Yosemite, The Falls and the Leaning Tree

(2 photos)

During the past 50 years, we’ve visited Yosemite 10 or 15 times, in every season of the year. I don't remember the year — or even the decade — but we did see this huge leaning tree during multiple visits, in different seasons. This slide is dated Sept. 1967, but I still have no idea which photo was taken first

One wintertime we detoured from our drive to Los Angeles from San Francisco, and visited Yosemite for a couple of hours. The problem — and the added beauty — resulted from a heavy snowstorm. Why we continued we don’t know, but with the rise and fall of the highway, the change in altitude as we approached the Park and after we left, I was required to put chains on the tires, and off again, five times, within just a couple of hours, and 30 or 40 miles. It wasn’t just my choice, there were Park Rangers at appropriate wide places in the road, making sure every vehicle was properly equipped. But the beauty of the snow draped trees, made it all worth while.

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Hey, look what I found — another scene, another season. . If you really care, I guess you could somehow measure the trees in both photos, then — well, if you have the time and inclination to do that, you just need to find something worthwhile to do with your time!!!

We have arrived and left Yosemite on route 140 (Merced), route 120 (Manteca), and have driven — several times — both east and west on the Tioga Pass, to route 395, far to the east. We have spent nights in the Wawona Hotel, the Yosemite Lodge (near the Yosemite Falls), and several nights in our trailer or RV, in a couple of the many campsites in Yosemite. Several times we just visited for a few hours, and did not spend the night in Yosemite.

There are just so many beautiful scenes in this National Park, it’s impossible to say any scene is the best, the most interesting, or whatever. They are just different, even if you take a photo of the same scene on a different year or a different season.