Yosemite Blog

Month: January 2010

  • The Occupation of Mount Conness

    The other day I watched an episode of Huell Howser’s California’s Gold about the Conness Glacier on PBS. Unfortunately that video isn’t available anywhere on the internet but I did stumble across something REALLY interesting, a copy of Overland Monthly and Outwest Magazine detailing the 1890 occupation of Mt. Conness by the team of engineers…

  • Michael Frye Has a New Blog

    Michael Frye, our good friend and author of The Photographer’s Guide to Yosemite , Yosemite Meditations, and Digital Landscape Photography: In the Footsteps of Ansel Adams and the Masters, has moved his blog. You can find his new blog over at http://www.michaelfrye.com/landscape-photography-blog/. If you’ve been thinking about taking a photography class then check out some…

  • Interesting Facts From the Big Meadow Fire Report

    Here are some things I noticed reading the Big Meadow Fire Report from the National Park Service. • It took less than 2 hours for the controlled burn to get out of control. • Spot fires began appearing outside the fire lines less than an hour after ignition. • Ironically one of the goals of…

  • Bad Economy is Good News for Yosemite

    A very crowded Yosemite National Park (2006). Photo by Dolan Halbrook. When money gets tight people tend to do things less expensive like camping, hiking and visiting parks and recreation areas close to home. That belief holds true as Yosemite boasted it’s second highest visitation rate since the park began. Yosemite National Park officials recorded…

  • Stinging NPS Report Says Yosemite Officials Were Overconfident About Ability to Manage Big Meadow Fire

    The Big Meadow Fire burns unchecked. Photo by Edie Howe-Byrne A stinging report just released by the National Park Service about the Big Meadow Fire, which scorched over 7000, required the assistance of 171 personnel and equipment and closed 2 major roads into the park, says Yosemite officials were overconfident in their ability to control…

  • Which Road Should You Take into Yosemite in Winter?

    Highway 120 (Big Oak Flat Road) into Yosemite, New Years Eve 2009. Photo by Janet Crum. I came across this photo on Flickr and it realize that there’s a topic I haven’t talked about yet, which road to take in winter. This is a photo of the Big Oak Flat Road (Highway 120 from San…

  • SF Halts Water Flow from Hetch Hetchy

    O’Shaughnessy Dam releases water from Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. Photo by Inklein. San Francisco is high and dry as the SFPUC cut water delivery from Hetch Hetchy for at least a month. The shutdown is part of a planned outage to allow for maintenance on the aging water delivery system and is expected to last until…

  • Photo of the Day: El Capitan and Oaks by Robert Pearce

    I’d like to take a moment to thank all the people who send in their photos for Photo of the Day. If it weren’t for you fine folks I wouldn’t be able to post awesome photos like this one from Robert Pearce. I really love the warmth of the light and the cold of the…

  • If It Were in Washington D.C. It’d Be National News

    Roughly 60 miles north of Yosemite, Valley Springs California has been the setting for as many as 14 sniper attacks in recent weeks. Fortunately no on has been hurt. When 2 men went on a shooting spree up the interstate highways around Washington D.C. it was national news and on the front page of every…

  • November Ballot Initiative Could Let Bay Area Water Users Voice View on Hetch Hetchy

    A Restore Hetch Hetchy booth outside a Whole Foods store in Noe Valley helps to make Bay Area citizens aware of Hetch Hetchy and gather signatures to get a new initiative on the November Ballot. Photo by Steve Rhodes. San Francisco residents could get the chance to vote on draining Hetch Hetchy Reservoir if a…