Yosemite falls
This was my view of Yosemite Falls, Yosemite National Park, Calif., when I stood at their base in Yosemite Valley that day in May. There are three falls, the Upper Falls, 1,430-foot (440 m), this plunge alone one of the highest waterfalls in the world; the Middle Falls, or Middle Cascade, 675 feet (206 m), a series of smaller cascades; and the Lower Falls, 320-foot (98 m).
The falls drop 2,425 feet (739 m) from Yosemite Creek, elevation 6,526 feet (1,989 meters) at the top of the upper fall, to the base of the lower fall into the Merced River in Yosemite Valley, elevation 4,000 feet. While Yosemite Falls are fed by a creek, some of the falls in Yosemite Valley are fed by living glaciers.
The waterfalls in Yosemite Valley cascade from November to July. The best time to see all these falls is at the spring snowmelt, May and June, when they are at their resplendent fullness. They dry up completely or dry to a trickle by August. Yosemite Falls freezes in the winter.
Yosemite Valley has to be one of the most beautiful places on earth; and, John Muir notwithstanding, I am not alone in my perspective. I am awed. To be in the Valley on the banks of the green Merced, embraced by sequoias, incense cedars, sheer granite cliff faces carved by the glaciers, rising 3,000 feet above you, and the sonorous crystal waterfalls lifted and dancing on the wind is glorious. It is heaven on earth.
Here is a live, streaming view of Yosemite Falls as you read this today: http://www.yosemiteconservancy.org/webcams/yosemite-falls.
I nominate Gwynn Rogers Gwynn’s Grit and Grin, to continue this 5 Photos/5 Stories challenge. Gwynn lives way up there in the Pacific Northwest. Writing from a peninsula overlooking a bay in the Seattle area, Gwynn finds humor in situations that even Erma Bombeck might have found a stretch.
Rules: for 5 photos, 5 days challenge:
1) Post a photo each day for 5 consecutive days
2) Attach a story to the photo. It can be fiction, non-fiction, poetry, a paragraph — all entirely up to you!
3) Nominate another blogger to carry on the challenge. Your nominee is free to accept or decline the invitation! This is fun, not a command performance!
–Samantha
For some reason the images no longer show here, but when you click on the question mark, it links to my books on Amazon.
What a majestic waterfall. Can you imagine the people who first saw that? What must they have thought?
Hi,
I couldn’t get the webcam link that you printed in the blog but that is okay. The article gave me a great picture of water falling over rocks. Sometimes, the GEMA, something similar to ASCAP that protects the rights of authors, photographers and filmmakers prohibits us from seeing video clips that have not been registered at GEMA.
However, I love the picture. It is wonderful.
Shalom,
Patricia
I don’t know why the webcam wouldn’t work, Patricia. Maybe it’s an overseas thing. I think Susan had a problem with it, too. It’s a nonprofit that offers it, the Yosemite Conservancy, so it should be available, for fundraising purposes. It could have to do with the functioning of the Adobe Flash Player, too.
Anyway, the image shows the contrast between my spring photo when the snow is melting and now in August with the falls dried to a trickle.
I do appreciate your reading and commenting on all my 5 Day posts, dear Patricia. Thanks for taking the time. And I have written you some long replies. I can’t resist when one story leads to another. 🙂
Shalom,
Samantha
Hi Samantha – well I’m going to say ‘yes’ I will post some pics on my return and some history of Herstmonceux; and ‘no’ – it isn’t ‘a castle’ in the true sense – it is not in a sensible position for defence, and was built for style and expression, rather than as a castle per se. I nearly got the details all correct in the post I wrote about it under my H in 2012 A-Z Challenge … but will amend that slightly anon … I hadn’t visited then.
Thirdly – I don’t want to surprise you too much – you may never have been to a proper castle .. but I wrote about 23 of them in the 2012 Challenge; XYZ were various informatory posts … I selected castles that were different in character from the norm and the expected – eg Windsor and the Tower of London … I did do Windsor – under Q for Queen’s Castle …
Should you remotely wish to start at A – here’s the link and you can select from the other castles!! http://positiveletters.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/is-for-alfreds-castle-berkshire.html – or see the summary at the end under Z – but I left out the photos of the castles and included others in the surrounding areas … it is long! Mind you the weekend is upon us …….????
Cheers and I’ll await your comment on this! Take care – til anon – Hilary
Oh, I must visit these castles via your blog, Hilary! Thanks for letting me know and providing the link. Just short of Harry Potter, wouldn’t it be nice to click on a link and physically arrive at the physical place where we want to go. Ah, well, I’ll put that on the list for my next lifetime.
Cheers.
Samantha
Hi Samantha – my dotage is a-creeping up .. but who knows! The idea and thought is inspiring … off to see a Castle now … Herstmonceux … has an interesting history and though it’s nearby I’ve never been – been to the astronomical bit (Observatory) .. but am looking forward to a meander in Elizabethan gardens, a tour of the castle and generally a good look round …
Enjoy your day – cheers Hilary
Hi Hilary — You will take photos, right? And post them on your blog, with a story?
What a wonderful day you will have (or have had by this hour). I have never been in a castle, an actual castle centuries old, with turrets and such.
Enjoy!
Cheers
Samantha
Hi Samantha … I was too lazy to look up close … I would have known the trees weren’t pines – and did know .. as Yosemite is in the west … so the trees had to be ‘otherwise’ .. ie sequoias, cedars … and perhaps pines .. who knows.
In 1978 before I went to South Africa a couple of weeks later … I flew out to NY for a wedding of a friend in the Cathedral of the Pines – probably New Hampshire .. but I remember an avenue as per your picture … with a ‘smallish’ clearing … some huge trunks and pine needles everywhere .. that formed the basis of the Church … where they married. The pics I found are not as my memory serves me … somewhere I may have some photos – where .. is anyone’s guess!
Yes I’d love to come over and spend time with you .. and see Yosemite – must be incredible … one day perhaps – if I haven’t hit my complete dotage by then!!
Thanks for replying .. but yes the Cathedral aspect took me back to Sarah and Yank’s wedding all those years ago …
Take care – cheers Hilary
Hi Hilary — What a cool place that would be to have a wedding at the base of Yosemite Falls — the many tourists would certainly increase the guest list. Glad it reminds you of Sarah and Yank’s New England wedding — it must have been especially beautiful. I hope you come upon those pictures.
There are many species of pines in the West, and right there in Yosemite. But, before our dotage, you must visit and we can go identify them. 🙂
Cheers,
Samantha
Hi Samantha – those falls look amazing and what a great place to be able to walk through that Cathedral of pines – if that’s what they are … fantastic view – no wonder you’re hooked. Water is extraordinary and so strong … quite daunting when it comes from a great height …
Cheers and good luck to Gwynn for carrying on the challenge .. Hilary
Hi Hilary — I had to look this up. It’s a question I’ve been wondering about and should have looked up years ago in my days of wandering among high mountain conifers. The sequoias and cedars are members of the cypress family, as opposed to the pine family of conifers, maybe you know. I think these are mostly sequoias here, but probably with some pines mixed in. I’d love to be able to return and check for you. Wouldn’t that be fun! You could come over and join me.
It is a cathedral, though. One can do nothing but stand and gaze in awe at the magnificence, imbued with the scent of those trees.
Thanks for coming by, as always.
Well now, that’s pretty impressive! I went straight away to watch the webcam but it’s not working on my side. The photo is beautiful and breathtaking viewed between those magnificent trees … and especially your wonderful descriptive prose. I reckon even I could write poetry were I to see them. Thank you Samantha for this slice of mother nature in all her glory.
And Gwynn, you spelt it wrong – it’s pleasure not pressure. I look forward to your posts!
It was John Muir who used the word glorious to describe Yosemite, who wrote the poetry — and the book The Yosemite, and got Yosemite designated and preserved as a national park. This is good. Yosemite Valley has a twin, Hetch Hetchy Valley, but sadly that one couldn’t be saved. The Tuolumne River there is dammed and the valley filled with water for San Francisco. Due to recent technological advances, all that dammed water there is no longer needed to serve SF water and electrical power. There is a grassroots move on, therefore, to demolish the dam. I have photos. Will write a story at some point.
Sorry the webcam didn’t work. That’s odd. Maybe it was just momentarily down or not available to S.A. I don’t know how those things work. Anyway, it shows Yosemite Falls as just a trickle, and the spring snowmelt water stain on the granite walls behind the falls.
Thank you, Susan, and thank you for pointing out to Gwynn her misspelling. 🙂
Well, I’m laughing Carol. I really enjoyed your post and description of Yosemite Valley and Falls… until I read about me and went EEEKKK… NOW what am I going to do?? I really am going to have to do some work to see what humor I can find out there!! PRESSURE!!!!! 😉
No pressure; just be yourself, Gwynn. Like the rules say, have fun — way up there on that Pacific NW peninsula. Didn’t you have a picture of a ferry or something and a talking bag story? Something like that. Pictures of birds and their hunting routines; you know … like that.
You’ll do well. Everybody will love your stories.