Pacific Dogwood (Cornus nuttallii) blossom in Yosemite Valley, May 15, 2025

 There's rarely a bad time to visit Yosemite Valley, but one of the better times is when the Pacific Dogwood (Cornus nuttallii) tree is blooming. This usually happens from late April to mid-May, so many summer visitors to the park don't get to see this floral display.

The showiest part of the blossom are actually bracts that attach below the flowers of this tree. The flowers themselves are in the tight cluster in the middle.

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

El Capitan reflected in the Merced River, Yosemite National Park

 While visiting Yosemite National Park to photograph the "firefall effect", we stood on a bridge over the Merced River and noticed El Capitan's reflection in the still water. The sun was setting and the shadow of El Capitan's "nose" was already moving across the eastern wall towards Horsetail Fall. Unfortunately, Horsetail Fall was dry this year, 2022, so the firefall didn't have the drama that we were hoping for, but this image helped make up for it.

The image was actually two images captured with a Samsung 152 smartphone and merged together to create a larger image. ISO 100, f 2.2, 1/100 sec, 13 mm equivalent focal length

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

Moonbow in Upper Yosemite Falls as seen from Glacier Point, Saturday, June 22, 2024

 As we have tried to do just about annually, we visited Yosemite Valley to see, photograph, and videograph moonbows in Yosemite Falls. On this trip, we made a point of visiting all three of the vantage points that Brian Hawkins predicts on his yosemitemoonbow.com web site.

We started with Glacier Point, especially since Rick hadn't seen the moonbow from that viewpoint before. Here is one of the photos that we got from there on Saturday, June 22, 2024, the night of the full moon. From this perspective, the moonbow doesn't really show up as an arc of white light like it does from the Lower Yosemite Falls viewpoint, which makes it more difficult to discern when the moonbow is actually happening.

Please check out YouTube video "What is a Moonbow?" to learn more about this phenomenon.

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

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!

California Bush Poppy at El Portal, outside of Yosemite National Park, May 29, 2021

 Bob caught this shot of a California Bush Poppy (Dendromecon rigida) in full bloom while visiting Yosemite National Park in May 2021.  This particular shrub was blooming in El Portal, outside of the Arch Rock Entrance to Yosemite.  The blooming season for this species is April to July.

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

Upper Yosemite Falls, moonbow, and Half Dome, Yosemite National Park, California, April 24, 2021

 Bob was looking through his photos from April 24, 2021 and realized that he captured a moonbow in this photo.  He was trying to capture a moonbow from this perspective, but thought that clouds from a passing storm wouldn't allow enough moonlight through to create a moonbow or that the angle from this perspective was wrong for seeing one.  See our other postings on moonbows for a description of what they are.

In this photo, which he shot from the Yosemite Falls Trail, is Upper Yosemite Falls, the moonbow hovering over the Middle Cascade, and Half Dome.

Upper end of Yosemite Valley from the Four Mile Trail, July 22, 2020

 

Here's a photo taken in Yosemite National Park showing Tenaya Canyon to the left and the Merced River Canyon to the right with Half Dome in the center. On the right, you can see Vernal Fall and Nevada Fall. Rick took this photo from the Four Mile Trail during what he calls his "Overnight Day Trip." He was able to get to Yosemite from Fresno by taking the YARTS bus. He didn't have the chance to get a day-use permit or an overnight permit, but you can still get into Yosemite if you arrive on the YARTS bus. The Four Mile Trail to Glacier Point is actually about 4 and a half miles long. The view opens up to the east after 3 to 4 miles up what is a relentlessly uphill climb. This was Rick's first time on this trail despite all the times he's been to Yosemite over the years (more than 180 visits). He expects to hike this trail again soon. He accidentally got his shadow in the picture at the lower right. It was after 6 pm and the sun was getting low enough in the sky to make that happen.

This image is the result of two images being merged together. Each image was taken with a Motorola z4 smartphone, merged, and then processed for brightness and contrast in Digikam on a Linux computer. 

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

Comet NeEOWISE and the Big Dipper over Yosemite Valley

Here's a photo showing a slowly fading Comet NEOWISE C/2020 f3 below the Big Dipper. I was in Yosemite on the south rim next to Sentinel Creek with a clear view of the sky. I was hoping to get a view of the comet floating above El Capitan, but the moon was just past new and was setting so there was no light for the landscape. So I turned my attention to getting pictures of the comet with the Big Dipper so it would have recognizable stars around it. It's above two stars in the constellation Leo Minor. It's closest to the earth on this night, but farther from the sun so it's not as brighter as before.

ISO 6400, 30-second exposure, f4, focal length 20mm. This image was cropped to high light the constellation and comet below. 

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

The Yosemite firefall effect with a dry Horsetail Falls, February 23, 2020

The 2020 Yosemite firefall as seen from the El Capitan Picnic Area in Yosemite Valley.  After a very wet and snowy winter last winter, the 2019 to 2020 winter has turned very dry.  Horsetail Falls had no water in it, but the sun still put its slit of reddish setting sun light on the spot where it would've been.  This photo is from February 23rd 2020.  Clouds on the western horizon toyed with us off and on blocking and then unblocking the setting sun's light, but ultimately obscured the sun when the peak of redness should have happened.

This photo was about the best we got of the setting sun's light on the eastern flank of El Capitan.

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

Climbing a Simple Route in Yosemite, plus bobcats

This photo was taken at the end of a climbing session in Yosemite. We were climbing this simple route up to the tree at the top of the picture. We took turns belaying each other. Rick took a photo of Bob from the top of the route. Lots of beginner climbing classes come to this area to get people started. This is also along the trail between Camp 4 and Yosemite Falls.

While here we also had a family of bobcats walk past us. It consisted of a mother and 2 kittens. One of the kittens was lingering behind, so we didn't get a very good picture with all three together.

 

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

Nevada Falls and rainbow in Yosemite National Park, California

We were on a hike in Yosemite National Park and were between Vernal and Nevada Falls when we saw this view of Nevada Falls from next to the Merced River.

Nevada Falls is 594 feet tall and was gushing with water during our visit after a good snowfall year.  This flow of water kicked up a huge mist in front of the falls and produced this brilliant spectrum.

Vernal and Nevada Falls are both in Little Yosemite Valley, which, like many of Yosemite's features, was carved out by glaciers.

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

Yosemite firefall with avalanche, El Capitan and Horsetail Falls

Yosemite has become famous for what's called the firefall effect.  In mid to late February the setting sun's last rays of light turn red and shine on the eastern flank of El Capitan right on a spot where an ephemeral waterfall is flowing, provided there's enough runoff from its small 40-acre watershed.  Of course, the effect also requires a clear horizon in the West.

This image, taken on February 16, 2019, shows the spot on El Capitan where the setting sun's reddening light shines during this time of year.  Although the Horsetail Falls' watershed had lots of snow in it, the weather had been cold enough that not a lot of it was melting off and flowing into the waterfall.  Some water was flowing in the fall, but there were also some spots where snow and ice was stuck on this cliff and would occasionally break off and avalanche.  In the vertical stripe of red above, the separate dash of red on the right near the bottom is actually an avalanche catching the setting sun's burning light.

We didn't catch this image with our still cameras.  This is actually a still frame from the video we shot of the firefall.  We didn't see this avalanche when it happened, but we saw it on our video clips after we left.  From our spot on the south side of the Merced River, we could hear an occasional avalanche, but by the time we heard them, they were done with, since the sound took so long to reach us.

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

Half Dome with a cloudy scarf

Got this image on a winter trip last February to Yosemite Valley. The clouds formed small puffs of cotton around Half Dome and slowly drifted around it. This cloud moved into just the right spot as the sun was getting lower in the sky, that its shadow went all the way across the face of Half Dome. Another nice feature was the snow on top of Half Dome and on the ridge west of Half Dome, too.

The ISO was set for 100, shutter speed at 1/250 sec, and the f/stop was 5.6. This was taken right about 5 PM so it was getting close to sunset for the third week in February. Taken from the Sentinel Bridge in Yosemite Valley.

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

Half Dome with a cloud on a bright sunny day

Half Dome is Yosemite's most iconic feature. It has many moods depending on the lighting, the presence of clouds, the season, and the angle from which you view it. This photo was taken from Sentinel Bridge, a popular spot from which to photograph Half Dome. The bridge connects the Southside Drive to the Northside Drive over the Merced River in Yosemite Valley. The face of Half Dome is in shadow in the mornings and isn't lit up by the sun until the afternoon.

Normally, we avoid visiting Yosemite in the summer because of how crowded it can be, but from time to time, we do make a summer time visit. This image was taken in early June, 2010. Rick lives close enough to Yosemite that he can make a day trip to visit the park. This was early enough in the season that there was still some snow on Half Dome. This was before the big five-year drought that California experienced. the dark trees in the image provide a nice framing effect and the cloud capping off Half Dome adds interest.

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

Yosemite Falls reflected in a seasonal pond in Cooks Meadow

This is Yosemite Falls as viewed from the Sentinel Bridge parking area. During the spring and early summer, Cooks Meadow fills with meltwater and runoff to become a temporary pond. If you stand in the right spot and crouch down a bit, you can get the falls and its reflection in one shot. We've also taken multiple shots from this perspective and combined them, but this one was taken in one frame with a film camera in 1992. The trees have had another 25 years worth of growth since this was taken and are noticeably taller now.

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

First Hike to the Top of Yosemite Falls, June 2, 2007

We've just posted a video about my (Rick's) first hike to the top of Yosemite Falls. I went with my wife, Mally, and her brother, Art, on June 2, 2007. Before starting out from Camp 4, we saw a car damaged by a marauding bear. The hike involves covering 3.2 miles and gaining 2425 feet in elevation. That's 5.15 km distance and 739 meters elevation.

Here's the link to our video: https://youtu.be/0jmZVzwASW8

Remember, it's not just a picture (video), 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!

Half Dome at sunset in Yosemite Valley

Sunset at Yosemite Valley with the magnificent Half Dome as the main subject. There's North Dome at the left in this view. We've posted a photo of Half Dome as seen from the top of North Dome in an earlier section of our blog. We've been to the top of Half Dome three times, and Rick has been to the top of North Dome twice. One thing about the angle that Half Dome's face has in relation to the sun is that it is very often in shadow in the morning and isn't fully lit until the afternoon. There are now people hiking to the top of Half Dome at all hours of the day. We've met people started their hike to the top of Half Dome late at night because they wanted to witness the sunrise from the top the next morning.

Camera settings were 1/125 sec. f/5.6, ISO 100, 32 mm focal length.

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

The Moon rising in the Yosemite area before sunset

The nearly full moon will rise before the sun has completely set. Here's a picture in the Yosemite area taken from Yosemite Valley looking southeasterly at the rising moon with the landscape still being lit by the sun. We were in Yosemite to get moonbow pictures. Fortunately we were there early enough to get the moon rise, as well.

Camera was set at f/4 and 1/60 sec and was handheld. The ISO wasn't recorded. This image was taken using an ultra-high definition camcorder that can also take 20 megapixel stills.This was originally a 20 megapixel still image, but has been cropped and then resized for our blog.

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

Half Dome accompanied by a nearly full moon

Yosemite National Park's most famous landmark, Half Dome, accompanied by a nearly full moon in spring. On Half Dome, the small feature that protrudes from the top edge is called "The Visor." We've been to the top of Half Dome three times and each time we've heard people refer to that feature as "The Diving Board". But the "Diving Board" is a feature along the same ridge as Half Dome but is well below and not part of Half Dome. Ansel Adams took a famous photo of Half Dome from the Diving Board called "The Monolith."

To get this image, we stood in the Ahwahnee Meadow 2 nights before the actual full moon hoping to line up the eastern edge of Half Dome with the moon as it rose. A night or two before the full moon is often best for these kind of shots because the sun will still be up enough to light the scenery you want to include with the moon. Especially in a steep place like Yosemite Valley, waiting until the night of the full moon to try a get a photo that combines the landscape with a rising moon will be more difficult since the sun will have already set by the time the moon is high enough to be seen with the landscape.

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