Thursday, March 22, 2012

Yosemite Valley

                   When you first drive into the valley, you are visually assaulted by the most beautiful view as soon as you come out of the tunnel.


Up until the week we got to the area, they had been experiencing one of the driest years in recorded history. Lucky for us the weather broke while we were here. The town we stayed in, Oakhurst, recorded 4.9 inches of rain from just one storm two days after we set up camp. This rain and snow really boosted the volume of the falls.


Our babies had a lot of fun in the snow.


The Yosemite Falls, upper and lower, were flowing quite a lot for the month of March.


    El Capitan had more than a dozen seasonal waterfalls that I have never seen before, compliments of the latest storm.


My first memories of the Ahwahnee Hotel were of 1962 when president Kennedy stayed here and came out on the balcony to wave to all the valley campers.

 

          Although Donna and I have never stayed at the Ahwahnee Hotel...something to do with the $300+ a night for a room...we have eaten breakfast in the their beautiful dining hall many times, very reasonable.

 

 When we were young I may of been able to tent camp in the snow ( I had done it many times) but now a days I'd be more willing to charge my Visa $300 and avoid the snow. brrrr!


On the way out we stopped at the Mariposa Big Trees.


Unfortunately the snow was too heavy and thick on the trails to see more than what we saw in the parking lot.












1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Looks like Yosemite of last spring. Beautiful photos, is that the new camera you are using? Looks like you have mastered the beast..
Jack