Thursday, February 17, 2005

Today felt like a settling-in day. I'd made all the rounds, shot cursory images of all the major landmarks (except Lower Yosemite Falls…more about that in a minute), and now I finally felt free to create images that were more personal, less Yosemite-centric.

The trees-in-mist picture is my sole Tunnel View image today (actually, I shot four similar versions of trees/mist and chose this one to show today). Although the morning was clear and cold with a mild wind adding an extra chill, the only thing I found intriguing about the scene (how soon we become jaded…) was Yosemite's characteristic mist. I love the way the repeating image of an evergreen tree fades in and out as the mist swirls upward in that cold, winter breeze.

The bark on the trees here has a remarkable texture that looks almost like a jigsaw puzzle pattern sometimes. And then there's this bright green moss…

As I drove into the valley, it occurred to me that I hadn't been to Lower Yosemite Falls yet, and as I took the prerequisite images from the bridge area, I mentally put a checkmark beside "Lower Yosemite" on my landmark list…the last one. I left the bridge area and hiked up through the trees and rocks on the west side of the falls, popping out in a couple of places to record images on my way to the base. It was at the second stop that I zoomed in on the spot where the falling water hit a huge angular rock and was deflected in a mad melee of splashing water and swirling mist, for me, the focal point of Lower Yosemite.

The next image is a single tree and the face of El Capitan reflected in the Merced River. I like the simplicity, the painterly lines of both cliff and tree, and the funny urge I get to turn it "rightside-up"!

Finally, here's a fairly straightforward picture of the lower part of the waterfall I showed you yesterday (the one I think is Wildcat Creek). It's a spectacular waterfall, and it was located conveniently on my way back to the cabin, as once again the sun disappeared behind a soft gray cloudbank.

Snow and sunsets are at the top of my wish list for the remainder of this two-week Yosemite Renaissance AiR visit, so Ansel…if you're listening, could you put in a good word for me?

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