Mariposa Grove

John Muir's three-night camping trip with President Theodore Roosevelt in 1903 could be considered the most significant camping trip in conservation history. He was able to persuade Roosevelt to return Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Grove to federal protection as part of Yosemite National Park. The trip would have a lasting impact on the president. "There can be nothing in the world more beautiful than the Yosemite, the groves of the giant sequoias...our people should see to it that they are preserved for their children and their children's children forever, with their majestic beauty all unmarred," said Theodore Roosevelt. We had not stopped to see this grove on any of our other trips to Yosemite. It was a worthwhile quick stop. - Nancy

"More Big Stone"

When our son Doug was two we took him camping in Yosemite Valley. He loved throwing small stones into lakes, steams and puddles. His vocabulary was still limited and Ron and I were amazed when he looked at El Capitan in Yosemite Valley and pointed and said, "More Big Stone." That's not a bad description of Yosemite. Here's naturalist John Muir's description of Yosemite: "But no temple made with hands can compare with Yosemite. Every rock in its walls seems to glow with life... as if into this one mountain Nature had gathered her choicest treasures." - Nancy

El Capitan on the left - "More Big Stone"

One Last View When Leaving the Valley

"No temple made with hands can compare with Yosemite. Every rock in its walls seems to glow with life...Awful in stern, immovable majesty, how softly these rocks are adorned, and how fine and reassuring the company they keep: Their feet among beautiful groves and meadows, their brows in the sky, a thousand flowers leaning confidingly against their feet, bathed in floods of water, floods of light..." - See more at: http://www.seeyosemite.com/john-muir-quotes.html#sthash.SMVtW3FD.dpuf

"No temple made with hands can compare with Yosemite. Every rock in its walls seems to glow with life...Awful in stern, immovable majesty, how softly these rocks are adorned, and how fine and reassuring the company they keep: Their feet among beautiful groves and meadows, their brows in the sky, a thousand flowers leaning confidingly against their feet, bathed in floods of water, floods of light..." - See more at: http://www.seeyosemite.com/john-muir-quotes.html#sthash.ALwsEZrK.dpuf

"No temple made with hands can compare with Yosemite. Every rock in its walls seems to glow with life...Awful in stern, immovable majesty, how softly these rocks are adorned, and how fine and reassuring the company they keep: Their feet among beautiful groves and meadows, their brows in the sky, a thousand flowers leaning confidingly against their feet, bathed in floods of water, floods of light..." - See more at: http://www.seeyosemite.com/john-muir-quotes.html#sthash.ALwsEZrK.dpuf

"No temple made with hands can compare with Yosemite. Every rock in its walls seems to glow with life...Awful in stern, immovable majesty, how softly these rocks are adorned, and how fine and reassuring the company they keep: Their feet among beautiful groves and meadows, their brows in the sky, a thousand flowers leaning confidingly against their feet, bathed in floods of water, floods of light..." - See more at: http://www.seeyosemite.com/john-muir-quotes.html#sthash.ALwsEZrK.dpuf

Taking Pictures in Yosemite

On Monday our only full day in the park we took a photographer-led class given by the curator and resident photographer of the Ansel Adams Gallery in Yosemite. We had fun trying the take great pictures but none can match the majesty of being in Yosemite. Which picture of Half Dome do you like best? - Nancy

Yosemite - Ron's Favorite National Park

Yosemite Falls in Background

As we headed to Tucson for the months of December and January we stopped for two nights in Yosemite National Park. We were blessed with wonderful weather. On Sunday after we arrived we hiked to the Ahwahnee Hotel. The hotel opened in 1927. The dining room is 130 feet long and 51 feet wide, with a 34 foot ceiling supported with rock columns creating a cathedral like atmosphere. The food was delicious. -Nancy