Sticks and Stones

First week is over, and it's safe to say it was a good one. Tuesday morning I left San-Francisco for a 4 hour drive to Yosemite National Park. It probably sounds like a long drive, but compared to the other drives I've had and will have here, it's quite a normal one. From the flats of the California shores to high sierra of the Yosemite area. Not much to see during the drive, except for changing scenery colors and countless shopping centers (Staples ((like office-depot)) has free wireless Internet, by the way).

The New Don Pedro Reservoir on route 49.

To the park I arrived at noon, after buying the Annual National Park Pass. As i was entering the valley i was welcomes with 30 minute traffic jam, due to construction at some of the park roads (that were also closed). Sounds like a good start.

Despite the traffic problems the San-Francisco Vintage motor Club had their annual meeting that day.

One major thing is imperative to my kind of photography, light. that is determent by the sun and the clouds. I can't say I had the best of both during my stay there. It's a good thing i came prepared and know were to go, but there so many places it was hard to choose at which one to stay for sunrise or sunset. Yosemite is amazing because of it's huge granite mountain (towers is more like it) and the way they shape the valley.

One of the best views of the valley is right from the exit of the tunnel that brings you there. This is a sunset, that didn't came to color the sky. The viewing point was full of photographers. At the Right, Bridalveil Fall at 188 meters.

Camping here is a little tricky because of the bears,. Apparently, the are a lot of them here, and they like food. Not human food, but real food, like what you keep in your car and in your tent. so here that's not allowed and everyone staying overnight in the park has to store all there for in a bear proof metal bin. Since most of us don't usually bring that from home, these bin's are scattered along the valley for public use, if not, the bears will break into your car and wreck it (there are examples along the park). And no, no one takes your food while you sleep.

Bear locker.

The next morning I continued scattering the area for good locations and found a nice place where the first light hits "El-Capitan", a huge granite wall.

The good side of having almost no clouds to work with, is that you can do some night photography. At least that. I've always wanted to do a Star Trail image, and here there was a good spot.

A 25 Minute Exposure to capture the movement of the stars (earth actually). These falls qualifies Yosemite Falls as the 6th highest waterfall in the world at 739 meters from top to bottom.

At Glacier Point, a spot that over looks the whole valley at 2199 meter elevation. There I met a Park Ranger (not the one in the photo) who was pretty verse on the Israeli issue and kept using the word turmoil. At two years younger than me, he's thinking what his MA should be.

A side view from the Geological Building.

A different Park Ranger, with Nevada Falls in the Back.

As Thursday came to it's end, it was time to full up and drive to the High Sierra of the Yosemite Park, fortunately, that road was open that wednesday.

A group of Italians having a hard time with the American fueling system.

Can't say I was expecting snow up there.

The Tioga Pass road led me out of the park, and down to a beautiful place called Mono Lake.

A salt lake with alien like formations (called Tufa) rising from the surface. they were discovered when Los-Angeles started draining the lake for water.

At the South Tufa Beach.

There I met this very friendly professional photographer (still uses large format film) named Adriaan, and spent the rest of the sunrise talking. As he mentioned how it's one of the worst sunrises he has seen there, I wondered when will be the next time I'll be in this incredible place.

Another 4 hour drive to Sacramento, where I stayed for shabbat, and here I am getting ready to check out and start a 10 hour drive to Salt-Lake city.

Another views from Tioga Pass Road on the way back from Mono Lake to Sacramento. Driving through a snow storm.

If you stayed this long, have a great day.