Point Lobos Intermission

Actually, before moving on, I'll take a break for some Point Lobos photographs. As I mention in my bio, I've taken hundreds of pictures of this marvelous place over the past 16 years, and here are some samples. As you can see, there is a wide variety of photo opportunities besides the ocean edge of this state reserve. You can see everything from Japanese bamboo brushes to the old and the young enjoying the view!

Here and There in Yosemite

As I get ready to move on to my next National Park, I've brought together a last group of photographs of Yosemite. Please click here to view them.

The Wawona Hotel

I never worked at this hotel, nor really spent much time there. A couple of years ago, we stayed there for a couple of nights with my son, Greg, and his wife, Tracy. The hotel is a National Historic Landmark, and features what I consider a National Treasure, Tom Bopp. Tom plays the piano five nights a week in the lounge. He is not only an excellent musician, but is the unofficial historian of the Wawona area, the music written over the years about Yosemite, and the park's history in general. To learn more about him, click on the link on the left side of this blog page. (Photo of Tom Bopp by L. Radnvch)

Hike to the Summit of Mount Dana

Here's one of the most delightful hikes in Yosemite. You start from the Tioga road above Toulumne Meadows, pass through fields of wildflowers, and soon arrive above tree line.

As you proceed higher, grand Sierra vistas open to view with small lakes and glacial cirques.

Finally on the top of the mountain. The hardest part of the hike is the final several hundred feet in elevation where you are climbing on skree -- loose rock that slips and slides under your feet.

But it is well worth the effort for the view from the top is wonderful. At 13,057 feet above sea level, you can see the crest of the Sierra and look over on Mono Lake.

Also at the summit, there is (was) a metal Sierra Club registry box to sign your name and date of accent. Hey, note my great "hiking boots" and argyle socks. Hush Puppies forever!

Boy's Town

For my first two summers in Yosemite, I lived in a tent in Boy's Town at Camp Curry. The first summer I was the relief clerk at three refreshment stands (two days at each place: Happy Isles, Lost Arrow, and Chinquapin). The second summer I was a room clerk at the Housekeeping Camp.

There was another area at Curry called The Terrace which was in the rocks above the main facilities. The girls lived up there, and any boy caught up there was immediately fired. And the same was true of any girl caught in Boy's Town. My, my, how times have changed.

Here's a photo of myself and my room mate for those two years (and a continuing good friend), Tom Davis. He worked as a cook in the Camp Curry kitchen.

The Jeffery Pine on Sentinal Dome

This famous Yosemite tree was photographed thousands of times during its lifetime. It died during a drought period several years ago, and I think all that is left today are pieces of dead wood.

Here are a few pictures of the tree in its prime and all its glory taken back in the 1950's.