Yosemite National Park

Alyx and I find ourselves with lots of great photos whenever we go on vacation. If we took every picture we love and made prints of them, we'd have thousands, and you would spend days and days sifting through them. So, we need to go through a very painful process of choosing which ones we WON'T post and sell on our website.

So, we decided that this Blog was a prefect venue to post some really great pictures from vacations and trips in our past. Here are some pictures that were taken by me during a trip to Yosemite Valley for Alyx's birthday some years back.

Yosemite - Cloud-Spotted Valley
Yosemite - Cloud-Spotted Valley

This trip was a single day adventure to the Yosemite Valley. This photo was taken on our way out near the end of the day. I loved the way a few puffy clouds dotted the valley.

Yosemite - Artistic Tree Roots
Yosemite - Artistic Tree Roots

This fallen tree can be found on the south side before you get to the valley. It's in one of the first hiking trail areas that have some of the tallest redwoods of the Yosemite area (or the world, for that matter). What caught me about this image was the radial patterns made by the combination of the roots and the shadows and light.

Yosemite - Bridalveil Falls Mist
Yosemite - Bridalveil Falls Mist

 

Bridalveil Falls is one of the most popular sights in the Yosemite Valley. We were lucky that this particular spring had a good amount of rain and snow, so there was still a great flow of water in June. We got quite close on this brilliantly sunny day, and the mists made for a wonderfully atmospheric portrait of this majestic waterfall.

 

 

Yosemite Valley - Mountainous Granite
Yosemite Valley - Mountainous Granite

 

For those that have never been to Yosemite National Park, what makes it the awesome spectacle that it is, is just the immensity of the rock formations. Massive boulders of rock, separated by massive amounts of space (air). In this picture I tried to show the comparison between the flat expanse of meadow on the valley floor, and then this massive chunk of granite the size of a mountain (which it is), plopped right in the middle of it. Remember, most of the trees you see at the base are about the size of a 5-story building already.

 

Yosemite Valley Crying Arches
Yosemite Valley Crying Arches

Even within the massive formations are infinitely numerous and wonderful forms of nature. The above picture is of the Royal Arches, but I loved how the vertical stripes of the dripping water cut perpendicular to the lines of the arches.

Yosemite - Half Dome from the Valley Floor
Yosemite - Half Dome from the Valley Floor

Here is your obligatory picture of Half Dome taken from the valley floor.

Ahwahnee Lodge Greenery
Ahwahnee Lodge Greenery

If you're ever at Yosemite, it's worth it to visit the Ahwahnee Lodge. It's a gorgeous lodge that has nice dining, and of course, awesome views. Even if you don't stay there, or dine there, you can still look around, learn some of it's history, and stand in their huge walk-in fireplaces. Seriously, the openings are about 5 feet tall. This picture was taken just outside and the perfect leaves and the fabulous green makes this one of my favorite pictures, even though there's nothing famous about it.

As you leave the valley, and I'll leave the blog with this, there are mini-falls at the side of the road. Some bigger, some smaller, but all beautiful and dotted here and there as you drive. Sometimes it is hard to find a spot to pull over to take pictures and not stop traffic, but there are still plenty of opportunities to do so. Here is one of my favorite little nooks half way up the valley slope.

Yosemite Valley Slope Mini-Falls
Yosemite Valley Slope Mini-Falls

I hope you had a good time taking this mini vacation with me. If you like the photos, be sure to visit our website for more. www.masartwork.com. And don't forget to comment below, just for the heck of it.

Thanks,

Craig.

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Comments

  • Glad they brought back some good memories, & thanks for the compliments.  We didn't get to dine at the restaurant, so I guess we'll have to go back . . . cuz I LOVE me some Key Lime Pie!  :o)

  • Awe inspiring!  I traveled there with my family as a teenager, thanks for helping me relive those happy memories!  We stayed at the Ahwahnee Inn, I remember it well...what a beautiful place!  I also remember having my very first slice of key lime pie for dessert in the hotel's dining room...delish.  Your photographs are truly lovely.

  • WOW!  What a great story, Roxanne.  I'm sure that girl will be telling that one for decades.  :o)

    You really should check out Yosemite.  It's as breathtaking as I imagine Yellowstone & the Grand Tetons are (that's on our bucket lists).

    Glad you liked these pictures.  If you have any from your trip, we'd love to see them.

    Take care,

    Alyx & Craig

    MAS Artwork

    www.masartwork.com/

    http://masartwork.wordpress.com/

  • I'll have to put it on my bucket list.  

    We camped next to a couple of guys between Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons who told us a story about Yosemite.  Seems they ran into a couple of girls who decided to sleep under the stars there one night.  One of the girls woke up in the morning to find a black bear licking the berry flavored lip gloss off of her lips!  She had to play dead until he finished!

    Thanks for sharing the pictures with us.

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