Road Trippin

Jumpin in and livin life at Rainbow Pools


Olmsted Point has a beautiful view and is well worth getting out of your car for half an hour but don't think Yosemite is going to "hand its photographic beauty to you on a silver platter".*

When exiting the east end of Yosemite via Tioga Pass Road be sure to treat yourself to a tasty meal at the Mobil Mart. Yes you read that right: the Mobil Mart. Just don't get sticker shock at the prices. The food here is better than any other restaurant you would spend the same amount or more for, and the view from the porch competes with any expensive restaurant with a view.


For dessert hit up the Benton Station Cafe at the end of CA 120 and grab a $3 slice of cake from the platter on the counter before turning on to US 6.

My Rant About Some Guys Yosemite Rant

I just came across some guys "Yosemite Rant" as I was looking for a particular Ansel Adams picture and felt compelled to write a response to his rant and some of the ensuing comments.

In his rant he says, "Have you been to Yosemite?...Yosemite hands you its photographic beauty on a silver platter. [Ansel] Adams' images are right there for the taking...his images of Yosemite are pretty standard fare."

His original post was in 2006 and the last comment was in 2007 so if my comment never gets around to being moderated here it is:

"Have you been to Yosemite?"
Why yes! I have been going there since I was a little kid and stood in awe of Yosemite falls framed by the apparition of a white Christmas tree made of ice on a cold winter morning. I go at least a couple times a year to either backpack in the back country, drive over Tioga on the way to Mammoth or give a friend a quick tour of the valley.

I have been a somewhat successful photographer since high school and always try to capture some essence of Yosemite in a picture every time I go. Have I ever felt like, "Yosemite hands you its photographic beauty on a silver platter."??? Maybe, possibly, once...but I had to plan a return trip through the park at just the right time of day after missing the right light the first time through, hike a ways off the beaten path and scout out a suitable location to get the clear view of Half Dome that I was trying to capture. Okay it wasn't really all that hard and yes I did feel like that particular shot was handed to me on a silver platter. But I feel like I trekked countless miles of Yosemite wilderness and waited twenty years of visiting, searching, trying and hoping for that "silver platter" to be served! And while I like my "silver platter" shot and many people admire it, I don't consider my shot to be any sort of Ansel Adams...but then I don't share your opinion that, "his images of Yosemite are pretty standard fare." And not to be rude, but I feel the three shots you have posted here are (standard fare).

Yosemite may offer it's beautiful treasures on a silver platter to those who visit the park and stand there admiring the awesome sights with their own eyes, but to capture something truly amazing about Yosemite in a picture takes more than standing there dumbfounded by something so beautiful, pointing an expensive toy at it and snapping a picture. Unless of course you are an "artist" or have some sort of "individual vision".

But then again, what do I know? After all, I actually think Ansel Adams pictures are amazing...and every time I visit Yosemite I feel like "I have [never] seen this all before" :-)

I should disclose that I am both a Yosemite fan and an Ansel Adams fan.


...should I title this - Yosemite On A Silver Platter?

Yo-So-Mighty

Yosemite

Getting ready for some extreme x-country skiing in Yosemite!
(l to r) myself, Jay, Sara, Kristine, Annette, Liz, Rich, Steph, Dave and Dave


The reward for our efforts:
A grand view from Dewey Point


Sunset on El Capitan, as viewed from the shuttle bus back to the valley floor.

Hot showers, a quick nap and a frolicking wake up call from the ladies kicked off our evening activities. The Curry Village buffet was way too crowded so we trekked over to the Yosemite Lodge food court for some decent and inexpensive food. After scarfing down some grub we decided to entertain ourselves with a spontaneous game of "Egyptian rat screw" until we got booted from the cafe - presumably because it was closing time, not because of our riotous laughter. So we moved our card party to a small corner of the Curry Village Lodge where wonderful dance music was conveniently provided by the neighboring family reunion. After much "Nertz" we were again vacated from the premises, again due to closing time. But before actually leaving, "Big Johnny", the night janitor, provided two more hours of colorful entertainment with stories of growing up in gangs on the south side of Chicago, resulting in various scars and a piece of lead still lodged in his foot, and other adventures that led him to working in Yosemite for the last seven months. The funniest of these stories being that of his grade school nemesis, Wanda, who regularly stole his lunch money by threat of a serious whoopin!

Half Dome McTwist

Andy and I at the top of Half Dome.

I love Yosemite. I don't think I can ever get enough of it. In fact I drink it every day - but that is a different story. This is about Half Dome, a 4,800 ft granite dome sliced in half by a glacier millions of years ago. I'd already hiked Half Dome several times previously and though it is a breathtaking and rewarding view from the top it can be quite crowded. So I vowed several years ago that the only way I would do it again was by the light of a full moon.

-to be continued-

Yosemite

So the plan Saturday was for Katie, Kim, Erika, Christina, Johannes, Glen and I to go to Yosemite and go cross-country skiing. If there was not enough snow for that we would go snow-shoeing. But seeing as there was not enough snow for that either we went for a hike to Mirror Lake for lunch. Before that we took a short detour to check out Bridal Veil falls. Johannes and Katie both got their feet wet here. I managed to join the club by breaking through two inches of ice at Mirror Lake.

We stayed Saturday night at The Yosemite View Lodge in El Portal a short drive outside the park and enjoyed amenities such as the hot tub. Early Sunday morning Kim, Katie, Erika and Johannes drove home leaving Christina, Glen and I to sleep in a bit longer. The three of us enjoyed a delightful church meeting at the Mariposa branch of the LDS church on the way home.