| After a few days in the northwest quadrant of Yosemite, we headed to the valley--famous, magnificent Yosemite Valley. In contrast to where we'd been, the valley surrounding Yosemite Village was crowded: cars, tour busses, hordes of tourists, and a McDonalds were some of the new and unwelcome discoveries in the park. |
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Crowds notwithstanding, waterfalls and awe-inspiring vistas abound
at the central, more popular section of the park. x Yosemite Falls, ranks as the 16th tallest waterfall in the world--with a total drop of 2,425 feet. The Upper Fall section alone, visible at left, is 1,430 feet--taller than the World Trade Center was. Click on one of the waterfalls (left or below) for an amusing video.
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| Tourists below (myself included) enjoy a picturesque view of the recognizable half-dome. Shot taken from Sentinel Bridge. |
| We hiked to the base of the Upper Yosemite Falls, traversing across slippery rocks and the spray of falling snowmelt. Once past the trail and on under the fall of water, the crowds dissipated. I plopped down on a dry rock, appreciating the midsummer melt (apparently, Yosemite Falls is a faucet on high in the spring and a dried up well in the fall). While I sat contentedly, Beth jumped ahead into the green-blue pool of pure water assembled at the mid-stage of the fall. She swam out to a rock, pulled herself up, and stood directly underneath Upper Yosemite. Pulling her hair back, she hollered out for me--and I snapped one of my favorite photographs of the adventurous woman of my dreams (below). |
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| Fearing I could never live down the cowardice of not joining her, I stashed my camera and threw myself into the icy cold glacial runoff. I swam from one rock to the next and joined my brave lady on the rock. We had the greatest view of the world from her unique perch. |
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The photographs at left and below (and at the top of the page) were
taken from the photogenic Glacier Point, later in the afternoon (once
we had dried off). |
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