Monthly archives: July, 2015

A Quick Trip To Yosemite…

I had a number of things I had hoped to get done on this trip and I got all of them started but only a few completed. One of them was staying at a camp site….


Yosemite: The Four Mile Trail…

yosemite-falls-dry-close-up

This trail was carved out in the early 1870s by James McCauly who got a contract from the state to put a toll road up to Glacier Point and build a Hotel. Going up and down, it is a strenuous 9 mile hike, but going down (which I did), it is classified as an easy, 2 ½ hour hike.


Getting Excited About My Next Trip To Yosemite…

Yosemite Selfie

Next weekend I’m going to visit my dad with my brother and help him with some things around the house, but since that’s quite a jaunt for me (he’s in Santa Cruz, CA and I’m in Bullhead City, AZ) I thought I’d break it up with a layover at Yosemite. I’ve been trying to get out there since we moved here last November, but alas, I couldn’t make it happen.


Half Dome and its Shape…

half-dome-close-up-by-jeff-kreider

In view of the recent rock slide from Half Dome, I thought I’d address a curiosity that I’m sure we’ve all had at one time or another. How did Half Dome get that shape? Where is the other “half” What’s with this rock slide business? Am I going to die?


Hetch Hetchy – Unsung Hero of the National Park Service…

Hetch Hetchy Reservoir July, 2014. At the highest level I’ve ever seen.

We already discussed that Hetch Hetchy reservoir was created to service the needs of San Francisco and outlining areas. Also shown was that it was not without good cause. But how did that happen? How could a municipality gain water rights, let alone damming, a river in a National Park? It may seem to be too late to do anything about it now, but is it?


Happy Isles to Nevada Falls Loop…

mist-trail-from-vernal-falls

There are a number hikes that I have taken or would like to take (and one, I have no interest in taking). In this post, I’ll share with you the Happy Isles to Nevada Falls loop. A Month after the Yosemite Falls trip, I tackled this hike. (July 2003)


Josiah Dwight Whitney (1819-1896)

Mt Whitney

Josiah Dwight Whitney was the California State Geologist charged with making a survey of the state to determine if there existed additional mineral deposits. Though many accolades were bestowed upon him, he was, in my opinion, a pompous ass and, therefore, fair game for ridicule.