Can you guess from the pic where I've been today?

Paul B · Post by **Paul B** » Sun Apr 19, 2009 12:56 pm

What an awesome place!

kiwigeo · Post by **kiwigeo** » Sun Apr 19, 2009 2:20 pm

Granite...glaciated U shaped valley...Yosemite. You lucky so and so. Thats one place on my list of places to see before I die.

Paul B · Post by **Paul B** » Sun Apr 19, 2009 2:41 pm

Yup, I figured a Geologist would know the place right away. I've been wanting to come here since I can remember.

Going back into the park (valley) for some more photography tomorrow, we didn't spend long in the valley today. Shot down to the Mariposa redwood grove today too. Funny, but some of the redwood stumps and logs had quite wide grain spacing compared to the stuff we use for guitars. The tree in the pic had very wide grain spacing (1/8") right through the tree.

Staying in Mariposa 'cause it's cheaper than staying closer to the park itself. Nice place, I could live here happily.

Paul B · Post by **Paul B** » Sun Apr 19, 2009 2:59 pm

Here's another pic of my daughter standing in front of a downed redwood, must have come down in a storm 'cause the roots were still attached. She's standing about 30 - 40 feet from the base of the tree, in the snow. 25C (or higher) but still snow on the ground. She hadn't seen snow before so we had the obligatory snowball fight.

Plenty of guitars in that tree fellas.

kiwigeo · Post by **kiwigeo** » Sun Apr 19, 2009 3:25 pm

Paul B wrote:Yup, I figured a Geologist would know the place right away. I've been wanting to come here since I can remember.

Some classic glacial features...check out the beautiful hanging valley on the right (its got the waterfall). I dont think youll find many Stage I uni Geology text books without at least one pic of Yosenite.

Allen · Post by **Allen** » Sun Apr 19, 2009 4:36 pm

Stop it Paul. I'm getting homesick looking at those picts.

Growing up with snow it still amazes me at how many people that I meet have never seen it. How fun for your daughter. Did you tell her not to taste the yellow snow though.

Nick · Post by **Nick** » Sun Apr 19, 2009 5:04 pm

Pretty awesome rock features there Paul, they say photo's can never do it justice so it must have been one helluva view!
Time they flatten those tree's & whack some condo's up for the tourists, erect some golden arches, should be just about right. We could send some Kiwi developers over there if they want it completely commercialised (read ruined)

sebastiaan56 · Post by **sebastiaan56** » Sun Apr 19, 2009 5:06 pm

"The mighty redwood

Im a lumberjack and Im OK,
i sleep al night and I work all day"

sorry, hard wired in. Sure looks pretty.

kiwigeo · Post by **kiwigeo** » Sun Apr 19, 2009 6:53 pm

Nick O wrote:Pretty awesome rock features there Paul, they say photo's can never do it justice so it must have been one helluva view!
Time they flatten those tree's & whack some condo's up for the tourists, erect some golden arches, should be just about right. We could send some Kiwi developers over there if they want it completely commercialised (read ruined)

Yeah I cringe every time I get back to Christchurch and see the latest creations the developers have served up..that new block of apartments at Ferrymead sucks big time and the new development at Pegasus Bay is going to end up being a sterile dormitory city.

Dennis Leahy · Post by **Dennis Leahy** » Sun Apr 19, 2009 10:20 pm

Nick O wrote:...Time they flatten those tree's & whack some condo's up for the tourists, erect some golden arches, should be just about right. We could send some Kiwi developers over there if they want it completely commercialised (read ruined)

Nick, we have plenty of developers right here capable of turning this into a strip mall, and politicians who would not only sign-off on the project, they would allocate funds and give tax breaks to the developers. So, if you are going to send a particular group of Kiwis by occupation, please let it be your lingerie models, or maybe you could send 1011 women in bikinis to break the Aussie record.

Dennis
p.s. I'm ashamed of myself. Paul makes a nice post, showing admiration for iconic granite formations and venerable trees, and look where I went...

Nick · Post by **Nick** » Mon Apr 20, 2009 6:07 am

kiwigeo wrote:Yeah I cringe every time I get back to Christchurch and see the latest creations the developers have served up..that new block of apartments at Ferrymead sucks big time and the new development at Pegasus Bay is going to end up being a sterile dormitory city.

It's criminal, yeah those apartments don't exactly 'fit in' with the surrounding environment at Ferrymead & the bastards are ruining Wanaka now! Turning it in to Queenstown part 2. Covering the reason for going there (i.e. the view & serenity) with 'apartments'.

Dennis- Thanks for the link, just as breathtaking as Paul's Yosemite picture, another natural wonder

Don't be ashamed either, it bunches my undies too.

Ron Wisdom · Post by **Ron Wisdom** » Mon Apr 20, 2009 12:23 pm

Nice shot. Makes me want to go back, too. I can see "Half Dome" in your photo. Back in '81 (1981), I spent a whole day photographing in Yosemite. I spent two weeks out there in Carmel at an Ansel Adams workshop and came back through Yosemite. A two week block of my life that I would love to relive. Aren't the redwoods amazing?

Ron

Nick · Post by **Nick** » Mon Apr 20, 2009 12:52 pm

Ron Wisdom wrote: Aren't the redwoods amazing?

As a luthier are you looking at them in wonder as mother nature intended, or wondering about the soundboard yeild per tree?

Looks like a truly remarkable part of the globe.

Paul B · Post by **Paul B** » Mon Apr 20, 2009 1:11 pm

Here's a couple more pix from today:

First is El Capitan. The pictures don't do it justice, apparently it rises 3000 feet which I presume is measured from the valley floor. That's nearly 1km high!

Next is the waterfall that can be seen in the first pic in the thread, fed by Martin's hanging valley. I tried to get closer, but man it was wet up close, my daughter thought it was raining. Interestingly (at least for me), was that the closer you got to the base the colder it got. I guess there's a lot of cold air spilling down that fall too, not just water.

Lastly there's a pick of half dome which is further down the valley again. Took a couple of pics, but then had to start heading back to San Francisco - flying home tomorrow.

I've been in the US for about a month now, mostly working on the week days and sight seeing on the weekends. I like the place, but a month is a long time to be away from my back porch. Looking forward to getting back home.

Paul B · Post by **Paul B** » Mon Apr 20, 2009 1:17 pm

Oh, and I was hoping today would be partly cloudy so that I could get some dramatic black and white shots, but was cursed with perfect weather, and the hottest day of the year so far. Damn it.

Nick · Post by **Nick** » Mon Apr 20, 2009 1:21 pm

Thanks for the pix Paul (bastard!

), I'm sitting here at work wishing I was outside now

When it's winter,cold and horrible I go up to the 8th floor of our building here at work and look at the snow capped southern Alps, the view stretching from one end of the building to the other and beyond, just to recharge my batteries.

John Steele · Post by **John Steele** » Mon Apr 20, 2009 1:49 pm

Came across this in 2007 on my way to Canada. Had just exited the NE corner of yellowstone nat'l park, Dropping towards Billing, MT. This pass was at 11,000 ft. I hope to head back that way this August. I just thought it was a great view and thought I would share. I am so glad people come from far away to see California. There is so much here to see! (yes, I am biased!) I live about 6 hours from Yosemite, and 45 minutes from Napa/Sonoma wine country BTW

Paul B · Post by **Paul B** » Mon Apr 20, 2009 1:57 pm

So where does that put you John? Somewhere in the East Bay area?

I've spent most of my time in Mountain View.

John Steele · Post by **John Steele** » Mon Apr 20, 2009 2:19 pm

The wife and I are about 20 minutes west of Sacramento in Dixon, CA

kiwigeo · Post by **kiwigeo** » Mon Apr 20, 2009 6:37 pm

Nick O wrote:Thanks for the pix Paul (bastard! ), I'm sitting here at work wishing I was outside now
When it's winter,cold and horrible I go up to the 8th floor of our building here at work and look at the snow capped southern Alps, the view stretching from one end of the building to the other and beyond, just to recharge my batteries.

Looks like theres snow right down to the foothills.....a bit early for that isnt it?

jeffhigh · Post by **jeffhigh** » Mon Apr 20, 2009 6:49 pm

Been to Yosemite twice, in march 2007 and back in 1978.
Amazing place just freaky being in a cabin with a sheer rock wall 20 metres away.

Nick · Post by **Nick** » Mon Apr 20, 2009 7:54 pm

kiwigeo wrote:Looks like theres snow right down to the foothills.....a bit early for that isnt it?

Shot was taken last year, but we've had some bldi cold weather recently. Couple of weeks ago there was snow on the mountains then the nor-wester came through & it was gone as soon as quick as it had come. The ski fields are hopeful though of an early season start.

kiwigeo · Post by **kiwigeo** » Mon Apr 20, 2009 8:37 pm

Ron Wisdom wrote:Nice shot. Makes me want to go back, too. I can see "Half Dome" in your photo. Back in '81 (1981), I spent a whole day photographing in Yosemite. I spent two weeks out there in Carmel at an Ansel Adams workshop and came back through Yosemite. A two week block of my life that I would love to relive. Aren't the redwoods amazing?

Ron

Ive got the Ansel Adams book series and its got the classic shots he took at Yosemite. Did you get to meet Adams at the workshop? Man that would have been a blast.

Ron Wisdom · Post by **Ron Wisdom** » Tue Apr 21, 2009 5:08 am

kiwigeo wrote:
Ron Wisdom wrote:Nice shot. Makes me want to go back, too. I can see "Half Dome" in your photo. Back in '81 (1981), I spent a whole day photographing in Yosemite. I spent two weeks out there in Carmel at an Ansel Adams workshop and came back through Yosemite. A two week block of my life that I would love to relive. Aren't the redwoods amazing?

Ron
Ive got the Ansel Adams book series and its got the classic shots he took at Yosemite. Did you get to meet Adams at the workshop? Man that would have been a blast.

Yes I did meet him. We spent one day at his home talking with him and touring his darkroom. Wonderful experience. Most of our actual workshop time was with his assistant, John Sexton. One really nice thing about the visit to John Sexton's home and Ansel Adams' home was seeing the actual photographs displayed in their homes. My favorite book of Adams' is "Yosemite and the Range of Light". Magnificent book that cost $100 thirty years ago. There was a traveling exhibit that went with that book and the wife and I drove to Houston to see it. Amazing stuff.

Ron

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Can you guess from the pic where I've been today?

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