Month: November 2016

Year of Yosemite (YOY) – Day 137 (El Capitan Warts and All)

Jeff

El Capitan with a less flattering view

El Capitan viewed from a filed near Bridalveil Fall

Thus far, I may have portrayed hiking in Yosemite as nearly ideal and this is not really my intent. Yosemite (and all of the National Parks I have visited) are beautiful places with special qualities. They each have their own “personality” if that word can be used in this context. Arches is unlike most of the others and remains near the top of my favorites list. Zion is so vast and varied; truly a marvel. I could go on and on, but I think I have made the point.

We must keep in mind that whenever and wherever we have crowds of people, there will be the less glamorous side of the experience and our National Parks are not immune. Someone has to take care of the trash, the porta-potties, etc. and this is not always done to our personal preferences. We must remember that it is not possible or desirable to have a flush toilet on the top of Half Dome. There are some decent bathrooms, when considering park standards, at Glacier Point and other out-of-the-way locales.

As we hiked through the many trails at Yosemite, we would come across certain areas that were less than scenic or may have had some recent litter. The parks need to rely on everyone to carry their trash out and most comply. There are always exceptions.

Not every inch of the park can be groomed. It is a natural environment so there are going to be fallen trees, rocks and boulders in places that become inconvenient and trails that may be a bit circuitous. We need to keep in mind that this is nature. Natural environments are not necessarily the most comfortable for humans.

The picture above is a field across from Bridalveil Fall which sits directly opposite of El Capitan. El Cap looms so large that it often looks closer than it is. This field was a wild place with fallen trees and large rocks that can be seen in the foreground. It is perhaps a bit unsightly, but El Capitan still manages to provide an umbrella of grandeur over the area.

We always need to remind ourselves that this is not a man-made amusement park. It is a place of nature with all the attributes that encompasses.

 
Do you have a question about our visit to Yosemite? Ask it in the comment section.

 

JBRish.com originally published this post
*All photographs Copyright by Jeffrey B. Ross with all rights reserved.

 
See previous Year of Yosemite (YOY) posts HERE. If you want to read the introduction to the YOY series, CLICK HERE.

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Meta Data – Day 137 YOY – Year of Yosemite

File Name: 0269.NEF
Capture time: 6:39:08 PM
Capture date: June 7, 2016
Exposure: 1/15 sec @ f/16
Focal Length: 18mm
ISO 160
Nikon D3300

 

STATUS QUOtes — 20161119

Jeff

“The corruption of the best things gives rise to the worst.” — David Hume

“The life I touch for good or ill will touch another life, and in turn another, until who knows where the trembling stops or in what far place my touch will be felt.” — Frederick Buechner, The Hungering Dark

“The whale is endangered, while the ant continues to do just fine.” — Bill Vaughn

“If it doesn’t matter who wins or loses, then why do they keep score?” — Vince Lombardi

 

JBRish.com originally published this post

See previous STATUS QUOtes HERE

Year of Yosemite (YOY) – Day 136 (Hetch Hetchy and Me)

Jeff

Jeff hiking at Hetch Hetchy

Jeff pauses to have his picture taking while hiking along the Wapama Falls Trail

I was very impressed to come across such large ferns as we hiked the Wapama Falls Trail at Hetch Hetchy. I am nearly six feet tall so we could surmise that the ferns were more than four feet high. They were lush and full. The wet spring and probably accounts for some of the height.

BTW, this is my usual get-up for hiking and photography. My two cameras basically at the ready with my JPEG-only camera tucked into one of the side pockets of the belly pack. There is a variety of supplies inside the belly pack. If you are interested, you can read more about it in my previous post:

My Photography, Hiking, Exploring Procedure

 
Do you have a question about our visit to Yosemite? Ask it in the comment section.

 

JBRish.com originally published this post
*All photographs Copyright by Jeffrey B. Ross with all rights reserved.

 
See previous Year of Yosemite (YOY) posts HERE. If you want to read the introduction to the YOY series, CLICK HERE.

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No Meta Data for Day 136 YOY – Year of Yosemite

 

STATUS QUOtes — 20161118

Jeff

“Happy people plan actions, they don’t plan results.” — Dennis Waitley

“If I knew where the good songs came from, I’d go there more often.” — Leonard Cohen

“I do not think much of a man who is not wiser today than he was yesterday.” — Abraham Lincoln

“There are times when one would like to hang the whole human race and finish the farce.” — Mark Twain

 

JBRish.com originally published this post

See previous STATUS QUOtes HERE

Year of Yosemite (YOY) – Day 135 (Hiking and Weather – Hetch Hetchy)

Jeff

A scene along the Wapama Falls Trail - Hetch Hetchy

A scene along the Wapama Falls Trail – Hetch Hetchy

When we plan to hike, we plan to hike. Unless there is a deluge or lighting or hail, etc., we hike. We spent a week hiking in the Grand Tetons where it rained on us at some point every day for a week. The best weather day was the day we left for home. Only one day was a complete wash out because we thought it would not be safe to hike in a solid downpour. We took that opportunity to refresh ourselves. The highlight for us that day was a visit to the local Dairy Queen where they were replaying the movie Shane in a continuous loop.

The day we left Yosemite Valley for Hetch Hetchy, the weather was partly sunny. We understood that the forecast, which we always check, was calling for cloudy weather with the possibility of rain. We always carry a poncho or some sort of rain gear so let it rain! Shortly after we arrived at the Wapama Falls Trail, the clouds started to roll in.

Clouds can be helpful to the hiking photographer because it tends to difuse the light and it can provide a dramatic sky. The picture above is a simple JPEG taken with my oldest camera with the least resolution, but I like it anyway. That simple little camera does and adequate job of recording the scene. I favor the golden tones against the dreariness of the overall vista.

 
Do you have a question about our visit to Yosemite? Ask it in the comment section.

 

JBRish.com originally published this post
*All photographs Copyright by Jeffrey B. Ross with all rights reserved.

 
See previous Year of Yosemite (YOY) posts HERE. If you want to read the introduction to the YOY series, CLICK HERE.

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Meta Data – Day 135 YOY – Year of Yosemite

File Name: 3594.JPG
Capture time: 2:49:56 PM
Capture date: June 11, 2016
Exposure: 1/640 sec @ f/4
Focal Length: 5.8mm
ISO 80
Canon PowerShot A590 IS

STATUS QUOtes — 20161117

Jeff

“Laugh at yourself first, before anyone else can.” — Elsa Maxwell

“Tomorrow is always fresh, with no mistakes in it yet.” — L. M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

“It’s well-known that men and women are different but it keeps being rediscovered with great excitement.” — Ashleigh Brilliant

“When information goes ‘in one ear and out the other,’it’s often because it doesn’t have anything to stick to.” — Joshua Foer

 

JBRish.com originally published this post

See previous STATUS QUOtes HERE

Year of Yosemite (YOY) – Day 134 (Tunnel View – Theodore Roethke Quote)

Jeff

Theodore Roethke - Tunnel View Picture Quote

“Over every mountain there is a path, although it may not be seen from the valley.” – Theodore Roethke

This quote in particular speaks to some of the sentiments I have shared over the past week or so when I spoke of my exhilaration when discovering nature’s miracles large and small. Roethke sums it up quite well in his quote.

**NOTE** – I will provide the Metadata for the picture below, but it isn’t as applicable as it might have been because the photograph was converted to black and white via Lightroom. It was originally captured as a color image.

 
Do you have a question about our visit to Yosemite? Ask it in the comment section.

 

JBRish.com originally published this post
*All photographs Copyright by Jeffrey B. Ross with all rights reserved.

 
See previous Year of Yosemite (YOY) posts HERE. If you want to read the introduction to the YOY series, CLICK HERE.

***********************************

Meta Data – Day 134 YOY – Year of Yosemite

File Name: 0373.CR2
Capture time: 10:05:19 AM
Capture date: June 9, 2016
Exposure: 1/320 sec @ f/8
Focal Length: 42mm
ISO 125
Canon PowerShot SX50 HS

 

STATUS QUOtes — 20161116

Jeff

“Power gravitates to the man who knows how.” — Orison Swett Marden

“I can’t go back to yesterday because I was a different person then.” — Lewis Carroll, Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland

“The constitution does not provide for first and second class citizens.” — Wendell Willkie

“Champagne for my real friends, and real pain for my sham friends.” — Tom Waits

 

JBRish.com originally published this post

See previous STATUS QUOtes HERE

Landscape Photography More or Less?

Jeff

Readers of JBRish know that I enjoy hiking and photography. If the truth be told, I enjoy photography more. Interestingly, however, when I put the two together, they have a beautiful synergy that gives me great satisfaction. Taking photographs also helps to keep the memories alive.

I found Thomas Heaton’s video (below) engaging. It contains worthy messages and photographs. On his blog, he uses this quote:

“We are not content with a nice view. We need the best view.”

This is very true. MOST landscape or scenery photographers do want the “best view.” I have come to realize that at my age, having captured a nice view or perhaps a very good view, might be good enough for me.

Most landscape photographers strive for the golden hours near sunrise and sunset and I agree that generally is the best light for landscapes, but can’t those vistas have a beauty of their own under different lighting conditions? I think they can.

After you watch the video, Wake Up. There’s More to Landscape Photography (below), I want to refer you to one of Heaton’s blog posts:

Yosemite Valley – I am People in which he decries the crush of the crowd at Yosemite, but then moves on to exclaim the wonder of it all.

When we visited Yosemite last June, which is the basis for my Year of Yosemite project, we found it extremely busy. It was so busy that even though we stayed in the Valley and paid for a nice room near the Lodge, we were NOT GUARANTEED a parking space.

It felt a bit like a Seinfeld episode. They can take the reservation for the room and you probably need a car to get there, but there may not be a parking spot. When I lived in NYC as a child, my parents would have to think really hard before we moved the car and relinquished our parking spot. I have come full circle more than fifty years later; but I digress…

If you liked any of my photographs of Yosemite, Thomas Heaton has captured much more of the majesty than I could manage and I think you will really like his work!

 

JBRish.com originally published this post

See previous Photography posts HERE