DAY 6

The sky was bright and sunny today giving us a most pleasant drive to Yosemite Park this morning. Along the road we passed many motorists who had pulled off to the roadside to take pictures of the colorful autumn leaves. The mornings were getting nippy and in another week or two the leaves will all be in their full glory of color.

Today we plan on visiting some of the places in the park which were shrouded in clouds yesterday. I also want to visit the giant Sequoias in Mariposa Grove which is about thirty miles from Yosemite Valley.

On the way to Mariposa Grove we pass by the cutoff to Glacier Point, a popular destination which gives great views of Yosemite Valley, Half Dome and the Yosemite high country. The road was undergoing some renovation and would not be opened for another hour. If we continue on to Mariposa by the time we finish, we can return to Glacier Point and the road should be open.

We drove on through the small town of Mariposa to the entrance of Mariposa Grove. As usual our luck prevailed and the parking lot was closed for maintenance. They had a bus service which would take you on into the grove, but it was just leaving as we arrived and there would not be another one leaving for an hour. Swallowing our pride, we returned to Glacier Point in hopes that the road would be open by the time we got there.

The road was open and when we arrived at the lookout point, there were only a few people there. Quite a change from the hundreds of visitors you would expect on a sunny summer day. The view panorama delivered everything the brochures said it would. The entire Yosemite Valley was laid at your feet. Half Dome, El Capitan, and Yosemite Falls: because of the heavy rains last week all the falls had an ample amount of water flowing over them. We lay back on the warm rocks and let the sun lull us into a deeper appreciation of the deep spiritual beauties of the area.

Leaving Glacier Point we returned to Yosemite Valley and visited the Valley Visitor Center and the Ansel Adams Gallery. Ansel Adams had always been one of my favorite photographers; such detail, lighting and content. I fancy that my photographs are a lot like his.