yosemite for a visit.

Tony and Darcy - You are likely less than 10 hours away from Yosemite by car.  You could come through Tioga Pass.  It would make a great roadtrip for you!

William - Thanks for the "suggest" it is greatly appreciated!  I've been working on the photos today, while trying to put a little slide show together.  I shot so many of the photos in "portrait" rather than "landscape."  So can't really mix them up for the slide show.  For all the crawling around in the marsh that I did, I didn't get a single picture in that spot that knocked my socks off.  I feel like Forrest Gump, "Photography can be like a box of chocolates - You don't know what you are gonna get."

Jim - You are entirely too close to Yosemite from where you are to be upset about it.  Get in your car and go for a drive.  However, I shouldn't lecture. . .I feel the same way about Yellowstone, and I've never been.. 

Patricia - The plus signs came up far more than the minus ones with this trip.  I thoroughly enjoyed myself.  I had packed enough food in the cooler to last a week.  I don't know what I was thinking:-)

Sharon - I actually went decades in between visits to Yosemite.  I remember a stretch between 1967 and 2006.  That was 39 years.  But, I've been 3 times in the past 5 years.  The falls with the exception of 2008, have always been spectacular.  In 2008 we had a drought, which pretty much dried up the falls by July.