Grand Canyon of Tuolumne River - Upper Yosemite National Park

[Jimr1961]

One of the grandest scenes outside of the valley is the upper Tuolumne River out of Tuolumne Meadow.

The first two are of Waterwheel falls (actually a cascade) about 10 miles down river. The third is Tuolumne Falls about 5 miles down river. There's normally a rainbow around 5pm. Guess what time it was?

[ccphoto]

I love that place. It's been more than 50 years but hard to to close my eyes and not see and feel the rush of water.

[Jimr1961]

:-) I'm glad it brought you for a moment back to that wonderful feeling and sight. It is a truly magical place.

[Donald]

Whey hey - Just over a month to go and I'll be there.

Thanks for the very appetising taster, Jim.

[Shadowman]

Nice shots.

[ccphoto]

Whey hey - Just over a month to go and I'll be there.

Thanks for the very appetising taster, Jim.

We may bump into one another as I will be there in early Sept. after a jaunt through the Tetons, Yellowstone, Banff, CA, the Grand Palouse of eastern WA, the Oregon and CA coastlines, Yosemite, Death Valley, Zion, Bryce, and a lot of stuff in between hoping to beat the first fall snows before heading south again. I'm just waiting for all the school kids to be back at their desks before heading out again, otherwise it is Wal-Mart parking lots.

[Wavelength]

Great shots, Jim !!!

[Donald]

I'm just waiting for all the school kids to be back at their desks before heading out again, otherwise it is Wal-Mart parking lots.

That's exactly why I'm waiting until after Labor Day. I fly out on September 6th and will arrive in the park on the afternoon on 7th.

[Jimr1961]

thanks everyone. Donald, I was hoping you would see them. I'll add a few more this evening. The water will not be running like this, but falls are just a smattering of what there is to see and photograph.

[Jimr1961]

A few more, then done.









Just to whet Donald's appetite a bit ;-)

[Wavelength]

New images added are also very landscapy......

[Jimr1961]

LOL, would love to see these areas during golden/blue hours, but I was there when I was there.

[IzzieK]

Ooohhhh all so beautiful. The first thing that crossed my mind was Donald's upcoming trip...exactly a month! I would have been packed a year ago!!!

Jim, these are all so beautiful...I remember going on a Pace from California to all the national parks in the late 90's (yes! that long ago...) to our destination -- Sheridan, Wyoming -- for the rodeo. It took us days on a leisurely trip. I still have my Passport book as a remembrance from that trip. I had not seen the water scenes like these ones you have here...they are all strong sets and the pp looks great. I also like that you put a human element in one of the falls for the scale.

I will try to plan for exclusively Yellowstone and Grand Canyon next year...thanks for the inspiration.

[Donald]

Just to whet Donald's appetite a bit ;-)

It does. It does.

Spending today just going over my lists again just making sure I've got everything, particularly to get through the entrance gate and get into the country in the first place and then the documentation I need to be able to pick up the rental car.

[Jimr1961]

Donald, Looking forward to photography upon your return.
Izzie, I thought about you when I took that shot with the human element. Yosemite is a big park. To get to this area, you need to drive 120 past the valley to the East end of the park, about 40 miles toward Tioga Pass. Tuolumne Meadow is near the Pass. Then, it's a 10 mile hike along the Tuolumne river. The wonderful thing about that hike early season is that you pass 4 or 5 of these wonderful falls/cascades at the height of their run.

At the turn of the 20th century, John Muir took Robert Underwood Johnson here on a trip to document the mighty river and lobby to save Hetch Hetchy valley from being flooded into a reservoir. Underwood was editor (and I think owner) of Century Magazine published on the East Coast. Muir made several sketches of the area while they were there, then he wrote articles that Underwood published. Using his connections, they lobbied to save the equally beautiful Hetch Hetchy valley, but eventually lost that battle.

We met an older gentleman on trail hiking around with his DSLR looking for the exact locations Muir used for his sketches. He was an interesting man to run into. We told him where we were camped (there are few good places to camp along that stretch of river). The man said he knows the spot we were at. Muir and Underwood camped there. While there was no official name, Muir called it Bear Flat. It was kind of cool knowing we were camping at the very spot Muir had camped. It is still in use by mule teams, but it is hidden. I spotted it down canyon in the distance because I know what I'm looking at. As I moved off trail to check it out, I noticed a faint use trail and mule poop. The mule team erases the trail junction from the main trail so the trail pounders don't see it. Once you hike 20 ft off trial toward the feature, the trail becomes visible.

A bit of California history, perhaps more than bargained for?

[BrianA61]

We may bump into one another as I will be there in early Sept. after a jaunt through the Tetons, Yellowstone, Banff, CA, the Grand Palouse of eastern WA, the Oregon and CA coastlines, Yosemite, Death Valley, Zion, Bryce, and a lot of stuff in between hoping to beat the first fall snows before heading south again. I'm just waiting for all the school kids to be back at their desks before heading out again, otherwise it is Wal-Mart parking lots.

Chris, if you are planning to drive from the Grand Palouse in WA to the Oregon coastline and then head south, you'll probably be blasting right by my neck of the woods. I live just west of Portland. If you haven't seen the Oregon coastline (or CA for that matter), you are in for a treat. Charge up your camera battery and get ready for a workout. The coast is absolutely beautiful. Sept is usually good weather (less fog) along the coast. Happy shooting and safe travels.

[BrianA61]

Jim, great shots. I lived in CA for 24 years but never went to the upper part of Yosemite. Been to the valley and surrounding area a bunch of times. Only lived about 2hrs away from the park.

[IzzieK]

Jim, I used to live in San Diego for a good while too...but I was not really into photography...I was more into snapshots...if you do not mind, I will copy and paste your instruction in getting to the waterfalls so I can prepare for our trip. That was good information you gave us there...It is nice to know a bit more than usual...but that is just me.
Cheers...
Izzie

[JohnRostron]

Great waterfall shots. These are waterfall images as I like to see them - with the shapes and spray visible and not blurred out!

John

[Jimr1961]

Izzie,
send me a pm and I'll give you my e-mail address. I can supply you with exact resources, on-line maps, etc. The waterwheel falls are difficult to get to in one day hike unless you're used to 20 mile round trips, but there are several closer. The one with the rainbow is only about 5 miles in.