Yo-seh-meh-tee (Yosemite)

Yosemite gets crazy amount of people each year, I think the number is in like the millions, I might be wrong, go ahead and correct me if I am. I am not exactly sure what makes this place so famous. It is a really nice looking valley/area compared to the rest of the Sierra Nevada. Nice enough that it makes it on scenery calenders with other locations throughout the world. I'll say some of those other locations are really beautiful. Seems like Yosemite doesn't compare, so I think. I know there is a reason for that. During my short visit, even in the rain, about half of the people there spoke a different language. Not just spanish or some asian language. But something much more foreign, a language that isn't normally heard around here in the central valley. Meaning that people traveled quite some distance to see these sights. Well one day i'll know the reason till then, here are some words and images I shot to show my short unexpected experience.

Its been so so long since I last went to Yosemite, and I finally went. It was unintentional actually. My mom and her husband had some friends from out of state come and visit for a week. They go camping somewhere every time. I don't mind camping but with family it isn't always the best. Any who, we go camping over near Bass Lake. We were out for three days and two nights. The beginning of the last day, I am just anxious to leave for home. We pack up and ship home... I thought. Instead of making the long awaited left turn onto hwy 41, we make a right. =/ A drive for what seems forever, about 40 windy miles up to yosemite. The closer and closer we got to it the cloudier and darker the sky got. As we gained elevation we were pretty much driving in the clouds. seeing all this actually cheered me up a bit. Since usually when you think of Yosemite its always sunny and clear, or snowy white and clear. Not today though. Everything looked super epic. Kinda like out of an old medieval movie. I then didn't really mind this detour.

Yosemite is like a drive through, it just makes this big circle around the park. Starting at the bottom and works its way up around and then back down to the exit. As you drive there are the famous lookout points. Those are the only areas we went to, the whole time it was raining and continually rained heavier and heavier throughout the afternoon.

In person, for some reason the clouds looked way way more "epic". In these images they do not do it its justice. Regardless I think these exposures came out fine. Now I wish we could have stayed longer to walk/explore better sights. Its ok though, yosemite is less than three hours away from my driveway. I can go there any day.