Sunday, September 15, 2019

Roaring River Fall, in Kings Canyon NP, plus a huge boulder


In Kings Canyon National Park, there aren't as many waterfalls as in Yosemite Valley, but this one is in a special setting. Roaring River Fall gets its name because of how loud the water is as it drops down the canyon. The shape of the canyon at this point actually helps to amplify the sound. Also in this image is a huge erratic boulder that was left behind after the glaciers melted during the last ice age. You can get to this feature by parking along the main road and walking a short distance. During the spring, you'll be able to hear it. This image was taken in September after a very wet winter earlier in the year. So there was still a lot of water in the river. During the spring, though, the water can be as high as the whitish line of the rock face that you can see to the right of the waterfall.

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

Thursday, September 12, 2019

Cave Falls in southwestern Yellowstone, long exposure.


We visited the southwestern corner of Yellowstone for the first time in early August 2019.  The highlight of the visit to this part of the park called the Bechler Region was Cave Falls.  It's also called the Cascade Corner because of the great number of cascades and waterfalls.  The river that forms these falls is the Falls River.  You can guess why.  This is the least developed part of Yellowstone and requires driving on dirt roads to reach.

Even though this waterfall is only thought to be 20 feet high, we've read that it's considered to be the widest of all the waterfalls in Yellowstone at 250 feet.

This photo was from the established overlook for visitors.  The "cave" that gave the falls its name was actually an alcove, the roof of which has collapsed.  The boulder field from that collapse is visible in the right middle of this image.  This boulder field is now marked as off-limits by the park in case additional rocks collapse onto the pile.

We visited the Bechler Region at the end of our trip to see the Steamboat Geyser erupt, so, after visiting Yellowstone for a few decades, we still got to experience things there that we had never experienced before.

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