Today was Yosemite day. I got up at the crack of noon and found where Mammoth Lakes was hiding their Starbucks (in a Vons for Pete’s sake!), grabbed a chai and headed out towards Yosemite, about 45 minutes down the road. I entered via the Tiago Pass on the east side of the park and I’m really glad I did. Turns out it is the relatively quiet side of the park. The west entrance (the one you’d hit coming from San Francisco) is where all the main attractions like the Half Dome are and frankly it was too busy and full of supertouristy tourists. I really enjoyed the park.
My first stop wasn’t on the map. I just saw a creek through the trees and pulled off the side of the road. Then out of nowhere a group of young hikers and their leader start crossing it right in front of me. It was like Abbey Road. In a creek.
Then I climbed a big ass rock called the Lembert Dome that looked like a giant half-buried egg in the middle of endless green forests and meadows. I don’t think the people watching me knew I was taking remote controlled pictures of myself. They avoided me.
After that I hit Olmstead Point where you can see the Half Dome at the other side of the park. Now I’ve been taking a lot of photos since my photo class in the spring but not too many of people because I can never build up the nerve to ask. I got over that a bit today.
They are on the point. I crossed the street and climbed up a bit and starting waving and yelling until they started waving back. This is a zooooooom shot. I was really far away. I really had to shout and make an ass of myself. I also chatted up a biker from Cleveland and he posed for a couple shot. Look at me being all social and shit.
I hit the touristrific end of the park, watched the fat people swimming for a bit, and then doubled back and hit Mono Lake on my way back to the hotel to check out the tufas.
The tufas are calcified structures caused by chemical reactions and magic and are usually underwater but Mono Lake’s water level took one for the team in the 1940s to keep Los Angeles from turning into dust. Then I moved up the shore a bit to Navy Beach where I did this video. Make sure you watch the second pass.
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And you walked through that grass on purpose? Twice? Just watching it I feel like I have things crawling all over me.
My favorite part of the picture with all the people waving is the woman on her left sitting with her back to you. She made that picture with her photography party pooperishness.
OH MY GOD, I never want to play that game! And you walked through it? EEWWWWWWW!!!!
Is it ok if I call you Glarkzzy Adams?
I do believe that’s semaphore for “STUCK ON ROCK; PLEASE SEND HELP.”
Those are some pretty awesome shots. Taken with the new lens, I suspect? Very crisp and life-like. I keep expect to see you start running towards me in the self-portrait, all Monty Python and the Holy Grail like. And keep running. And keep running.
Thanks Stacey. I’m taking about half the shots with the new lens which I love.