Day 3

We spent all of today in Yosemite Valley. As you may have read, the park is very crowded, too many cars. In contrast to Zion, there are no areas to which you cannot drive, so many do just that, producing crowded parking lots. However, there is a very efficient shuttle bus system for the Valley that takes you anywhere you want to go. Note that you can click on a picture to zoom into it.

This is one of the first views you get on entering the Valley. The Valley is surrounded by these huge granite monoliths.

Another of the most prominent features of Yosemite is its waterfalls. Here's one of the lower Yosemite falls in action. This is two falls, the Upper and the Lower in one view.

This view is an easy walk from one of the shuttle stops.

Another monolith of granite.

Another falls. Some of these dry up about now, but all the ones we saw were gushing in all their glory!

And yet another (two).

One of the features of Yosemite is that distances to most anywhere (other than by shuttle bus) are great. The ups and downs make for hard driving. To get to this spot involved going up several thousand feet over roads that are quite good, but two-laned and carved into the hillside and with lots of sharp curves.

The piece-de-resistance in Yosemite is, of course, Half Dome. Here it is in all its glory. Here, again, to get to this spot is a 40 mile drive, 4,000 feet ascent, over hard to drive roads. The return trip is over the same route.

Unfortunately, I couldn't get the early evening shot that puts a golden glow on the face of Half Dome. I wanted the 100 mile drive to motel to be in what remained of daylight!

We hit a young deer on the way to motel. Couldn't do anything about it. He/she darted out and was crushed under our car. Didn't hurt the car, but sure put an early end to the unfortunate deer. Too bad.