Yosemite

Yosemite's beauty and majesty can be enjoyed all four seasons, but for many springtime is best.  For years I have been visiting the park mostly on one-day trips from our home in Vacaville.  We go in the spring, fall and winter and try to avoid summer, holidays and weekends due to the crowds of people who love the park as much as we do.  It makes for a really long day, but now that the hours of the day are longer, it can be done all in daylight.  The falls are spectacular this year, many that I haven't seen in years and that don't even have names.  The dogwood trees are blooming, and the myriad of wildflowers is dizzying.  What I also noticed was the vast swaths of dead trees, the effect of many years of drought and now disease killing a signature part of the park. 

If you decide to go, give yourself an extra hour to get there.  Stop in a town before the park entrance to “go” if you know what I mean, and to have a snack or meal. 

We entered the park through the Highway 160 entrance and left through the Highway 140 entrance/exit to see the Merced River and the redbuds, dogwoods and wildflowers in bloom alongside the Merced River canyon.  Both highways had major delays just before Fish Camp (Hwy 160) and on the way out of the park on Highway 140.  Huge dead trees were being logged alongside both highways.  The State and the park are concerned for the safety of park visitors. Dead trees can fall on vehicles and travelers heading into or out of the park.  They are being proactive in removing them before any harm occurs.

Here are a few of my pictures from the trip I made just before Memorial Day weekend.  The wildflower pictures were taken along a trail that starts next to the golf course in Wawona.  It is dog-friendly.

Read more