Trip to Yosemite

I recently took a family trip to Yosemite to see the sights, expose the kids to a little nature, and have a great time. We spent the morning riding the train at Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine Railroad. The train ride was fun! We sat on the uncovered car and got to see all the sights, smells, and sounds of a working steam locomotive. I especially enjoyed seeing the engine pistons pushing the train through the scenic country. There was still some snow on the ground, but it seemed to be melting quickly.

After leaving the railroad we drove into Yosemite through the South gate. There is a long tunnel that you have to drive through to get into the valley. The tunnel makes you feel like you’ve entered a magical land—as soon as you exit you are presented with a gorgeous view of the Yosemite valley, with Half Dome, Bridal Veil Falls, and many other sights below. 

We hiked up to two of the falls during our visit. The first was Bridal Veil. The base of the falls is saturated with water—water in the air, water pouring over the walking path and stairs, and water raging in the river leaving the falls. I rarely took out my camera as I’d rather not soak it down, even with the water seal that the body and lenses provide. The base of the waterfall is surrounded by heavy tree cover. Sunlight was peeking through the trees which made capturing pictures difficult—the difference between full sun and deep shadow in the same scene was impossible to capture.

The second waterfall we visited was the lower Yosemite Falls. Again there was a mist of water pouring off the waterfall, soaking everything in its path. By the time we had made it to this waterfall it was in shadow. This made the waterfall a little easier to photograph, but people kept jumping in front of my camera and climbing all over the hills leading up to the waterfall. I had to be patient and wait, while trying to protect my camera from the water.

Visiting a tourist-type place with my camera and tripod seems to be an open invitation. I scream “I take pictures” apparently, because people kept asking me to take theirs. I don’t mind too much, as long as I am able to get my picture. One couple was very courteous and waited a few minutes for me to get my pictures before asking. I obliged happily, because they were waiting to step in front of my scene. Other people were less aware and would just walk in front. I’ve been that “less aware” person before, and walked in plenty of scenes that other photographers arranged, so I just have to be patient and wait. :)

Yosemite is a great place! I would love to go back to visit during the early morning  and sunset hours. I may just have to spend the somewhere close by, with sunrise very early and Yosemite about 3 1/2 hours from my home. We left the park a little before sunset but didn’t get back home until almost 11:00 at night.