This, I believe, was the view of Half Dome from Sentinel Dome.
Here is a picture of an odd-looking rock formation. I still think it looks exactly like Snoopy, the World War I flying ace. 
Sunday, February 10, 2013
The Majesty of Yosemite
I think one of the most majestic places that I have ever visited was easily Yosemite. It was simply fantastic! Here are a lot of really good pictures of places within the valley. Keep in mind that the photos simply don't do justice to the place! First off, we have a picture of the valley!
Next, we have a few pictures of El Capitan, taken from the base! In some of the pictures, you can actually see some crazy climbers slowly but surely making their way up the side of the mountain! Apparently, it takes them THREE WHOLE DAYS to make the ascent! And they have to sleep in their harness and do their business in the harness and everything! Even if I wasn't afraid of heights, those both would be deal breakers for me!
At the time of year that we went, the rivers were absolutely swollen with water. Actually, I believe we were there on the day with the highest amount of water running through the rivers!
Here is a picture of Sentinel Dome, where my parents got married!
Now for some pictures of the amazing and gorgeous waterfalls!
Here is a picture of El Capitan off to the left, and then a waterfall on the right. Gorgeous!
The Magic of Mariposa Grove
One of the coolest places that we went while in California was the Mariposa Grove, home to the Giant Sequoias, just a short drive outside of Yosemite. It was absolutely incredible! These trees were just simply massive, you couldn't even begin to get over their enormous size! Here are some pictures of it, with myself, my sister, my father, my mother, and some other random people randomly in there for a size comparison!
We also saw these really cool and weird looking red flowers all over the place! These flowers belong to a plant called the "snow plant," and belong to the genus Sarcodes. Related to the heaths (i.e. rhododendrons, blueberries and cranberries), the snow plant is an interesting parasitic plant. Instead of living off of dead plant and animal material, they infect fungi. However, they don't kill the fungi once its been infected. Instead, the fungi and the flower help each other out in a classic case of mutualism!
Finally, I was really excited by this burnt log that, in my opinion, greatly resembled the devil. Other members of my family thought it resembled a bison more, but clearly they are insane.
The photo credit for all of the photos in this post go to Julie Neher.
Milling About in Muir Woods
When our family visited Muir Woods in California, we were all completely blown away by the immensity and the wonder of the trees. They were simply enormous! The coastal redwood can grow to enormous proportions, and now one really knows exactly how big they can grow. The tallest one, however, is a stunning 379.1 feet tall. That's about the size of a 37 story building. Holy cow. Anyways, I definitely recommend checking out Muir Woods if you are ever in the area, it will definitely make you feel pretty humble!
The photo credit for all of the photos in this post go to Julie Neher.
Sanctuary Spotlight: The Marine Mammal Center
While in San Francisco, my family and I decided to check out the nearby Marine Mammal Center, and boy are we glad we did! It was a really, really cool place, and we got to learn all about the local marine mammals, as well as what is being done to conserve and preserve them! In the picture below, you can see my sister standing next to a life-size statue of an elephant seal!
We also got to see all of the enclosures where the various seals and sea lions are kept while they are being rehabilitated.
We also got to watch (and, in the case of my sister, be a part of!) a really cool and interesting demonstration about how the people who work at the Marine Mammal Center are able to capture wounded and injured seals and sea lions, and bring them in to the center for care!
Photo credit for all of the photos in this post goes to Julie Neher.
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