This post comes a bit late, but here it is regardless. It would seem that Emily and I have started an unofficial tradition of gong to Yosemite every June. In 2009 we went with some of her friends who live up in that area. Last year we went as part of a Yosemite/Kings/Whitewater rafting adventure. This year we had the chance to see it again, but this time with my parents and friends of theirs from New York.

My parents have been to CA a few times, but have never made it to Yosemite. Last year they decided to plan a trip to Yosemite with their friends and invited Emily and I along. We would be the unofficial tour guides. The plan was to camp in Yosemite, but they switched to a reservation system for ALL campsites and they went fast, really fast (turns out scalpers were buying them up and selling them for up to $150 a day. Yes, $150 for a campsite!). Instead we had to sleep on a pull out sofa in a house. We didn’t miss our tent.

We started the trip by going to King’s Canyon and Sequoia National Park. They share a border and the main visitor areas mingle in and out of the two parks so it generally goes by the generic term “Seki”. These parks offer some of the biggest trees in the world, high meandering waterfalls, meadows and huge granite walls. It is sort of a mini Yosemite without the crowds. We were able to camp here. Fortunately this time there were no bears strolling by our tent in the wee hours of the morning.

After a quiet weekend in Seki, it was off to face the crowds of Yosemite. That is the one drawback to this great place. Other people like it too. We were able to go during the week so that meant not quite as many people, but still busy.

This winter saw an usually high amount of snow in Yosemite. The final tally was 178% of the normal snowfall. Combine that with a cool spring and warm weather the week we were there and you get a lot of water. 188% of the normal flow for that time of year. Pretty much a normal year’s peak flow (which happens in May or early June) in late June.

There was so much water you could barely get to the usual viewing areas at the bottom of the falls. Bridalveil Falls has an open area very close to where the water hits (and people can get within feet if they scramble over rocks). This time there was no one at this spot, it was like standing in a shower and you could barely see anything the mist was so thick. Yosemite was similar. A wet windy experience. The photography options for these falls were great. Lots of water makes for great photos. I particularly like this one of Bridalveil falls. You can see the mist rising hundreds of feet into the air and curling back towards the falls in the air currents the falling water makes.

The mist trail was quite an adventure. I’ve done it before and not gotten too wet. This time, different story. We got soaked. Oh, did I mention we had rain jackets in the backpack but opted not to use them. Well on the way down we certainly did. That gave me another idea for a business…renting rain coats on the Mist Trail.

My favorite part of the trip was staying in the valley after sunset. I scoped out a spot for a sunset shot of Half Dome, set up my camera and tripod and waiting. Sunset came and I got the usual orange hue’d Half Dome. No clouds or color in the sky to add that extra something to the shot. One of these days…. I then headed to Curry Village for pizza and began driving around the valley looking for spots for my night time shots. A new Yosemite Valley appears when a full moon rises on a clear night. As I waited for the moon to light up the valley I watched about 4 groups of climbers on El Capitan. Their headlamps allowed me to see where they were. I was able to get a few photos of them as they climbed up (or repelled down, not quite ready to spend the night on the granite wall).

The next stop was the other side of Cook’s Meadow for a photo of Yosemite Falls. Only this time it would be in moonlight and I was hoping for a moonbow (rainbow caused by the moon’s light). Sure enough you could see the faint color even by moonlight. I, along with about 15 other photographers, got quite a treat that night. Yosemite Falls at its peak, a full moon, clear sky and clean air made for a great shot of a Yostemite Falls moonbow.

As a group we were able to see some of the other sites. We went to Glacier Point to see that incredible 270 degree view of the valley. Hiked up Sentinal Dome on the way back. And even got stuck in a bear-jam…thats when traffic stops on the roads there as people watch a mother bear and her two cubs in the nearby woods. Sorry, no video or photos of that. Didn’t have the ‘real’ camera handy.

It was a great trip and it was a lot of fun to take others to see these sites for the first time. Take a look at the short video below to get a sample of the sites. Not sure if we’ll go next summer, I hope to make it a February trip so Emily can see Yosemite in the winter. Same park, totally different perspective. Thats the magic of Yosemite, it keeps you coming back for more.