On the Road is a weekday feature spotlighting reader photo submissions.
From the exotic to the familiar, whether you’re traveling or in your own backyard, we would love to see the world through your eyes.
Bears, butterflies and flowers. And that’s just the first two photos! ~WaterGirl
BigJimSlade
When Yosemite announced plans to reopen this summer, my wife jumped online and found a room at the Yosemite Valley Lodge. They would normally be sold out just 5 or 6 weeks ahead, but this year has cancellations… so a 4-day trip was our consolation prize for not going back the to the Alps for 2 weeks. Last year we had big plans in Yosemite – we hiked up Half Dome (I should do another post for that). This year, we were just happy to go there and hike again.
On the way there, we drove down Glacier Point Road to Bridalveil Creek Campground, which was closed, but we were there to hike along the creek through the mixed forest and meadow. To take pictures of butterflies, one must walk softly and carry a big lens! (OK, my camera is a micro four-thirds, so the lenses are smaller than average. I have really enjoyed using the 40-150mm – 2x crop factor, so 80-300mm in full frame terms – in the last year or so, after years of ignoring it!)
My wife was nervous, but I was thrilled to see a big bear within our first couple hours in the park! It was probably 50 yards away or so. I had the zoom on and it was checking me out – perfect!
Everyone has seen the view of Yosemite Valley from the tunnel view, but with the zoom lens you can enjoy the flanks of Clouds Rest behind Half Dome. I should make a black and white version of this. You can also see the Four Mile Trail zigzagging up in the foreground, going from the valley to Glacier Point, which we would do the next day. You get a good view of the switchbacks from the Yosemite Falls trail, too. That’s what caught my attention last year and put it on the list for this year.
From the Four Mile Trail you get a great view of Yosemite Falls, which was quickly drying up. The Yosemite Falls Trail follows the trees and boulders on the left side of the falls. Much of the trail is steep and has southern exposure – it heats up, and it’s busy with visitors learning what hiking up nearly 3,000 feet is like!
Profile of Sentinel Point. The Four Mile Trail gives you dozens of views of its face, which is like the bottom of an iron.
The bottom of Vernal Falls, with a guy taking a selfie on the rocks.
Here’s another I should turn to black and white – a nice close up of Half Dome zoomed in from Glacier Point.
To beat the heat, we were getting up at 5:15am. The valley was getting up to around 90 degrees everyday. So this is a picture of our view while eating breakfast after hiking up to Vernal and Nevada Falls – this is just above Nevada Falls. Not too bad for handheld long exposure (not that long, less than a second, but hooray for IBIS – that’s internal body image stabilization)! Here’s another one for you.
eclare
Nice photos! They take me back about twenty years, when I was there last.
p.a.
Thanks! Half Dome from a distance is so iconic the close up really pops. Love the joke “you don’t have to outrun the bear, you only have to outrun one other person running from the bear…”
?BillinGlendaleCA
Nice shots. After my high school graduation, I went with my church group for a backpacking trip from Glacier Point to the Little Valley and then up to Half Dome. I still treasure the pics I took with my Olympus OM-1.
Last week one of the folk I follow on Instagram posted a selfie she took just after climbing down from Half Dome(she’s a peakbager), it looked like it’d be taken on Mars.
satby
It’s been 40 years since I went to Yosemite. I was a huge Ansel Adams fan and took about half my pictures using the zone system in B&W. I would love to go back some day.
raven
Nice!
JPL
The half dome is stunning and thank you for submitting all the photos.
Mustang Bobby
Yosemite has been on my bucket list for decades, and these photographs make me want to go even more. Thank you.
PS: Yeah, I’m back. New computer (Dell Inspiron 1400).
debbie
Just beautiful! It’s like my Ansel Adams calendar changed to color photographs overnight!
waynel140
Absolutely lovely. I just got an 18-300mm zoom that I’m anxious to try out. I too have a micro four-thirds and it isn’t too heavy to lug that big lens around. Yosemite is definitely on the bucket list, if this damn virus ever goes away.
Albatrossity
Beautiful! I love the close up of Half Dome.
Coincidentally just three years ago today I was in Yosemite with my son and daughter-in-law; she grew up in CA so had been to Yosemite many times. She had even ascended up the face of El Cap, which fact gave my son and I much newfound respect for her. But my son had not been there before, and it was great to see his face when we encountered these iconic views! Thanks for the memories.
There go two miscreants
Nice pix. Good thing that guy taking the selfie was there for scale on that one falls shot!
Mike in Oly
Great shots. Thanks for the tour!
Betty
Stunning pictures, large and small.
cintibud
Great photos! I finally went to Yosemite almost exactly six years ago with my daughter. My wife was going to join us two years later but my Cardiologist strongly advised me from going. I’m now over those problems but nerve damage to my foot will probably prevent me from hiking more than 2 miles, less if going straight up like the 4 mile trail I really wanted to do.
I can look at your photos and dream though
SFBayAreaGal
Thank you for sharing your photos of Yosemite. I need to get back to my Yosemite. The last time I was there is about 10 years ago.
Dmbeaster
I love the photos and Yosemite. I am spoiled rotten as I have been there more times than I can remember – twice this year.
My favorite time to visit is in early May during low snow years. At that time, the waterfalls are at their peak, and wildflowers are everywhere in the lower elevations (dogwood alone makes the flower show remarkable). And Glacier Point and Tuolomne Meadows are open if the low snow allowed the highways to be plowed. Heck, I have been there in April when Glacier Point was open.
HinTN
Thank you for reminding me of the excellence of Yosemite. Just after Labor Day over 20 years ago I made it to the top of Half Dome from Currie Village. My plan for the next day was to walk up to Glacier Point but instead I bought a bottle of wine, a loaf of bread, and a hunk of cheese and sprawled on the walkway in the middle of the meadow. Got some funny looks from busy tourists.
BigJimSlade
@?BillinGlendaleCA: Hey, just came across something on petapixel and thought of your infrared photos.
BigJimSlade
Thanks everybody for the kind words – I seem get busiest just when my post goes up and I miss all comments and have to respond late :-/ Heck, I forgot this was even in the queue.
BigJimSlade
@eclare: Thank you!
BigJimSlade
@raven: Thanks
@debbie: Wow – really thanks!
BigJimSlade
@waynel140: Thanks, it took me a little bit to get used to thinking about telephoto shots after sticking to normal – to – slightly wide shots, but it’s fun!
BigJimSlade
@Albatrossity:
@There go two miscreants:
@Mike in Oly:
@Betty: Thanks to everyone!
BigJimSlade
@cintibud:
@SFBayAreaGal:
@Dmbeaster:
@HinTN: Thanks everyone!