Seasons of Yosemite

Yosemite National Park can be considered one of the most beautiful national park in California.

In Spring time, thundering sound can be heard as you enter the park after the snow melted, forming into roaring waterfalls. This is the season of waterfalls...



Seasons of Bridalveil Falls:
Early Spring:Bridalveil falls in a blanket of snow (left) and 6 hours later (right)

Bridalveil falls in summer (left) and in late fall (right). Notice the flow is weaker as it approaches winter.


Yosemite Falls: In Spring time (notice the meadow is brown, trees are bare & there are snow patches feeding the flow)

Yosemite Falls: In Summer time (notice the meadow is green, trees bloom & the snow patches have melted)

Yosemite Falls: In Fall time (notice the fall colors & where is the waterfall? Can you spot the marks of the upper Yosemite fall?)


Presenting .... Upper Yosemite Falls (left: early spring; right: late fall)
In fact, it dried up in late Summer....waiting to start its engine again in Spring

Lower Yosemite Falls in summer (left) & Yosemite Falls in spring (right)


During Summer, it is a good idea to visit Glacier Point & Tioga Pass. These 2 places stand at high elevation of over 9000ft and are open during Summer.

Glacier Point provides a panaromic view of the park. Up there, you can see the works of glaciers - U-shaped valley, north dome, royal arches, half dome, and many more formations.

Overlook at glacier point

Tourists admiring at the amazing Half Dome

The Nevada Falls (upper) & Vernal Falls (lower) can be seen here. These are among the many waterfalls you can find in the park. These falls are not snow fed, unlike the Yosemite Falls.


Tioga Pass
Reflections on Tenaya Lake


Tuolomne Meadows in Summer - taken during/after sunset


During Fall, Yosemite has an entirely different look. Beautiful fall colors can be found in/along the way to the park. Most of the waterfalls slow down and some are completely dried up like the Yosemite Falls. The Merced river comes to a still ... the weather turns chilly ... the park is once again freed from the summer crowd and you find yourself in a beautiful surrounding that belongs to you alone.






Bridalveil Falls slowing down its flow rate ...


Sunset in Yosemite - Magical Moment
This shot is taken on one summer evening in Yosemite Valley. This is the natural color of the sky, which lasted for a couple of minutes.

This shot is taken during a fall evening. Taken when the sky is almost dark. Sunset is an extremely short period in fall.

Half Dome - Sunset

North Dome, Royal Arches, Half Dome - Sunset


Sights of Yosemite National Park

Salt Lake City, Utah

A short visit to Salt Lake City is significant to remember how this place gets its name. A very simple mathmatical equation.

First, there is the Great Salt ... Here, you will find the famous Bonneville Salt Flats which hosts Utah's famed measured mile site of world land-speed record runs.

The Bonnville Salt Flats is the most unique natural feature of Utah; this place is so flat that you seem to see the curvature of the Earth and so baren that no life form can exist.

Great Salt

Beyond the Salt Flats, you will see a lake where Antelope Island is situated known as the Great Salt Lake. As its name suggests, it is extremely salty and the largest salt lake in the Western Hemisphere.

Antelope Island on the Great Salt Lake

Finally, the most significant symbol of what makes up the city is probably the Temple Square. Temple Square consists of nearly 20 attractions in 3 city blocks, making it the most popular tourist attraction.

The Salt Lake Temple (below left) is a worldwide icon of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the heart of Temple Square.

Temple

Fair and square, it is easy to see how this city got its name.

Great Salt + Great Salt Lake + City = Salt Lake City

Apple Picker for a Day

Somewhere in California, in the town of Watsonville, there is a farm. A farm by the name of Gizdeich Ranch. Among their growings, they had an apple orchard. And so it came to pass that a group of us descended upon that apple orchard, to become apple pickers for a day.


Let's get to know the staff first. These 2 were the supervisors for the day.


Lesson time. What apples are there? How to pick apples?

Varieties of Apples

"Red Delicious"


"Golden Delicious"


"Newtown Pippin"


If you think that you saw similar apples in the last 2 pictures, you aren't alone. We couldn't really tell them apart. Well, the one above is more golden, and the one below is greener.

How to Pick Apples

This is an apple tree


Don't shake the tree or you will get this


and that will be a waste of money. That will cause the following, where you can see 3 states of decay. And how nature deals with wasted apples.


Try to leave the babies alone. They will fetch a better price when they reach adulthood. The bigger they are, the heavier they are. The heavier they are, the more we can sell them for. So pick the bigger ones. See the photo below on the right for what is meant by "bigger".


Not only humans have conjoined twins. Apples also have conjoined twins. Hmmm ... how shall we separate these two ?


Ok, lesson over. Time to work!

Apple Picking Time

Step 1 : Grip the apple firmly


Step 2 : Give it a hard pull


Step 3 : "apple in hand"


Fruits of our Labor



Job Accomplished !!!

As we were leaving, we saw pumpkins! Which reminds us, Halloween is almost upon us. Better stock up on some treats for kids, who will come knocking on our doors.