The Robinson Twins camped in Yosemite along the Glacier Point Road

 

We went to Yosemite to check out Rick's new 4-season tent. We skied along Glacier Point Road and set up near the Sentinel Dome parking area. According to the reviews, this tent can have excessive condensation and needs better ventilation. That matches our experience with it. We've since learned that this model has been re-designed to improve ventilation, so now we have to figure out to accomplish that with the old design. 

The camera was set up on a tripod and we used a timer to get this image the next morning of the trip.

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!

Half Dome in the winter with clouds all around

To get this image, we skied out along the Glacier Point Road in Yosemite National Park. The road is open during the summer for people to drive to Glacier Point and look down at the view of Yosemite Valley and across at Half Dome. During the winter, the road isn't plowed, so getting to Glacier Point means skiing or snowshoeing, usually. You would park your car at the Badger Pass Ski Area, then ski or snowshoe 10.5 miles (about 17 km) to reach Glacier Point. This view is from along the road but before reaching the point itself. A couple of turnouts before the point offer spectacular views, as well.

This image was captured on film years ago and scanned more recently for inclusion on our blog.

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

Coyote near Sentinel Dome in Yosemite National Park in winter

On one of our many cross country ski trips along the Glacier Point Road in Yosemite National Park, we camped near Sentinel Dome late at night and didn't awaken until late the next morning.  As we were lying in our tent, we heard an animal trotting through the snow around us.  We looked outside and saw this coyote approach us as though he was expecting us to give him a handout.  Eventually he moved in closer and laid down in the snow and waited to see what we would do.  He was only about ten feet away.  While he waited, a second coyote bounded in and the two of them chased each other around until they both ran off.

 Actually we were a little concerned that the coyote might run off with a piece of our gear.  The night before as we were skiing in we encountered a couple of skiers heading out at about 3 A.M.  They told us that they had encountered a coyote a couple of hours earlier when they had stopped for a rest break.  The coyote was trying to get some food from them and they responded by throwing snowballs at him to shoo him away.  Eventually the coyote gave up, but not before grabbing one of their ski poles and running off with it.  The two skiers who told us this story asked us to keep an eye out for their friend who was trailing behind them.  As we continued skiing in, we encountered the other skier, who was using a roadside marker as a not-very-effective replacement ski pole, about twenty minutes later.  We let him know how far behind his friends he was and he thanked us and then said that he would do that coyote in, if he ever caught him.

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