Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Yosemite National Park





Yosemite National Park is best known for its waterfalls. John Muir, well-known naturalist who explored this area extensively, said: "The clearest way into the universe is through a forest wilderness." In addition to its well-known waterfalls, much of Yosemite is still roadless wilderness. 

We have pictured two of the best known waterfalls in Yosemite, Bridal Veil (first photo) and Yosemite Falls (second photo). These falls are magnificent in themselves but the area surrounding them is some of the most rugged in the Sierras. 

El Capitan is another familiar landmark in Yosemite. It is a huge, bald, granite rock which towers thousands of feet above the valley floor. The last picture gives you an idea of the ruggedness of the Park.

The northern portion of Yosemite is roadless. There are many hiking trails, most of which require skilled, well-prepared hikers. 

In mid-March, when we visited Yosemite, many of the roads and campground facilities were still closed. The drive to the Park entrance and into the campground was over the most challenging mountain roads we've driven on in this trip. Our campground in the Park, Wawona, was on the south fork of the Merced River. After two nights, we left just ahead of a spring storm that deposited new snow at the higher elevations in the Park.

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