Tom Swan's Photo Times

My First Job in Yosemite National Park

2010-11-10T11:29:00.000-08:00

Time to start adding to my blog again. Here are some scanned black and white photos (from negatives) taken in my first summer in Yosemite -- 1956. My job was relief refreshment stand attendant. I worked two days a week at each of the following stands: Lost Arrow located neat the Yosemite Museum, Happy Isles, and Chinquapin Gas Station on the way to Glacier Point. None of these buildings exist anymore. The final photo in this posting is of tent 44 in "Boy's Town" where my roommate, Tom Davis, and I lived for a couple of summers.

By Request -- More pictures of Darioush Winery

2010-06-07T16:50:00.000-07:00

Digital Fun with Digital Photographs

2010-06-06T11:53:00.001-07:00

Back in March, some friends, and my wife, and I visited a winery on the Silverado Trail in Napa Valley. The wild mustard was still in bloom, so I took this photograph looking north through some olive trees.

I do all my photo editing with a Corel program named Paint Shop Photo Pro (the poor man's photo shop). A few modifications on the picture above were made with this program including resizing for use on my blog. Corel also has a program called Painter Photo Essentials which allows you to move beyond normal photographic adjustments. So, just for fun, I took this same photograph,and applied various fine art painting techniques as overlays. Here's the results:

Oh, and by the way, the winery we were visiting is Darioush, and the building architecture is based on an ancient Persian palace. Fits in well with digital oil paintings! See photograph at the bottom of this posting.

Mariposa County: The Heritage - Part 2

2010-04-26T16:33:00.000-07:00

Mariposa County: The Countryside - Part 3

2010-04-03T16:05:00.000-07:00

Mariposa County: The Buildings - Part 2

2010-03-21T15:30:00.001-07:00

Mariposa County: The Countryside - Part 2

2010-03-14T16:16:00.001-07:00

Mariposa County: The Heritage

2010-03-07T11:40:00.000-08:00

Mariposa County: The Buildings

2010-02-27T16:38:00.000-08:00

Mariposa County: The Countryside

2010-02-20T16:13:00.000-08:00

Mariposa County, California

2010-02-15T11:14:00.000-08:00

In the late 1950's, I took several photography courses at San Francisco State College as part of my Industrial Arts major. In one class, the grade was based on a black and white portfolio of photographs taken and developed over the semester. The subject I choose was "Mariposa County" as my wife's parents lived there, and because we visited them quite often, I had a chance to wander the county taking pictures.

Mariposa County is located in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains and includes a portion of Yosemite National Park. It is at the southern end of California's mother lode gold rush area.

In future postings, I'm going to feature many of the photographs from this project. The original negatives were scanned for me by DigMyPics.com, and then I enhanced them using Paint Shop Photo Pro software.

Fort Ross State Historic Park

2010-01-10T15:27:00.001-08:00

Back to some scanned color slides, and yet another "fort". This time it is Fort Ross which was a Russian settlement on the California coast during the first half of the 19th century. My photographs were taken many years ago in the late 1950's if I remember correctly.

Fort Davis National Historic Site - Part 3

2009-12-20T12:12:00.000-08:00

Here's the final group of photographs from Fort Davis. To see additional photographs of the restored Fort Davis today, click here.

Fort Davis National Historic Site - Part 2

2009-12-07T16:09:00.000-08:00

Fort Davis National Historic Site

2009-12-01T15:37:00.000-08:00

In 1961, a year before my first National Park job at Carlsbad Caverns, Fort Davis, Texas, was established as a national historic site. Some of my friends and I drove to this site which is located in the Davis Mountains about 100 miles south of Carlsbad. Here is the first of three sets of black and white photographs I took that day which show the ruins of the fort at that time. Check out the pictures of the fort today which show the wonderful job of restoration that has taken place in the last 40 years.

Yellowstone National Park

2009-11-30T16:22:00.000-08:00

When I moved to my final park assignment in Yellowstone, I had stopped taking slides, and was using color print film exclusively. When I was going through the process of selecting slides to be scanned, I was surprised to discover that I had even taken any slides at Point Reyes.

So, for the moment, the will be no photographs of Yellowstone presented on my blog. I do have several hundred color negatives from Yellowstone days, but don't expect to start sorting and scanning these until next year. Yellowstone photographs are coming, but not for awhile.

But, don't despair! I have slides and black and white pictures which have been scanned -- some of national parks, state parks, and my early college coursework photographs. And of course, there are the digital pictures I've taken since 2002 . . .

Point Reyes - The Finale?

2009-11-15T15:39:00.000-08:00

Point Reyes -- Sea and Surf

2009-11-07T15:59:00.000-08:00

Point Reyes National Seashore

2009-11-02T16:26:00.000-08:00

I moved from coast to coast for my next park assignment -- Point Reyes National Seashore. I spent my high school years (1952 to 1955) living in Marin County and visited the future seashore quite often. In fact, a group of my friends and I actually hunted rabbits with the permission of one of the ranch owners. The National Seashore was established in 1962 by a congressional bill signed by President John F. Kennedy.

I'll start with some "general" photographs which show the diversity of the area.

Intermission -- Speaking of Winter

2009-10-18T15:28:00.001-07:00

Now that I've finished getting my "better" slides scanned, I am now having my black and white negatives from the 1950's and 1960's scanned. Great fun and memories. Since winter is approaching, and some of you have already seen its start in your area, I thought a winter intermission might be appropriate. These photographs were taken after a winter storm in Yosemite Valley during the winter of 1961/1962.

Cape Cod in the Winter - Part 2

2009-10-11T15:53:00.001-07:00

Cape Cod - Here and There

2009-09-14T16:20:00.000-07:00

Here's a group of miscellaneous photographs that don't fall into a group format.

Cape Cod in the Winter

2009-08-30T15:43:00.000-07:00

Cape Cod Harbors - Part 3

2009-08-23T16:16:00.000-07:00

Cape Cod Beach Things

2009-08-16T20:49:00.001-07:00

Cape Cod Architectural Details - Part 2

2009-08-05T15:48:00.001-07:00

Cape Cod Harbors - Part 2

2009-08-02T16:03:00.000-07:00

Cape Cod Sand and Sun

2009-07-26T16:08:00.000-07:00

Cape Cod Architectural Details

2009-07-19T11:44:00.000-07:00

Cape Cod is know world-wide for it's architectural style. I only had one slide showing a complete house, but a number of pictures of details which I'll feature. (The photograph above was in color, but I converted it to black and white as it improved the image.)

Cape Cod Harbors

2009-07-12T15:31:00.000-07:00

Since Cape Cod is fairly flat and covered with trees, except for the grand sweep of the beaches, my eye as a photographer was drawn to details. This was a major change in my photographic "style". Cape Cod's history has always involved fishing, and so here are some harbor scenes.

Cape Cod National Seashore

2009-07-05T15:45:00.000-07:00

My next move was to Cape Cod National Seashore, Massachusetts. My new home was a former private residence on the edge of Nauset Marsh and looked across to the old Coast Guard Station with the Atlantic Ocean beyond. If you check out this map, look for the Salt Pond Visitor Center in Eastham about 2/3 of the way down the page. My house was located almost directly east opposite Coast Guard Beach. Anyway, to start blogging my Cape Cod experience, here are some photographs taken from my "back yard" of the moods of the marsh.

Death Valley Finale -- A Sunset, of course

2009-06-07T11:17:00.000-07:00

Scotty's Castle -- Part 2

2009-05-31T16:24:00.000-07:00

Here's the rest of the "good" slides I took at the Castle. If I ever start getting my negatives scanned, I be able to post additional photographs of this special place in Death Valley.

Death Valley -- The Clouds

2009-05-24T15:54:00.001-07:00

When you live in a desert, you are always aware of clouds because they are so few and far between. In Death Valley, the clouds just pass overhead off to deposit their rain or snow elsewhere.

Also part of Death Valley: Scotty's Castle

2009-05-18T11:04:00.000-07:00

Sixty miles north of Park Headquarters is Scotty's Castle. While I was stationed in Death Valley, these historic buildings were turned over the the National Park Service by the foundation which owned them. Since there were no additional funds yet provided by Congress for the operation, we had a concession company which had contracts in several other national parks, come in to provide tours and limited food service. Unfortunately, the president of that company and my park superintendent took an immediate dislike of each other to the point of not wanting to be in the same room together. So, since "concession management" was in my administrative officer position, I had to play the role of negotiator going back and forth between the two of them. Fortunately they both liked me, so the arrangement at the Castle ended up being just fine. In later years, Congress did provide the money for tour guides and maintenance positions.

Meanwhile, back to the dunes in Death Valley

2009-05-17T10:34:00.000-07:00

Rhyolite -- Part 2

2009-05-12T15:40:00.000-07:00

Here is the last group of slides of the side trip to Rhyolite.

A side trip to Rhyolite, Nevada

2009-05-10T16:26:00.000-07:00

Right outside of Death Valley as you head north to Beatty,Nevada is the ghost town of Rhyolite. Here's some photographs taken in 1971. I wonder how much of the town is left today?

More Images of Death Valley

2009-04-29T16:11:00.000-07:00

Mining in Death Valley

2009-04-18T11:29:00.000-07:00

Starting in the 1850's, considerable mining took place in Death Valley for gold and silver. In 1880, borax was discovered, and there was a large borax mine still operating in the park when I was there. It predated the establishment of the monument in 1933, so remained private land. Most other mines had long since shut down, and were abandoned. Here are some pictures from those mines.

Death Valley -- The Dunes

2009-04-18T11:07:00.000-07:00

Most deserts feature sand dunes. Here's some photographs of the Death Valley dunes.

Death Valley National Monument

2009-04-16T16:09:00.000-07:00

Time to move on to my next park; this time Death Valley. I was only there for two years which was long enough! Not only is it incredibly hot in the summer with many days over 120 degrees, and then only dropping down to 100 degrees overnight, but you have to drive a couple of hundred miles east or west to do any serious grocery shopping, see a doctor, dentist, etc. I particularly remember coming back from a shopping trip to Las Vegas in the summer. It was 114 degrees in Vegas when we left on our way back to The Valley where the temperature was 122 degrees. At that moment, I realized you have to have a screw loose to work at this place!

My Photographic History

2009-04-15T16:11:00.000-07:00

An acquaintance from my days in Yellowstone National Park (1983-1992), recently wrote me a nice note after viewing my blog. Here are his comments:

"Tom,

What a nice blog. Well done. I really like your pictures.  You can always tell when someone is well

versed in composition.  I know from experience that the prints are going to show much more texture

and detail than what we see on our monitors.  I am a rabid B&W fan and thought your Carlsbad pictures

were real stand-outs; but your high contrast skies, especially in Yosemite are proof of your color skills.

Which pictures do you think are your best?  (It’s a question that separates your journey from your

accomplishment, and I am always curious to know how people see themselves.)

Jerry"

Since I only give a brief description in my profile, I thought I’d do a more extensive autobiography of my photographic background and experience. The very first pictures I ever took were in Yosemite Valley in 1948 at the age of 11. I was using a Kodak Brownie box camera. My real journey into photography occurred while I was in high school when my girlfriend’s father was a professional photographer. He worked for large billboard company in San Francisco, but a couple of times a year, he took “school pictures” (pictures of the entire class rather than individual portraits), which he developed and printed in his home darkroom (black and white, of course). On the weekends, I would work with him as he did all the developing and printing. I learned a lot, and this experience started me on my lifelong passion in photography.

My cameras during high school, and throughout college as well, were an Exakta 35mm camera, and a 2 1/4” square twin-lens reflex cameras patterned after the German Rolleiflex (mine was made in Japan as I couldn’t afford the real thing). Many of the earliest slides shown in this blog were taken with the Exakta, and the black and white photos taken at Carlsbad Caverns (1962 to 1963) were taken with the twin-lens reflex. My major at San Francisco State College was Industrial Arts (to be a teacher), but I made my concentration in photography which was in the Art Department which drove the Industrial Arts professors to distraction. I was supposed to be welding things, sand casting items, and making little blocks of wood perfectly square, not taking “snapshots”. The deep background here is that I actually wanted to go into Radio and Television and took several courses in that department as well, but my parents, who were footing the bill for tuition, insisted early on that the only way I could make a living was by being a teacher. And since I had excelled in “shop” (i.e. I behaved myself) in high school, obviously I should become an Industrial Arts teacher. (what folly!).

Back to photography. As mentioned in my profile, I had college photography classes with Jack Welpott as well as John Gutmann, and I became thoroughly grounded in the West Coast School of Photography with Ansel Adams and Edward Weston as two of the guiding lights. In one of the classes, we even visited Adams at his home in San Francisco. My photo classes basically revolved around black and white pictures using various size cameras, and learning the techniques of developing, contact printing, and/or enlarging the results. The largest camera we worked was a 4x5 view camera which had to be set up on a tripod to use. Since then, I rarely, if ever use a tripod, as frankly I don’t have the patience to carry one or set it up. In my photo classes, the closest we came to doing color photography was developing slide film because back then schools did not have all the complex equipment for working with color negatives and prints.

Both of my professors stressed composition, and we spent a great deal of time critiquing famous photographs, paintings, and each other class work. When I break a composition rule, I’m well aware of what I’m doing and why I’m doing it. Black and white images vs. color images can provide quite an discussion. Some of my best color photographs would also make excellent black and white prints while others depend on the colors within to support their composition and strength. I always like something Cole Weston said in defending his taking color photographs – Well, we see in color, don’t we? (or words to that effect). As with any photographer, the more pictures you take, the better the work becomes. It is not only technically better, but the person is able to see photographs all around them even in some mundane situations. Many people, including myself, develop “a style” in their work as they mature. My style will become more evident my blog as I start showing my later photographs

In my second year of college that I got a summer job in Yosemite working for the concessionaire (see earlier in my blog). Suddenly, I was in the other home of Ansel Adams and surrounded by the same beauty of the Sierra Nevada where many of his famous photographs were taken. Actually when I look back, I am amazed how few black and white photographs I took while I was there, but that was partly controlled on whether I had a darkroom available when I got back home to do the processing. I did collect some of the necessary equipment, but could never quite get setup with a “bathroom – over the tub” darkroom. Later in the parks, I was limited to the two areas, Carlsbad Caverns and Death Valley (1970 to 1972), which had a darkroom as part of the NPS facilities which I could use. Many of the parks owned a Crown Graphic 4x5 cameras (which didn’t require using a tripod), and because of my past experience, I usually became the unofficial official photographer for the area.

In the mid-1960’s, some mail-in labs appeared that would process and print black and white film, and by that time I had moved totally to the use of 35mm cameras for both black and white film and color slides. Mail-in for color print film processing was also available, but was still quite expensive compared to the other two films. Until I switched to digital cameras in 2002, I always had two 35mm cameras. My real workhouse which I bought while at Cape Cod (1972 to 1976) was a Pentax MX single lens reflex along with a couple of zoom lens. I also had a Minox 35ML fixed focal length camera.

While at Harper’s Ferry (1964 to 1967), I had decided I didn’t like the way of showing my photos to others via the old routine of setting up a screen and projector, and giving a “slide talk”. Instead, I started making up large format Gibson scrapbooks (14” x 12” x 3”) with my prints which I could set on a guest’s lap, along with a good stiff drink, and let them see my pictures at their leisure. So far, I have 41 volumes in my scrapbook series – a visual diary! What has really surprised me in putting together this blog using primarily old slides is that I was even taking slides in addition to color print film all the way thru my time at Point Reyes (1976 to 1983).

In the spring of 2002, I started the switch to digital. It wasn’t long before I gave up film altogether, and sold my old film cameras and lens. After going through several digital cameras as they rapidly improved, I currently use a Fujifilm S-9000 super zoom, and a Canon G10. And what a delight it is to work in a “lightroom” rather than a darkroom. I use Paint Shop Pro X2U for my photo editing, and obtain terrific results even when the initial exposure was less than perfect.

Now Jerry, regarding my "best" photographs – many of the slides shown on my blog were my "best" at the time. If you (and others) click here, I’ll feature some of the photographs that I've taken in the past few years that are now my current best. Thank for asking!

Point Lobos Intermission -- Bird Rock

2009-03-16T11:21:00.001-07:00

Here's another break from the old slides of the past to current photographs made with a digital camera. Once again, the subject is Point Lobos and involves a walk out to Bird Rock at the southern end of the Reserve. These pictures were taken in June of 2006 (time does fly). The Rock is an island and hugh nesting area for seagulls, cormorants, pelicans, and other sea birds. To see the rest of the walk and do some serious bird watching, please click HERE.

Final Visit to Tonto National Monument

2009-03-01T11:12:00.001-08:00

Muir Wood - The Rest of the Slides

2009-02-28T17:33:00.000-08:00

As mentioned in an earlier post, the DigMyPics slide and film scanning service is back in business. So, I was able to get the rest of my Muir Woods slides scanned. There were not many, but here they are including George C. Scott resting between scenes (see previous post). Photography in Muir Woods is extremely difficult because of the extremes in lighting. Even digital cameras have trouble with the high contrast, but by taking more than one photograph of the same scene at different exposures, software can correct the problem.

Harpers Ferry -- And Last, but not Least

2009-02-28T16:45:00.000-08:00

Just about 100 years before I arrived at Harper's Ferry, my boyhood (and adult) hero rode through the streets of the town. The town changed hands several times during the Civil War and on this date, the place was under the control of Federal troops. General Custer in 1864 was 25 years old, and had become a brigadier general at 23. The following year, he was promoted to major general, and given a command of a cavalry division under General Phil Sheridan. He remains the youngest person to ever achieve the rank of general in the American army.

Harpers Ferry and the Railroads

2009-02-21T15:10:00.001-08:00

Two railroads, the Baltimore & Ohio, and the Winchester & Potomac converge at Harper's Ferry, and pass over a couple of bridges to the Maryland side of the Potomac. The W & P line passed right behind our house on curved tracks, and made the most wild screech of iron wheels on iron track as it slowly moved by. And, of course, their freight trains usually came through in the middle of the night! However, there was an advantage having the trains right there -- you could take a passenger train directly to Washington, D.C. and back.

Harpers Ferry -- The Seasons

2009-02-20T21:18:00.000-08:00

Ah yes, the four seasons at Harper's Ferry. Summer, winter, fall and spring. Click here for more seasonal photographs.

Harpers Ferry Buildings and Other Details

2009-02-18T15:57:00.000-08:00

Here's a few photos of some of the architectural details of Harper's Ferry. The sign above was also part of the Harper's Ferry scene -- remember I was there during the psychedelic 1960's! (For other "detail" pictures, click here.)

Harpers Ferry National Historical Park

2009-02-14T16:20:00.000-08:00

Harper's Ferry is located at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers in West Virginia. Directly across the Potomac is state of Maryland, and across the Shenandoah is the state of Virginia.

Harper's Ferry is most famous for John Brown's raid in 1859. Since a Federal arsenal was located here, Brown and his men (including Harry Flashman) hoped to seize the arsenal weapons and ultimately arm slaves for a rebellion to obtain their freedom. They held the town for 36 hours until they were either killed or captured by U.S. Marines commanded by Robert E. Lee.

Over the course of the Civil War, the town changed hands several times, and the armory was destroyed. Now the lower part of the town by the rivers is part of the National Park while the upper area is privately owned and features shops that cater mostly to tourists.

While working there, our quarters were the entire second floor of the Master Armorer's House (shorter building facing the street in the left hand photo below) which was built in the 1850's. The first floor was a museum displaying the firearms produced at Harper's Ferry while it was a Federal armory.

Yosemite National Park Interlude

2009-01-07T16:31:00.000-08:00

Just to break up my progression through the parks where I lived and worked, here are some current Yosemite photographs. At the end of last October, I attended an employee reunion in Yosemite Valley. The Fall colors were even better than I remembered from when I worked there. So, for a couple of days, I took a couple hundred digital pictures, and here are a few of the best.

For a few more photographs of this wonderful Yosemite season, click here. Just left click on any of these pictures to see the photo in a larger size.

Muir Woods National Monument

2008-11-04T10:01:00.000-08:00

I was stationed at Muir Woods for three years, and WOW actually had my job title changed from Administrative Assistant to the exulted title of Administrative OFFICER.

I have some slides of the park, but they haven't been scanned to CD as yet. The company I've been using for scanning, DigMyPics.com, suffered a terrible fire back in May, and I was lucky as I didn't have any slides with them at the time. They had some 100,000 slides and negatives when the fire took place, and have spent the last several months salvaging what images they could save from their servers. They did such a fine job of scanning for me that I've waited until they were back in business again (which seems to have taken place in the past couple of weeks), so now I can continue have my slides scanned.

In the meantime, I will feature one photograph from Muir Woods in this post. While I was working there, two different movie companies were allowed to film some scenes in the Woods. The first film was "Petulia" starring George C. Scott, and he was there for the filming. The film director was Richard Lester. The second film was "Finian's Rainbow" starring Fred Astaire and Petula Clark, and was directed by Francis Ford Coppola (yes, even he did have some flops). All these people came to the Muir Woods "set", and the one photo here is of yours truly enjoying a moment with Petula Clark.

Point Lobos Interlude - More rocks and sand

2008-09-23T20:41:00.001-07:00

Tonto National Monument - Part 2

2008-09-23T20:07:00.001-07:00

By far, the nicest aspect of living at Tonto was being in the Arizona-Sonoran desert. Having seen many, many, "nature" programs on PBS over the years, I'm convinced this desert is the most beautiful in the world with its wonderful variety of flora and fauna including the iconic giant Saguaro cactus.

Tonto National Monument

2008-08-30T15:56:00.000-07:00

My first assignment as an administrative assistant was at Tonto National Monument in central Arizona. Tonto was set aside to preserve the ruins of the Indian cliff dwellings found there.

There was a "huge" staff at Tonto: the Superintendent, Park Ranger, Maintenance man, and myself. But we also hired a couple of seasonal employees in the summer.

During the year I worked there, a new visitor center was built (see picture above), and we had a brush fire started by a thunderstorm that burned off almost half of the monument acreage. When the fire was out, I was sent up in a helicopter (first time and scared to death) to take record photographs of the burned areas. The black and white photo in this group of the upper ruins was taken on that airborne journey. I was using a 4 x5 Speed Graflex camera.

Another Point Lobos Intermission - Rock & Sand

2008-08-24T22:03:00.001-07:00

So Long to Carlsbad Caverns

2008-08-17T15:43:00.001-07:00

Moving On!

Once again, it became time for a change. At Carlsbad, I realized I really wasn't cut out for "ranger" work particularly the police aspect. And this was in the days well before rangers had to carry guns and to attend special Federal Law Enforcement Training schools to do their jobs.

But while I was at Carlsbad, I learned that each park had an Administrative Officer position responsible for personnel, procurement, the park finances, property management, park housing, and other fun stuff. He/she also sat at the right hand of god - The Park Superintendent -- and as such was a principle adviser.

So, I took the Federal Entrance Exam again, and this time I passed! As a result, lo and behold, an offer came along asking if I wanted to transfer to Tonto National Monument in Arizona as the Administrative Assistant (officer). The answer of "yes" is now part of history as I remained an administrative officer living in eight different parks for the remainder of my 30 year career in the National Park Service.

Please enjoy some final black and white Cavern photographs.

The Guides at Carlsbad Caverns - 1963

2008-08-17T15:22:00.000-07:00

What a group! (This photo was taken a few months after I left to my next assignment). Some of these people went on to full Park Service careers while others went off into other "endeavors".

Bob Kaune (far right in the middle row) left the NPS after a several years, and started his own business selling antique tools. With the arrival of digital cameras, he took up fine art photography as well (See Websites and Blogs section on left hand side of this page).

Bob Barbee (second from the right in the top row) went on to spend his entire career in the National Park Service, and ultimately retired from the position of the NPS Alaska Regional Director.

The three ladies pictured were local town of Carlsbad folks who stayed in the NPS but choose to remain guides at the Caverns. Also pictured is Harry During, the Park Superintendent at the time (second from the left in the front row).

Photography at Carlsbad Caverns

2008-08-10T16:49:00.001-07:00

Back in the "good" old days of film, cave photography was a challenge. The rooms in Carlsbad are so hugh that a flash was useless.

For color photography, you had to use a special film made to produce the correct colors when shot in artificial light. If I recall correctly, even that film had a problem with long exposures. But here are a couple of color photos taken up close with a flashgun.

Primarily I took photographs with black and white film with the camera mounted on a tripod using the artificial lights installed to illuminate the Caverns for the park visitors. Guides were able to go into the Caverns after tour hours, so long exposures were possible.

Carlsbad Caverns National Park

2008-08-04T12:08:00.000-07:00

I worked at Carlsbad for a year, and figured I walked 1,500 miles on tours of the cave. Guides had other duties as well such as parking lot control, information desk person, and of all things, digging out irrigation ditches on land owned by the park as part of a water rights dispute (I wonder if that issue was ever settled).

Note: I scanned these photographs from old black and white prints which I took of these formations while I was working at the park.

The National Park Service

2008-08-03T15:38:00.000-07:00

While living and working in Yosemite, I decided I wasn't cut out for the hotel business (who likes working a 60 hour work week -- not me), but I realized there was another group of people who lived in the park who worked for the National Park Service. By then, I was also taken with the whole idea of National Parks and all the reasons to preserve and protect them. I could become a Park Ranger!

So, in 1958, I took the Federal Service Entrance Exam and flunked. (Even if I had passed, there were very few openings available, and they were being filled by veterans who receive preference in the Federal hiring system.) However, I soon discovered there was a "back door" to getting into the NPS -- start as a Park Guide at Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico. So, I then took what amounted to a minor in geology at SF State to help me qualify for a guide position.

It wasn't until the spring of 1962 before the guide test was even given, but hurrah, I passed this time (actually a really easy test). And by then, I was known by certain NPS people in Yosemite who recommended me for employment, so much to my delight and happiness, I received my first National Park Service position at Carlsbad, and reported there on June 10, 1962.

Point Lobos Intermission

2008-07-30T11:02:00.001-07:00

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

2008-07-16T12:03:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-12T10:25:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-09T12:11:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-06T11:36:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-05T16:17:00.000-07:00

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.

Climbing Half Dome

2008-06-11T21:21:00.000-07:00

51 years ago, I climbed Half Dome. And I did it in one day -- 16 miles round trip from Yosemite Valley. Why in one day? Well back in 1957, concessionaire employees only got one day off a week!

The friend who went with me took one look at the cables you have to climb to get to the top, and decided he had gone as far as he was going to go. So, off I went to the "summit" along with a few other people making the journey that day.

There is a large flat area on the top, and I suppose there were all of six or seven other folks up there when I arrived. Today, you have to stand in line just to get on the cables, and there are dozens of people on the summit at any one time. (For a current views of the top of Half Dome, check Google Earth.)

As an aside, I made the hike in Hush Puppy shoes, and as you might imagine, I had a spectacular set of blisters at the end of the day. Of course, it didn't help that I soaked my feet in the Merced River to cool them off on the way back to the Valley. Back then, there were few "hiking" boots available, and they were very very expensive.

To the left is a photograph of Cloud's Rest taken from Quarter Dome which is on the approach to Half Dome.

This photograph was taken from either Half Dome, or more likely Glacier Point (I can't seem to figure out which), but gives you a good idea of "the view" from the top.

The Moods of Yosemite Valley

2008-06-08T16:58:00.000-07:00

(Click on photo for larger version)

The Firefall

2008-06-03T20:59:00.000-07:00

During the summer months prior to 1962, each evening featured the "firefall" off of Glacier Point.

Late each afternoon, company employees from Glacier Point Hotel would build a fire of red fir bark at the edge of Glacier Point. Over the course of the evening, it was allowed to burn down to a pile of embers.

Directly below Glacier Point at Camp Curry, there was an evening live stage performance of various musicians and music groups. At 9:00 p.m., a designated caller would shout out, "Hello Glacier", and Glacier Point called back, "Hello, Camp Curry". The Curry person would then holler back, "Let the Fire Fall", and Glacier would respond, "The Fire Fall". The glowing embers would be pushed over the edge, and instead of a waterfall, there would be a "firefall". The firefall would only last a few minutes, but it was something to behold.

Yosemite Lodge

2008-06-02T08:07:00.000-07:00

The two winters I stayed in the park, I worked here. First as cafeteria manager 1958-59, and then as the Lodge assistant manager 1961-62. Being cafeteria manager quickly convinced me that I never wanted a career in food service. That particular winter, the Lodge cafeteria was the only facility serving food besides The Ahwahnee. So, 95% of all the visitors ate in the cafeteria which was open from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m, and if anything could go wrong, it did! The only saving grace was the chef, Earl Pierson, who ran the kitchen part of the operation (by the way, his brother, Fred, was the chef at The Ahwahnee). Anyway, Earl was an old hand, and kept me from going insane when things went to pieces before my very eyes!

During my tenure as assistant manager, I gained one distinction: I was the first person to have the radiant heat turned on under the walkways between the buildings. Normally when it snows on the Valley floor, the temperture is around 35 degrees, and the snow is heavy and wet, and doesn't blow around. On this particular day, it was a dry blowing snow, and the temperture was in the mid-20's. The snow blew into the walkways, and was turning to ice as visitors walked on it. Big safety issue. The answer: Turn on the heat!

Glacier Point Hotel

2008-06-01T20:53:00.001-07:00

I never worked at this hotel, and sadly it caught fire in the 1960's, and by the time the fire trucks arrived from Yosemite Valley, it had burned to the ground. The fellow who ran the Yosemite Ski School at Badger Pass in the winters, Nic Fiore, was the manager of this hotel in the summers (it was only open during summers).

My connection with this hotel revolved around the "Blue Moon Formal", an annual summer dance put on for the seasonal employees. As the student council president one summer, I was instrumental in having the dance held here that year rather than the traditional location of The Ahwahnee tennis courts. I don't even know if the "Blue Moon Formal" even exists anymore.

Badger Pass Ski Area

2008-06-01T20:47:00.000-07:00

While I was in college and only going to Yosemite in the summers, I did go up to the park for a two week stint during one Christmas season. I was a busboy here at Badger Pass during the day, and also at The Ahwahnee for the dinner meals. It was during this time that I was a busboy during the Bracebridge dinner.

The Ahwahnee Hotel

2008-05-28T15:57:00.001-07:00

I worked here in a variety of jobs: room clerk, host in the dining room, and even a busboy at The Bracebridge Dinner* Some employees working at the hotel had meals as part of their salary. We ate in the "sidehall", a dining room off of the dining room kitchen. And Wow, what great meals being the same food the hotel guests received, although sometimes from the day before. But, sure enough, some employees complained . . .

*In 2000, my wife and I attended The Bracebridge Dinner as guests of the Honorary Squire, Robert Barbee, and enjoyed this Christmas pageant from the other side of the swinging doors leading to the kitchen.

The Housekeeping Camp

2008-05-27T16:26:00.001-07:00

The Housekeeping Camp was one of the places I worked during my summers in Yosemite. The camp consists of tents with wood stoves and cooking utensils while Camp Curry up the road provided tent "cabins" alone. The Housekeeping Camp could accommodate as many people as Curry or Yosemite Lodge. I started there as a room clerk, then chief clerk, and finally as manager for three summers. If you got a tent along the Merced River, you had a nice view of Half Dome and/or Yosemite Falls.

Yosemite Valley in Winter

2008-05-26T10:38:00.000-07:00

My first National Park experience! I worked for the Yosemite Park & Curry Company for six summers and two winters. I had all sorts of jobs from refreshment stand attendant my first summer in 1956 to assistant manager of Yosemite Lodge my final winter of 1961-1962.