Mount Rainier Enshrouded in Clouds

This is Mount Rainier showing the effect of high mountains creating their own weather. We saw a long line of people heading to the top of the mountain despite the clouds. Without the clouds, though, this would've been a completely sunny day. Mount Rainier is a volcano and the highest mountain in Washington state. It is considered a premier destination for mountaineers all around the world.

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!

Mono Lake's tufa towers with the snowy Sierra Nevada mountains in the distance, March 2016

This is the view from Mono Lake looking westward toward the peaks in Yosemite National Park. This image was recorded in the spring of 2016 while there was still snow on the Sierra Nevada crest and eastern face. The entire scene was well-lit by the morning sun rising in the east behind us. Rick wanted to create an image that had depth, so he included in this image the closer water, the line of tufa towers, two rolling hills at two different distances, and the higher hills before reaching the crest of the mountains. The tufa towers formed underwater when calcium-rich spring water flowed up into the lake with its carbonate-rich water. The calcium carbonate that results from the reaction of these basic components yields a solid tower. The calcium carbonate compound is the same material that makes up sea shells.

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

Yosemite's Half Dome with a nearly full moon rising during the winter

During a winter cross-country skiing trip, we were out during the time that the full moon wold be coming up alittle before the sun would set completely. That's what made this shot possible. To have the foreground lit up with the moon in the distance, you have to be out one or two days before the full moon. The Glacier Point Road is closed to cars during the winter, so one has to ski, snowshoe, or snow boot travel from Badger Pass to Glacier Point, a distance of about 10 and a half miles, one way. We camped out in the snow for one night, before heading back to Badger Pass.

In this image, you can see Half Dome, the Clark Range to the right, with Tenaya Canyon and North Dome to the left. The image is the result of merging 4 separate images together to get more detail.

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

Yosemite's Grizzly Giant sequoia

The Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias is at the southern end of Yosemite National Park.  It's a popular tourist destination during the summer and the highlight for many visitors is the Grizzly Giant sequoia tree.  It's 210 feet tall, has a 92-foot basal circumference, and is estimated to be 1800 years old.  The diameter of its lowest branch is bigger, at 6 feet, than the trunks of any of the non-sequoia trees in the grove.

This photo was taken during the winter when visitors must make their way over snow with snowshoes or skis, or, if the snow is firm enough, by hiking.  We merged three images together to show the full height of this massive tree. We've skied out to the Mariposa Grove many times. We've even camped farther up in the grove during the winter, when the Park Service treats it as a wilderness area.

Rick skiing toward the Grizzly Giant, Mariposa Grove, Yosemite.

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