Nature

Year of Yosemite (YOY) – Day 22 (Stone Structure)

Jeff

NOTE – Hello Readers of JBRish! Those who are following my Year of Yosemite posts might recall that on July 7th I posted a different view of the structure below. You can see it HERE.

At that time I asked readers to take a guess regarding the nature of this structure near the the Majestic Yosemite Hotel. Well…do you want to take a guess? If you do take a guess, you can find out if you are correct by highlighting the space between the two lines of asterisks that follow. The answer will be revealed once highlighted.


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A stone carriage house!

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Second view of stone structure

Another view of the stone structure referenced above

As I noted in the prior post, stone was plentiful in Yosemite and was used as a building material for buildings, bridges, curbs, etc. This stone structure that is situated in proximity to the the Majestic Yosemite Hotel (formerly the Ahwahnee) served as a carriage house or carriage stop years ago. In older pictures, a sign for the Ahwahnee Hotel can be seen hanging above it.

According to this story on the Internet, the sign was stolen just days before the Ahwahnee was to change its name.

 
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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Year of Yosemite (YOY) – Day 20 (Sentinel Dome Trail)

Jeff

Sentinel Dome Trail

Sentinel Dome Trail was varied and steep in places.

The hike to Sentinel Dome was steep in a number of places, but there were numerous outcroppings with views and a good number of wildflowers in bloom. We stopped periodically to “smell the roses;” so-to-speak!

The payoff at the end (as you will see in subsequent posts) made it all worthwhile. If you visit Yosemite and you are trying to decide whether or not to take the Sentinel Dome Trail to the top of the dome, I would encourage you to do so if you are in good physical condition. A number of people rested at the base of the dome while others in their group hiked the dome itself. Even from that vantage point, there were beautiful views.

 
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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Year of Yosemite (YOY) – Day 19 (El Capitan)

Jeff

El Capitan from near Devil's Elbow

El Capitan viewed as we continued the Valley Loop

This picture of El Capitan was taken as we ambled along the Valley Loop Trail in the vicinity of the Devil’s Elbow (bend in the Merced River) picnic area. The area itself is very nice and meadow-like. You can read more about it at the link above. We noted that there were signs indicating that the area was being restored and therefore may have limited access until that project is completed.

 
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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Birds of Arizona – Greater Roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus)

Jeff

Greater Roadrunner
The Roadrunner lives in our backyard with a mate. They are elusive, but surface from time-to-time and once or twice a summer with a lizard in their grasp.

You can read more about the Greater Roadrunner at this page from Arizona Sonora Desert Museum.

 

JBRish.com originally published this post

See previous JBRish posts and pictures about birds HERE

Year of Yosemite (YOY) – Day 17 – (Hetch Hetchy)

Jeff

Yosemite NP - Hetch Hetchy Valley

The main Hetch Hetchy Valley view seen from the Wapama Falls Trail


Yesterday I showed a picture of the beautiful white Triteleia hyacinthina flower head we saw as we hiked at Hetch Hetchy. Today I thought I would post a photograph of one of the main views of the area.

Hetch Hetchy Valley is a beautiful and often overlooked part of Yosemite. On this day we had overcast conditions, but the scenery was still dramatic and beautiful. While it functions as a reservoir, the trails and waterfalls provide plenty to see for those who like to explore nature and/or hike.

The National Park Service has a one page Hetch Hetchy pamphlet from which I have excerpted the paragraph below. You can find out more by clicking the link above.

Hidden in Yosemite National Park’s peaceful northwest corner, Hetch Hetchy Valley is a treasure worth visiting in all seasons. In spring, two of North America’s tallest waterfalls plummet spectacularly over thousand-foot granite cliffs. The dramatic cliffs surrounding these waterfalls add to the grandeur that John Muir compared to the more well known Yosemite Valley. In 1870, Muir called Hetch Hetchy Valley “a wonderfully exact counterpart of the great Yosemite.” In the early spring through late fall, visitors have easy access to a vast wilderness filled with high-country lakes, streams, and wildlife. A rare snowy winter day gives adventuresome visitors a chance to explore on skis or snowshoes.

 
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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Year of Yosemite (YOY) – Day 16

Jeff

Beautiful White Wildflower

White wildflower (Triteleia hyacinthina) photographed along the trail at Hetch Hechy

On Saturday we anticipated that Yosemite Valley would be more crowded so we headed north to Hetch Hetchy to hike the Wapama Falls Trail. Hetch Hetchy is a man-made dam created by flooding one of Yosemite’s other pretty valleys. This was a controversial move at the time. You can read The Drowning of Hetch Hetchy—and What Was Lost to find out more (scroll down on the page).

Nevertheless, there was an abundance of wildflowers along the trail on this day and this white beauty flowering against a darkened puddle made for a very pretty shot.

Wikipedia Information about the flower:

Triteleia hyacinthina is a species of flowering plant known by the common names white brodiaea, white tripletlily, hyacinth brodiaea, and fool’s onion.

 
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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Year of Yosemite (YOY) – Day 13

Jeff

Vernal and Nevada Falls

“Vernal Falls (lower) and Nevada Falls of Yosemite as seen from Glacier Point”

Below is a closer view of the same picture cropped to show the falls more clearly

Vernal and Nevada Falls

Yosemite has domes, mountains and rock formations of alls shapes and sizes, but to add to its character, it has an abundance of waterfalls. The above view from Glacier point taken near Washburn Point show the lower Vernal Falls and the upper Nevada Falls. They were flowing with vigor during the time we were there!

 
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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Year of Yosemite (YOY) – Day 12

Jeff

Rock spires near Cathedral Rock

There were numerous spires to be viewed near Cathedral Rock

There are so many rock formations at Yosemite and they all seem to have names. While we couldn’t single out all of them, the spires (as they are known) certainly add a beauty of their own. This shot of the spires just past the tree line with the gold and green meadow in front was captivating.

 
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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Year of Yosemite (YOY) – Day 11

Jeff

Hang Glider over Cliff

“As we were approaching Mirror Lake, we saw this hang glider.”

It was interesting to note how relatively “open” Yosemite is to a variety of sports such as hang gliding. I didn’t expect to see anything like this in such an iconic location.

 
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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Year of Yosemite (YOY) – Day 10

Jeff

Yosemite Conservation Heritage Center

Yosemite Conservation Heritage Center formerly known as the The LeConte Memorial Lodge

The LeConte Memorial Lodge was built by the Sierra Club in 1903 in memory of Joseph LeConte, one of the founding members of the Sierra Club. The US$4,500 cost to build the Lodge was contributed by students, alumni and faculty from the University of California and Stanford University, San Francisco businesses, and friends and relatives of LeConte. The Sierra Club levied a $1.00 assessment on each of its members to help raise the funds.

The Lodge was constructed at the base of Glacier Point in Curry Village and was dedicated on July 3, 1904. In 1919, the lodge was moved west in the Yosemite Valley to its current location across from Housekeeping Camp. For four years from 1920, Ansel Adams served as the lodge’s summer custodian.

EXCERPTED FROM WIKIPEDIA

 

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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