Here I am hanging out on my stoop Yosemite style...
...enjoying a fine fall morning in the neighborhood...
...we said goodbye to Camp Curry...
...after enjoying this view for breakfast this morning. My scientific study has proven that food tastes better when eaten with amazing views.
We spent the our last morning in Yosemite hiking along the Valley Loop Trail.
Early in the morning we had the trail to ourselves.
Since I love the old classic lodges in our National Parks we headed to the Ahwahnee.
Early morning sunlight breaking through the trees...
...and the local residents out looking for breakfast.
The trail from Yosemite Village to the lodge actually runs close to the road...
...but walking the trail is so much nicer.
The sun crashing through the trees made getting a good picture tough...
...but I kept trying...
...and trying...
...eventually I gave up and began to search for Chrissy inside the lodge.
She was shopping in the gift store but she found time to take this picture.
Back on the trail toward Yosemite Fall...
...this section of the hike is a little higher above the valley floor.
At times I was ahead of Chrissy, sometimes behind her and for a few minutes we hiked together.
Both of us were intrigued by the blood red color in these trees.
Chrissy took this great shot of the moon.
There were more people on the trail near Yosemite Village...
...but we saw more wildlife...
... and domesticated animals too.
Obviously the deer are very used to people walking by because they didn't even look at us as we passed them.
I love signs like this. I guess warning people not to walk on the rocks wasn't enough. So they added x-rays of broken bones...I love the damaged skull x-ray the most.
So this is what Lower Yosemite Fall looks like during a severe drought in California.
A close up reveals a small trickle of water cascading down the mountain.
But zoom out just a little and you see nothing.
So just imagine a raging torrent of water crashing on the rocks at the bottom sweeping someone who ignored the signs off his feet and crushing his skull on the rocks...now isn't that a great picture.
Like I said in previous posts, everywhere you look in the valley is beautiful.
We finally made it to the visitor center. We always support the parks by purchasing items in the bookstores at every visitor center. The bookstores are usually run by non profit associations that support the parks and they have the best maps and hiking guides. Of course talking to the rangers that not only work here but live here is a great way to discover the off the beaten path places to visit when in the parks.
Leaving Yosemite...
...and entering the Stanislaus NF.
We stopped here to stretch our legs on our way to San Francisco and discovered a great little tribute...
...and the aftermath of a huge fire here in 2013.
Fire scarred trees still standing on the left side.
Two firefighters are memorialized here. Since Chrissy has a family member with this same name that passed away a few years ago, this one hit a little closer to home for us.
But both David and Eva should be recognized for choosing to risk their lives to protect these public areas for everyone else to enjoy. We humbly bowed our heads and thanked them.
I took this picture as part of the project on the sign below...
...I thought this was a great idea and loved that the group that put it here is known as Nerds for Nature. Check it out at http://rimfire.whollyh2o.org
We spent the rest of the day driving to San Francisco. After settling into our hotel, we headed out to see one of our favorite bands.
After dinner at Herbivore on Divisadaro Street, we walked over the The Independent to see Vintage Trouble. Greg Holden was the opening act and he was very good. You might know him for his song "Home" that was a hit for American Idol Phillip Phillips. Then Vintage Trouble put on their always solid show of rocking R&B and soul. The crowd at this small club danced and sang along to every song. So even though it was a late show and we'd been up for nearly 20 hours...
...we stuck around after the show to meet the band. While in line we struck up a conversation with a photographer that knew the band...we talked about the huge free festival, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass going on in Golden Gate Park this weekend, music and photography.
Rick Barrio Dill & Ty Taylor after signing a CD for Christy. We caught a cab back to the hotel. So during our late night drive through San Francisco, I thought about starting our day hiking in Yosemite and ending it in a small club in SF watching a great band perform their songs...Life is beautiful on days like this.
No comments:
Post a Comment