A place along the Merced River, upstream of Mariposa. We stopped here because there
is an area to pull off the road! The road is on the left bank in this photo.
The track along the right hand bank was used by the
Yosemite Valley Railroad
which operated from Merced to El Portal (just outside the park entrance) from
the turn of the (20th) century until 1945.
Clearly a river in no hurry to get anywhere soon. How green the trees and shrubs
with the year long water supply, as opposed to those higher up the dry hills.
Though the lower trees will be inundated during snow melt in the park.
A better view of the former railroad track bed. Not also the difference
in vegetation above and below.
Rock falls are infrequent, but regular events in an area like this.
The gash in the cliff is the source of the boulder at the bottom and the
other boulders and debris leading back to the cliff.
The lighter colour rock is less weathered than the gray granite, indicating
where the above rubble originated. And that tree is quite tenacious, growing
on a cliff face - presumably in a crevice in the rocks which collected soil,
allowing the tree to grow. Now its roots are pressuring the rocks, which
will break off in time.
Jeffrey photographing the rock fall along the banks of the Merced River.
That's a good size boulder behind - it would have been alarming to have been
here when it came down.
A quiet pool along the river. The logs in the foreground would have been
washed down during Spring floods. Note the electricity pylon on the boulder
on the left. See next photo for details.
This is the boulder on the left side of the above photo. Note the debris
on top of the rock at the base of the pylon. Presumably a high water mark of
some sort. It does not appear to be a nest, as the collection has
no apparent structure.
Glacier Point
Valley Floor Views
Reunion