Arch Rock along the Sierra Vista Scenic Byway, Sierra National Forest, California

 This is the rather generically named Arch Rock along the Sierra Vista Scenic Byway in the Sierra National Forest.  This byway is east of Oakhurst, California and south of Yosemite National Park.  Rick is crouched behind it in the first photo and we're both in front of the arch in the second to give you an idea of its size.  This arch is made of granodiorite and has a span of 28 feet, a height of 3-1/2 feet, a thickness of 17 inches, and a width of 26 inches.  It made us think of a big, exposed pipe or a big lathe.

We've produced a video about out visit to this arch.  You can see it on our YouTube Channel at:

https://youtu.be/tOcCNc-ZFwo

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

Swallowtail butterfly and Kelleys Lily, Sierra Vista Scenic Byway, California

 On Sunday,June 13, 2021 we drove the Sierra Vista Scenic Byway out of the town of North Fork, California.  It's in the Sierra National Forest.  We wanted to do the loop, but a bridge had collapsed because it burned during a forest fire, so we had to turn around and go out the way we came in.  By this happy accident, we saw this patch of Kelleys Lilies, which we had missed on our way in.

This photo is a still from video Bob shot of this swallowtail butterfly visiting this lily blossom.

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

Kelley's lily in bloom along the Sierra Vista Scenic Byway

 

While driving along the Sierra Vista Scenic Byway in the Sierra National Forst on June 13, 2021. We came across several spots with blooming flowers along the road. Much of this area was burned last year, so it was nice to see some still lush and green spots. This flower is called Kelley's lily (Lilium kelleyanum)and is related to the tiger lily or leopard lily. It was growing tall out of a seep that flowed into a small creek. It was taller than we were, more than 6 feet or 2 meters in height.

ISO 25, f1.8, 24mm equivalent, 1/685 sec.

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