National Parks
Yosemite National Park - February 18-20, 2005
Yosemite National Park - February 18-20, 2005
I finally made it to Yosemite President's Day weekend after getting snowed out during New Years. This trip didn't
prove much better. I went with Randy and we were rained on nearly nonstop with daytime highs never getting out of the 30s. The
rain was persistent
enough to result in puddles in Randy's tent giving us the opportunity to see what Yosemite Lodge, just west of the Hwy 140
entrance, had to offer. Nevertheless, we enjoyed Yosemite Valley, biking the floor to and from Camp4 and all the
famed attractions: Yosemite Falls, El Capitan, Bridalveil Falls, Mirror Lake, etc ... You'll notice no pictures of Half Dome,
however. It was behind fog and clouds for the duration of our visit.
The famed El Capitan.
Yosemite National Park entrance sign from Highway 140 (El Portal).
Mirror Lake
The rocky stream flowing from the base of Bridalveil Falls.
A young Sequoia that was fun to squeeze in and out of. We dubbed it the "Birthing Tree!"
Fog enshrouded Upper Yosemite Falls.
Yosemite National Park - May 13-14, 2006
Tree huggers Mike and Shelley!
Roj and Tracey, old POCers of yore, presently living in Chicago, decided to vacation in Yosemite. All the West coast POCers
managed to make it to Yosemite for various parts of the weekend. Mike and I were looking to hike a lot in preparation for our
Half Dome hike in June. Sunday we managed to steal Tracey and hike around in Mariposa Grove to see the Giant Sequoias!!
Holy Cow! Those things are huge!! The image below is 5 snapshots stitched together. Mike and Tracey are at the base for
perspective.
These trees are the largest on earth by sheer volume (there are other trees that are wider at the base and there are other trees that are taller). The giant ones are ~3,000 years old!!
Mariposa Grove is the largest collection of Giant Sequoias. There are many other giants outside the grove, especially in Sequoia National Park, but not so many in such a collection, or grove. Mariposa Grove is segmented into an upper and lower grove. Most visitors tend to stay in the lower grove where all the famed attractions are: Tunnel Tree, Clothespin Tree, Grizzly Giant, etc ... But the real glory is in the upper grove. Its a bit more of a hike ... uphill, but well worth it. In the upper grove you'll find more giants in a denser arrangement. You truely feel insignificant in this giant forest.
These huge trees have teeny-tiny pine cones that require tremendous heat (i.e. fire) to germinate. Eventhough forest fires are often thought of as detrimental and dangerous, they are necessary for the survival of Sequoias. Another interesting tidbit we learned is that Sequoias have lasted so long because their wood is not good enough for lumbering. The wood is rather brittle and hollow. It is not of dense enough quality to prove useful. The Sequoias' strength is its weakness. ;-)
These trees are the largest on earth by sheer volume (there are other trees that are wider at the base and there are other trees that are taller). The giant ones are ~3,000 years old!!
Mariposa Grove is the largest collection of Giant Sequoias. There are many other giants outside the grove, especially in Sequoia National Park, but not so many in such a collection, or grove. Mariposa Grove is segmented into an upper and lower grove. Most visitors tend to stay in the lower grove where all the famed attractions are: Tunnel Tree, Clothespin Tree, Grizzly Giant, etc ... But the real glory is in the upper grove. Its a bit more of a hike ... uphill, but well worth it. In the upper grove you'll find more giants in a denser arrangement. You truely feel insignificant in this giant forest.
These huge trees have teeny-tiny pine cones that require tremendous heat (i.e. fire) to germinate. Eventhough forest fires are often thought of as detrimental and dangerous, they are necessary for the survival of Sequoias. Another interesting tidbit we learned is that Sequoias have lasted so long because their wood is not good enough for lumbering. The wood is rather brittle and hollow. It is not of dense enough quality to prove useful. The Sequoias' strength is its weakness. ;-)
