Yesterday we spent the day in the Lake Tahoe area. yes there is still lots of snow. it is the strangest thing we pull off the road to take pics of the views; on one side there is snow on the mountains, and a beautiful lake below, ski hills filled to the brim with skiers, hills alive with tobogganers, a golf course for those who are so inclined and when we reached the lake below there were children and adults playing on the sandy beach. Huge snow banks on the roads down the mountains and the views around every turn were stunning.
BUT today... Oh my! I won't even pretend to tell you these photos captured what we saw on our way in and through Yosemite National Park...this is the large and small of some of what we saw today. Enjoy!
This is a tree called Red Bud. It produces no fruit..these flowers turn to green leaves later in the season, but for now they are quite a spectacle all along the mountain roads.
Orange Indian Paintbrush
The Western Jay or Scrub Jay or often called the Stellar Jay. A little darker than our blue jays at home.
These guys were as interested in us as we were of them, and I had time shoot several pics but this one struck me funny. It seemed one was keeping watch one direction and the other the opposite direction.
This was some of the small of things and now for the large...hang on to your hat. It is amazing!
This was a HUGE rock slide that totally wiped out a very large part of the highway, causing us to be re-routed across the river. A little un-nerving to say the least. I found myself watching all the rocks along the side of the road...
After awhile the views won out though and I thought less of the falling rock and more of the huge standing ones.
No words.....
We spent time at the visitors centre and watched a native woman demonstrate several skills. There were many native artifacts including this beaded buckskin dress.
Again, the trees were huge...many of them were sequoias.
Standing in the roots of a fallen monarch.
I just had to show you another shot of El Capitan...a huge, shear granite rock face, that was once considered "unclimbable" but of course that changed in the late '50s. Better them than me, I say.
We spent a full day in Yosemite and barely scratched the surface of all there was to see and do.
The last leg of the trip on our way to Fresno I looked back from where we had travelled and there was a lovely full moon over the mountains...sigh....
I leave you with a little true story...a man pulled up to the rangers gate at the entrance to Yosemite National Park. He told the ranger he had just one hour to spend in the park, and asked what would be the best plan of action. The ranger pointed to a rock, and told the man if I were you I would just to go over there and sit and cry.
In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks.
John Muir
