Yosemite National Park – Michael Rappa

California Trip, 2014: Redwoods in Yosemite

August 9, 2021 Michael Rappa

On my way out of Yosemite National Park I stopped for a hike through the Mariposa grove of giant sequoias (aka redwoods). They don’t grow as tall as the coastal redwoods, but they grow wider–some are so massive that their branches actually look like trees themselves. It’s impossible for any photo to do these behemoths justice, but the people in some of the shots below, and the fact that many of the large surrounding trees look like sticks next to the redwoods, help to provide a sense of scale.

Click on any photo to open a gallery.

Yosemite National Park – October, 2014

I thought this was a redwood pine cone because of how enormous it is, but redwoods apparently have small cones, so I’m not sure what type of tree this belongs to.

Yosemite National Park – October, 2014

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California Trip, 2014: The Road Back from Yosemite

November 3, 2020 Michael Rappa

My drive back to San Francisco from Yosemite was quite an adventure. I took a scenic drive along Route 49, also known as the Gold Rush Trail, which winds up and down mountains, featuring beautiful scenery and numerous hairpin turns without any railings. The more treacherous turns are not pictured here because I was too busy trying to stay on the road to think about stopping to photograph them. 🙂

Most of the time I had the entire road to myself. When I stepped outside to take photos it was so quiet that I could hear a pin drop. Overall, it was definitely a detour worth taking. The road continues north well past where I exited; it would be cool to do the whole thing someday.

Click on any photo to open a gallery. The first photo is from the road out of Yosemite, the rest are from Route 49.

Yosemite, CA: On The Way Out of the Park

California Route 49: I would eventually cross that bridge.

There were lots of hairpin turns more treacherous than this one.

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Photo of the Day: Yosemite Reflection

January 24, 2017February 18, 2018 Michael Rappa2 Comments

I recently came across this photo from my 2014 hike through Yosemite Valley and thought it was worth sharing.

Date: 10/18/2014
Camera: Nikon D5100
Click for larger view

You can view more featured photos at my Photo of the Day Collection.

Photo of the Day: Yosemite Tunnel View

August 12, 2015February 18, 2018 Michael Rappa4 Comments

I took this photo at the Tunnel View lookout on my way down to Yosemite Valley. The scene looks so pristine you’d never know that, as I snapped this photo, I was drowning in a sea of selfie stick-wielding people who seemed more interested in taking photos of themselves than of the gorgeous view in front of them.

You can view more featured photos at my Photo of the Day Collection.

Photo of the Day: Yosemite Valley

July 27, 2015February 18, 2018 Michael Rappa2 Comments

This was taken during my hike through Yosemite Valley last year. I think I was on the Cook’s Meadow loop (at least that’s the trail I had been looking for when I started, though I had trouble finding it and just sort of made my way toward the open area). It was a beautiful October day and I had the trail mostly to myself for large stretches.

One thing I like about this photo is how the tiny people in the distance provide a sense of scale to the enormity of the tall tree and surrounding mountains.

You can view more featured photos at my Photo of the Day Collection.

Photo of the Day: Yosemite Mule Deer

May 15, 2015February 18, 2018 Michael RappaLeave a comment

It’s been a long time since I’ve posted a photo of the day, so in honor of Endangered Species Day, here is a mule deer I encountered in Yosemite National Park this past fall along the Yosemite Falls trail, grazing peacefully, completely unafraid of humans. Yes, I realize that the mule deer is not an endangered animal, but since I don’t have any photos of endangered animals, this beautiful specimen of unendangered North American wildlife will have to suffice. 🙂

Here’s hoping for a day when all the world’s creatures will be as unthreatened as this deer.

You can view more featured photos at my Photo of the Day Collection.

Yosemite 2014: The Movie (revisited)

April 25, 2015 Michael RappaLeave a comment

I just discovered that my previously posted Yosemite movie was banned by YouTube from being playable in almost every country in the world, including the United States. Apparently that’s what happens when you use Pink Floyd as your background music. Oh well, lesson learned; back to using classical music in all my videos. This new version features “The Unanswered Question” by Charles Ives, though apparently even classical music occasionally runs up against the long arm of the copyright police–one of my previous videos using a Holst piece is banned in Germany.

Anyway, here again is the compilation of all videos taken during my two-day visit to Yosemite National Park back in October 2014. You can view the HD version by selecting 1080p from the quality settings of the video.

Yosemite in Panorama and HDR

December 9, 2014 Michael RappaLeave a comment

Here are some panorama and HDR photos from my recent trip to Yosemite National Park in California. The tree pics are vertical panoramas taken in the Mariposa Grove of giant sequoias (redwoods), though it’s hard to get a sense of scale since most of these photos don’t have people in them. Click on any image to view a larger size.

The cars in the background give some sense of scale.

Grizzly Giant (one of the largest trees in the world)

View from along Vernal Falls Trail (HDR)

View from my drive back to San Francisco along Route 49 (the Gold Rush Trail).

Photo of the Day: Yosemite Night Sky

October 29, 2014February 18, 2018 Michael RappaLeave a comment

The night sky over Yosemite is amazing. If you live in an area with high light pollution as most of us do, you likely have never seen a sky like this. There are so many stars that you feel like you’re standing on a different planet. I was actually able to see the Milky Way, as well as several shooting stars.

I didn’t have the proper equipment with me for taking high-quality night photos but this shot will give you some idea of what it looked like outside my cabin. I wish my stay had been longer so I could have ventured down into Yosemite Valley one night for even better views, but that gives me something to look forward to when I return one day.

You can view more featured photos at my Photo of the Day Collection.

Photo of the Day: Glacier Point at Dusk

October 27, 2014February 18, 2018 Michael RappaLeave a comment

During my recent trip to San Francisco, I rented a car and headed to Yosemite National Park for a couple of days. My goal had been to drive out to Glacier Point on my first day because I knew I wouldn’t have time on the other two days, but for various reasons I got to the park too late and didn’t reach Glacier Point until after sunset. Consequently, my photos from that night were basically shot in the dark with little to focus on, so I broke out my f/1.8 prime lens and hoped for the best. The resulting graininess from boosting the low light levels made the photos look more like paintings, but I liked the effect, all things considered.

This view of Half Dome from Glacier Point is a composite of two separate photos not originally intended to be a panorama, but the photos were close enough in composition that it worked.

Date: 10/17/2014
Camera: Nikon D5100
Click for larger view

You can view more featured photos at my Photo of the Day Collection.