Looking downstream along the Merced River, just inside the Yosemite entrance.
Being the end of summer, there was not much more than a trickle of water in this river.
Today was to be a more liesurely day, as we had our sunset photos, and it was time to explore the road on the way in.
Looking downstream along the Merced River, just inside the Yosemite entrance.
Being the end of summer, there was not much more than a trickle of water in this river.
Notice how tenacious nature can be - these two trees groing on top of this rock
pillar. This pillar is just visible in the middle of the photo above!
It's a trickle now, but in Spring when the snow melts, this can be quite an angry
river, as seen by the logs piled up among the rocks.
Bridalveil Falls as seen from the nearby parking lot. The dark areas on
the cliff indicate the size of the flow in Spring.
The top of Bridalveil Falls. Note the fracturing rocks to the left side
of the falls. The valley floor is littered with large boulders which
break off; the main cause is water freezing in fissures in the rocks.
The volume expands during freezing which exerts pressure on the rocks. Then
it warms, and the pressure declines. Over the years, the rock is weakened
to the point where it will break away. And is totally unpredictable.
One of the rocks below Bridalveil Falls. One would not want to be there
when something like that comes off. People have been killed by falling
rocks in Yosemite, and just recently (June 2012) some camping areas have
been closed due to rock falls (based on previous experience in that area).
Even though it was 11AM, many parts of the valley are still in shadow from
the surrounding cliffs. The air was also hazy, and thus the "sunshine" can
be seen in this photo.
The sun creeping over the plateau to the south is starting to light up these
rugged cliffs.
Sunset in the Valley
Sentinel Meadow
Reunion