Framedlight

We arrived back from our Mist Trail walk mid afternoon and drove down to Curry Village to buy some souvenirs to take home. We then met up with Mairi's friends, Lily and Suzie. They had not been to Glacier Point and I wanted to take some sunset shots, so we set out in the car for the 40 minute or so ascent. There were a number of people already up there but it is possible to climb over the barriers at the top to get an unimpeded view down the valley. It was a good sunset and we were there until dusk, watching the light leave the face of half dome and the moon come up. To ring the changes there was a lady in a wedding dress being photographed. She must have been chilly. When it had become completely dark we went back to the campsite for a fire and some supper. This was our last day in the valley.

Coming down the way from Glacier Point you pass Tunnel View, a famous overlook immortalised by Ansel Adams' photograph " Clearing Winter Storm" which was taken from just above here, where the old road used to travel. By the time we got to Tunnel View  the car park was full of coaches and the panorama of the valley could not be seen for tourists of all nationalities jostling for position. We did an about turn and drove down to the parking area around El Capitan and walked to the bottom of Bridal Veil Falls. The falls are so called as the wind causes the water to spray out at the top in a veil. Unfortunately there is not a lot of water in October, but I did take a photo to show the effect. El Capitan, a face of sheer granite, rises 3,000 ft from the valley floor. On the opposite side are Cathedral Rocks, pretty ambitious in their own right and we had a short walk around here. Sticking to the tourist trail we landed at the Ahwahnee Hotel a very posh venue w...

We had set the alarm for a 5.30 call, but slept through it till about 6.00am, as our intention was to get up to Glacier Point for dawn. We were camped just under it but to get to the top is a 45minute car trip round twisty roads, so we threw our clothes on and Mairi decided she would like to drive which she did, as fast as she could (Yosemite has a 20mph speed limit through the valley). We had got close to the top at Washburn Point when things started to happen fast, the sky was brightening and there was a line of about 6 standing photographers pointing down the valley. I joined them and we took a couple of pictures before going back to the car and continuing for about 7 miles to Glacier Point from where we watched the sun hit the top of the Half Dome. Yosemite Falls would be visible in these pictures earlier in the year but by now was non-existent. You can see the Half Dome (8,842ft) on the right opposite North Dome and Basket Dome on the left hand side. The valley follows the river d...