Yellow-bellied marmot on the move, Kings Canyon

The yellow-bellied marmot is also called the rock chuck, closely related to the wood chuck. We encountered this one at our campsite in Evolution Valley in the northern region of Kings Canyon National Park. It was the morning after a rainy evening and we were setting our gear out to dry in the morning sun. This marmot came along, seemed to have something to eat while hiding in a crevice, then came out to search around the area for more food. It didn't seem to mind our presence that much, so we had a chance to take 20 - 30 images.

I used my camera that has a 50x zoom lens so we didn't have to be that close. We didn't want to disturb him and for him to show natural behaviors. I got lucky in taking this image while he had his rear right foot off the ground while he was on the move. He hung around camp for about 20 minutes or so.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story!

Cascade along Grouse Lake Creek in Yosemite's backcountry, Wawona area

On the second night of a three-day backpacking loop trip in the backcountry of southern Yosemite National Park, we camped near this cascade along a tributary of Chilnualna Creek.  This tributary flows out of Grouse Lake. This was just a hint of what was ahead of us as we looped back to Wawona and followed Chilnualna Creek back down the slope.  Chilnualna Creek forms a number of cascades and waterfalls before forming the biggest drop Chilnualna Falls, a 240 foot drop into a cataract.

We enjoyed this little cascade as our dining spot not far from where we camped in our hammocks. Getting an image with the feathery effect is accomplished by using a slow shutter speed. The shutter speed for this image was 2 seconds with an ISO of 50 and f/stop of 22.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story.

Half Dome view in the winter, before and after

We skied out on the Glacier Point Road in Yosemite to look down on Yosemite Valley during the winter. Clouds moved across the sky and obscured our view. We stopped at the Washburn Point turnout and saw a cloud bank. Rick thought it made an interesting image of Bob's silhouette against the gray clouds. A few seconds later, the clouds separated enough to see Half Dome in the distance. These two images make a very interesting "before and after."

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story!

Sugar Pine Trail, Rails to Trails, Fresno Clovis

The Sugar Pine Trail in Fresno and Clovis is an example of a rail to trail project. I use it regularly for jogging and biking. So, I've made a video describing it and it's on our YouTube channel. It actually has the record in the Guinness Book of World Records for the most trees planted, 4400, by 3000 volunteers.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story!