Last Yosemite picture...

Alas, we leave this amazing place. As we drove out of the park, we followed the Merced river, and Caryn was able to snap this picture from a turn out on CA-140.

I really like this shot because it captures the motion of the water -- you can almost hear the shush of the stream as it goes over those rocks.

I also like this because it shows the rounded rocks that are so typical in a glacial valley like Yosemite.

We will DEFINATELY come back -- next time in the spring (when the water is flowing).

The definition of insanity...

Meet El Capitan. Located in the northwest corner of the Yosemite Valley, this monster vertical cliff is 3000' tall. We were told that it takes anywhere from 3-7 days to climb the face. The climbers have to eat, sleep, poop, and everything else hanging from ropes on the wall. Everything carried up has to be carried down (including the aforementioned poop) -- and no "dropsies" either.

So, surely noone is really crazy enough to do this, right? I mean, don't we have checks and balances in this country to keep people who are missing the self preservation needed to stop them from taking on such an endeavor.

Well, apparently not...



And these weren't the only 2 on the cliff. In scouring over the pictures I took of the wall, I'm pretty sure I found at least 2 other groups at various levels up towards the peak.

For those of you who are upset because I questioned your sanity, here are a couple of clues:

Clue: The view from Glacier point is pretty cool too.

Clue: Not everyone can say that they delvered meals on wheels or organized a Christmas toy drive. You want to risk your life for something meaningful? Teach in an urban public school.

And this was just the FIRST picture I took today!...

What a MONUMENTAL day for sights. Yosemite is simply incredible.

As the title states, this was just the first picture I took today -- a simple shot from just outside our lodge door. From there, we went on a bus ride to Glacier Point, 7500' at the top of the south end of the Yosemite valley. The view from there stretched for what seemed like half of the continent. We saw sheer rock cliffs, waterfalls, distant mountains, deer, and a lizard. Once I get back to SSF, I'll be loading TONS of pictures to the flickr page.

When we got back, we went over to the Awahnee and had dinner at the lounge there, where we dined with a pair of cute little (chipmunks? squirrels?). After dinner, we peeked into the formal dining room and my wallet clenched at the sight of the opulence therein.

Near death by bear...

After a long and arduous drive, we finally arrived at the lodge here at Yosemite.

This place is "oh my God" incredible. Every time you look around, you see more incredible sights.

This picture is taken about 2 miles from the lodge. Tomorrow, a bus trip to Glacier Point, where the best pictures are said to be had.

After a scrumptous meal at the Mountain Room, we headed back to our room, when my good buddy Dan noticed a bear in our path. After a small amount of panic expressed by Caryn and her associate female buddies, I walked slowly towards the room in hopes of grabbing the Nikon. Alas, as you can tell by this picture NOT being of a bear, BooBoo was gone by the time I got back out.