Yosemite Weekend

This past weekend Stacey and I headed to Yosemite to climb Half Dome. We woke up early on Saturday for the long drive east, set up camp at Crane Flat, then went out to explore in the remaining daylight.  We drove up along Tioga Pass and enjoyed many scenic views along the way:

This was our first stop: you can see Half Dome way off in the distance here.

The view just southwest of Tenaya Lake, watching thunderstorms roll over the landscape.

Tenaya Lake

We reached Tuolumne Meadow just ahead of a big thunderstorm.  Luckily we had enough time to explore a little and snap a few photos:

Mountains and meadows

There's a bit of snow up in these higher elevations

A very casual Mule Deer, just relaxing by the trail

Next we decided to check out Mono Lake, which is just outside the eastern gate of the park.  We wound our way down a steep ravine with a killer view:

Losing altitude fast

There were lots of cool natural rock formations

And some cool not-so-natural ones (this is a blast hole from dynamite used to make the roadway)

Mono Lake was a surreal experience; the sky opened up and the landscape went from rocky and mountainous to almost completely flat.  Strange spires of rock jutted out from the lake, and the air smelled like sulphur.  We walked out along the boardwalk to get a better look:

Mono Lake

The boardwalk

On Sunday morning, we woke up early again and headed for the valley to explore.  The early light was great for photos, and the valley was relatively deserted:

Upper Yosemite Falls

El Capitan

Cathedral Rocks

Morning sun warming the valley floor

Lower Yosemite Falls

Our next stop was the Ahwanee Hotel for an luxurious brunch, then we drove up to Glacier Point to mingle with the other tourists and get some famous views of the valley:

The Ahwahnee

The "Tunnel View" of El Cap (left), Cathedral Rocks (right), and Half Dome (center)

One of many staggering views of the valley from Glacier Point.  Even with overcast skies, the scenery doesn't disappoint.

Next up: hiking Half Dome!  In the meantime, all of our photos from the trip can be found here.