YOSEMITE
WALKING IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF ANSEL ADAMS
YOSEMITE IS AN OVERSIZED LANDSCAPE OF WONDERS. DRIVING ON THE WINDING ROAD TO GET THERE, YOU CAN FEEL THE ALTITUDE BUT NOTHING THAT WILL AFFECT YOU. THE AIR IS AMAZING AND RICH. THE BEAUTY IS SPECTACULAR! EVERY CORNER YOU TURN, THE PERFECT PICTURE AWAITS BUT NOT VIA YOUR IPHONE. THIS IS PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY AT ITS BEST THAT CAN TRULY CAPTURE THE SIZE AND SCALE OF YOSEMITE.
MY FRIEND LEN PRINCE, COVERED IN LAST MONTH’S BUZZPOP, HAS SPENT HIS LIFE BEHIND THE LENS. HIS EYE IS INCREDIBLE. WE PICK A DESTINATION, LOAD OUR CAMERAS AND GO. THIS WAS A TRIP LIKE NO OTHER. THE AHWAHNEE GRAND HOTEL WAS FULLY BOOKED. THANKS TO LEN’S FAME, A ROOM MAGICALLY OPENED UP, OTHERWISE WE EXPECTED TO END UP AT ONE OF THE CABINS IN CURRY VILLAGE NEAR THE AHWAHNEE.
WE HAD LEFT LOS ANGELES AT 4AM AND GOT THERE AT 9AM and headed to the dining room for breakfast. the grand dining room is amazing but the experience has changed. unfortunately they changed to buffet style dining 2 years ago. it is not the same grand hotel experience. BUILT IN 1926-1927. 5,000 tons of stone, 1,000 tons of steel, and 30,000 feet of lumber HAD to be hauled UP TO the remote Yosemite Valley by FORD MODEL T TRUCKS AND NOT MUCH ELSE.
the ability to drive your car to many of the destination in Yosemite is a big plus. It was easy to unload and walk with full gear. if you want the waterfalls to be at full force, April and May are the best months as the snow caps melt. We were not disappointed! late spring is great as the leaves on many of the trees return.
the massive trees are dwarfed by half dome. it’s breathtaking in size and scale. cLimbers can handle that level of extreme climbing on a straight verticle face is fascinating!
yosemite is nature at it’s best. Ansel Adams loved being there for all of the right reasons. He would write his grandmother for money to purchase film and journals. Few have ever achieved the level of ANSEL ADAMS WORK with his deardorff 8x10, hasselblad and a Zeiss Contax.
the falls
WHEN THE LIGHT HITS THE CASCADING WATER FALLS THROUGHOUT YOSEMITE, THEY BECOME MAGICAL AS THE RADIANT MIST GLISTENS ON THE SURFACE OF THE SURROUNDING ROCKS.
THE AHWAHNEE
A GRAND HOTEL IN THE MIDDLE OF SOMEWHERE SPECIAL. IT HAS THE PERFECT AMOUNT OF AGE ON IT TO CALL IT HISTORIC. IT ALSO IS FROM A TIME IN CALIFORNIA HISTORY THAT MAKES IT MAJESTIC JUST LIKE YOSEMITE ITSELF. THE RUSTIC NATURE OF THE AHWAHNEE SET THE STAGE FOR FOLLOWING IN ANSEL ADAM’S FOOTSTEPS.
THE ROOMS WERE NOTHING SPECTACULAR, BUT THE MOOD OF THE AHWAHNEE IS VERY MUCH CLASSIC CALIFORNIA. IT FELT PERFECT FOR THE ADVENTURE. IT’S A BIT BEWILDERING HOW THEY MANAGED TO BUILD IT THERE. THERE ARE PLENTY OF PLACES TO SIT. LARGE FIREPLACES THAT INVITE YOU TO TELL STORIES OF THE DAY AND NOT TO STAY IN YOUR ROOM UNTIL YOU ACTUALLY WANT TO SLEEP.
RUSTIC BEAUTY
THE RUSTIC NATURE OF THE GRAND DINING ROOM IS EXPECTED AFTER SEEING THE EXTERIOR OF THE AHWAHNEE. IT IS QUITE THE EXPERIENCE TO LOOK AROUND AND THINK OF WHAT IT WAS LIKE FOR THE EARLY TRAVELERS OF THE LATE 1920S.
THE NATURE OF YOSEMITE
YOUR REALIZE WHEN WALKING THROUGH YOSEMITE THAT YOU ARE ONLY A GUEST OF NATURE. IT IS MUCH BIGGER THAN ANYONE COULD EVER BE, MAGICAL AND IN MANY WAYS, BREATHTAKING!
THE PALETTE OF NATURE THERE IS DEEP AND SO IS THE DIVERSITY OF PLANTS AND ANIMALS. THERE WAS A BOBCAT FAMILY VERY CLOSE TO THE AHWAHNEE. WE WERE WALKING BACK FROM BREAKFAST IN THE MORNING AND A WOLF WALKED RIGHT IN FRONT OF US. WE STOPPED AND DID NOT MOVE UNTIL HE WAS MUCH FURTHER AWAY OUT OF RESPECT FOR THE ANIMALS THERE.
THE AIR IS FRESH AND BRISK, SOME OF THE FRESHEST AIR I HAVE EVER EXPERIENCED IN MY LIFE, ESPECIALLY NEAR THE FALLS. THE MIST IS A NEGATIVE ION GENERATOR THAT GIVE YOU AN EXTRA BOOST OF ENERGY.
THE TREES ARE INCREDIBLY TALL, BUT NOT LIKE THE TREES IN SEQUOIA WHICH ARE MAMMOTH. TOGETHER EVERYTHING LIVES IN A BEAUTIFUL BALANCE. YOU CAN SEE THE AFFECTS ON OTHER TRAVELERS AS THEY LOOK AROUND IN AWE! ME INCLUDED! IT’S ALSO A VERY FUN PLACE TO BE. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU WENT EXPLORING? IT’S VERY MUCH LIKE THAT TYPE OF EXPERIENCE.
YES YOSEMITE CAN BE RELAXING, BUT NOT IN THE TRADITIONAL WAY. IT’S ALMOST A BIT OF EXHAUSTION THAT LEADS TO RELAXING LATER IN THE DAY BECAUSE YOU ARE MORE LIKELY TO BE MOTIVATED TO EXPERIENCE ALL YOU CAN WHILE YOU ARE THERE.
ALL PATHS LEAD SOMEWHERE
YOU CAN NOT POSSIBLY DO YOSEMITE IN ONE DAY, ONLY EXPERIENCE A FEW THINGS, STAY THE NIGHT AND TRY TO SQUEEZE IN A BIT MORE BEFORE YOU LEAVE. IT’S A SIX HOUR DRIVE FROM LOS ANGELES, so LEAVING SOME ENERGY FOR THE RIDE HOME IS A NECESSITY.
We stayed three days and two nights. We left fully exhausted with a wealth of great photography to show for our efforts. i’m sure if we stayed another night, it would have been more for just taking it all in and truly relaxing.
BRIDGING THE GAP
WHAT WAS PROBABLY AN ISSUE YEARS AGO IN YOSEMITE IS NOW A LUXURY OF EASY ACCESS THROUGHOUT THE NATIONAL PARK. LUGGING CAMERAS ACROSS STREAMS IS, WAS NOT AN OPTION ESPECIALLY BECAUSE THE STREAMS ARE DEEP. I WAS AMAZED HOW WELL THE WALKABILITY WAS MAPPED TO SOME OF THE MORE REMOTE AREAS.
THE TRAVEING SUN
THE DIMENSION OF YOSEMITE CHANGES CONSTANTLY. THE GRAND SURFACES OF ROCK FACES EITHER FLATTEN OUT OR BECOME VERY DETAILED BY THE CHANGING LIGHT, ESPECIALLY IN THE SHADOWS.
