Tag Archives: cliff

Point Reyes Headlands

Point Reyes Headlands
Point Reyes Headlands. Point Reyes National Seashore, California. June 1, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Point Reyes Headlands with coastal haze, foreground cove, and Drakes Bay.

I made this photograph in incredibly windy conditions. (I can hear other Point Reyes regulars saying, “duh!” at this point…) It was the kind of afternoon when no tripod is sturdy enough to really hold the camera still – so I waited and shot during relative lulls in the gale. If you look closely at the lower right corner you can see sea lions hauled out on the beach.

keywords: point reyes, national seashore, cove, sea lions, elephant seals, mist, haze, headland, cliff, rocks, surf, ocean, sea, coast, waves, drakes, bay, trees, grass, meadow, beach, landscape, seascape, scenic, travel, stock

Cloud Shadows on North Dome

Cloud Shadows on North Dome
Cloud Shadows on North Dome. Yosemite National Park, California. May 16, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Cloud shadows cross the face of North Dome in late afternoon light. Mt. Hoffman in the distance. Photographed from Glacier Point.

keywords: yosemite, valley, national park, california, usa, north, dome, cloud, shadow, glacier point, mount hoffman, ridge, mountain, snow, tree, forest, afternoon, light, cliff, scenic, landscape, travel, stock, tenaya canyon

Morning, Merced Canyon and Bridalveil Fall

Morning, Merced Canyon and Bridalveil Fall
Morning, Merced Canyon and Bridalveil Fall. Yosemite National Park, California. May 16, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Black and white photograph of morning light on the Merced River canyon leading into Yosemite Valley with Bridalveil Fall in the distance.

If you enter the park via state route 120 and head toward Yosemite Valley, after passing the exit to Foresta you cross a ridge and begin the descend toward the Valley. I almost always stop at this location right after the longer of the three tunnels on this section of roadway and enjoy the view straight up the Merced Canyon toward Bridalveil Fall and a point where the Valley bends to the right.

The more I see this photo, the more I like it. Yosemite is, obviously, a place with quite a few famous and iconic photographic subjects, but I don’t think this view – at least not in these conditions – is one of them. But it is a view that many of us know well, as it is along the main northerly entrance to the Valley and is one of the first open views down into the Merced River canyon and the Valley itself, albeit the lower section.

keywords: california, national park, Sierra Nevada, Spring, Yosemite, valley, morning, merced, river, canyon, rapids, bend, tree, forest, rock, outcrop, cliff, boulder, water, fall, waterfall, bridalveil, three brothers, road, big oak flat, highway, 120, overlook, travel, scenic, landscape, stock

Cloud Shadows on North Dome

Cloud Shadows on North Dome
Cloud Shadows on North Dome. Yosemite National Park, California. May 16, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Late afternoon cloud shadows race across the top of North Dome with Mount Hoffman beyond and Yosemite Valley below. Photographed from Glacier Point.

Mt. Hoffman is one of the most historic locations in the park. It was from Hoffman’s summit that members of the California Survey Party did much of their early mapping work in the 1800s. Today there is almost a trail to the summit – a steep but not overly difficult route (if you are used to off-trail alpine travel) from May Lake.

keywords: california, national park, Sierra Nevada, Spring, Yosemite, valley, north, dome, basket, mount, hoffman, ridge, mountain, snow, glacier point, forest, rock, outcrop, cliff, boulder, overlook, travel, scenic, landscape, stock