Dave & Meredith's Travel Blog

We moved south again after our visit with Eddie and Amy to spend three nights in Yosemite National Park. 

We left Lake Tahoe later than we planned, but it turns out our timing was perfect!  As soon as we had reached the floor of Yosemite Valley, just around dusk, we spotted…a bear!  Actually two.  We saw the first bear right by the side of the road.  We stopped the car a short distance away and signaled to the oncoming driver to stop.  We all proceeded to watch the bear cross the road.  We thought it was over after that, but then the bear came back across the road with a cub following her!  The mama and cub hung out at the side of the road together for a minute, and then they ran off into the woods.  What a welcome to Yosemite!

Sorry, no pictures of the bears.  Dave was driving, and it happened so quickly, we couldn’t get the camera out in time.  They were black bears (no more grizzlies left in California, sadly).  We didn’t see other wildlife while at the park (other than birds and squirrels).  Perhaps they were trying to hide under rocks to stay dry. 

I suppose now is a good time to mention that it rained while we were in Yosemite.  A lot.  There were a few moments of light showers when we were able to do a little touring of the park, but most of the time, we experienced steady, heavy rain.  In fact, it was fairly difficult to see the features of Yosemite because the main valley was often filled with clouds.  This did have one positive side-effect: waterfalls.  By fall each year, most of Yosemite’s waterfalls are dry.  However, because of the rain, those falls that had been dry before we arrived were running nicely by the time we left, and those that were at a trickle when we arrived were rushing torrents by the time we left.

So, the photographic opportunities were a bit scant for us in Yosemite.  That’s okay.  It’s not a very photogenic park anyway.  No one ever got famous by taking pictures of this place.*  Here are some shots Dave got when the clouds were somewhat cooperative:

Yosemite Valley including El Capitan (left), Briadalveil Falls (right) and a very faint Half Dome in the distance

Half Dome towers above Mirror Lake and Yosemite Valley

 Half Dome shot from Glacier Point; while it rained on us, it snowed on the peaks in the distance

– Meredith

* With the possible exception of Ansel Adams. 😉