Yosemite Falls, Top to Bottom (Sat. Aug. 22) - This picture is kind of dark because it was taken as soon as we got to Yosemite on the first day, which was in the afternoon, but I think the contrast is pretty cool. Glenn (my co-worker who was with me) and myself climbed some rocks that got us half way up the bottom part after this picture was taken. It gets dark in the valley quickly due to the shear cliffs.
Yosemite Falls from Top of Fall Trail (Sun. Aug. 23) - This picture was taken on the way up to the top of Yosemite Falls. This is more than half way up the 3.6 miles to the top. The trail switched back a lot (curved) and was pretty steep in places. I ran out of water at the end and we had to fill-up quickly at the campground at the base in the valley as soon as we got to the bottom.
Yosemite Valley from Top of Fall (Sun. Aug. 23) - This picture was taken after the 1st one above of me standing on the rock. This is looking the other way into the valley. It was an awe-inspiring sight!
The High Sierra, Vernal and Nevada Falls from Glacier Point (Mon. Aug. 24) - Monday morning we drove about an hour out of the valley to Glacier Point. I thought I saw that we were at about 8,000 feet above sea level. This is definitely a must see if you go to Yosemite. There is a 270 degree view of the valley and you can see almost all the major sights except El Capitan. In this shot, the High Sierra's are at the top of the picture, Vernal Fall is the fall in the middle of the screen that feeds Nevada Fall, the lower falls.
Half Dome and the Valley from Glacier Point (Mon. Aug. 24) - Half Dome is probably the most recognizable feature in the valley. There is a trail that is somewhere in the neighborhood of 17 miles to its summit and it takes 2 days to complete. Hopefully I can add a link here that has more info on Half Dome. Rock climbers come from all over to scale Half Dome and El Capitan, and can sometimes be seen hanging from their faces overnight as the climb is very difficult and long.
High Sierra from Glacier Point (Mon. Aug. 24) - FRom what (I'm sure) is a man-made rock formation, Half Dome can barely be seen on the right and two domes whose names escape me at this time are on the left.
Arches in Yosemite Valley (Sun. Aug. 23) - These arches have been eroding away in that shape and are also a signature of Yosemite.
Rocky Coast of the Pacific South of Monterey (Sat. Aug. 29) - A peek through some trees and over a cliff shows you why this is the setting for so many photos and TV commercials. It was a little cloudy/foggy and the winds and temperatures would change from gale force winds and about 40 degrees to 70 or so within about a mile.
Where the Mountains Meet the Ocean (Sat. Aug. 29) - This scene was repeated several times along Hwy. 1 and it never got old. At this point the clouds were rushing down off the mountains into the ocean. Not more than a mile or so farther, the winds were blowing swiftly onshore.
Clouded View of the Coast (Sat. Aug. 29) - This view would have been a lot better if the fog had lifted a bit. The hotter it is in the valley (Fresno area) inland, the closer to the coast the fog and clouds are. I'm assuming the best time to visit this are would be late fall to early spring.
The View from a Restaurant on Hwy. 1 (Sat. Aug. 29) - This view is from a restaurant with a great view of the coast. I could never get tired of this. The minute-by-minute changing weather would. The weather doesn't change (anywhere that I've seen) as fast as it does here.
View from a rock that struts out into the sea (Sat. Aug. 29) - Another great view of the ocean/coast from along the Pacific Coast Highway (Hwy. 1)
