I helped Melody frame this shot, getting the snow covered mountain range in the background. I thought it would be more interesting than the bland left side with no snow, although it would have been a million times better if there were a little bit of clouds in the sky.

A few days later, I decided to get some nice city shots within downtown. I selected a location that wasn’t too far from my condo so I could walk there at any given time. These next two pictures were taken with only 30 minutes free time.

If anyone is interested in prints, I have uploaded them to buy. I also am printing out a 20×30 of my previous shot. I will keep people updated on the prints and give everyone a preview of how my digital shots translate to physical images.

The river that probably cuts through the canyon valley. You can only see 5% of the park if you stay around the road, most of this park is backcountry which I hope to venture through in the coming months.

Zumwalt Meadow

Our delicious dinner for the night.

With a couple of brews of course!

The next day was our training day, with a 13 mile hike planned.

The mountain range which accents each other. It kind of reminded be of the mountain formations at Glacier National Park.

There was a wildfire, started by goat, during our stay. They allowed it to be a controlled fire, which would help nourish the environment as well as start a new generation of Sequoia trees.

We arrived at Mist Falls. Melody says I made it look smaller then it actually was; it was pretty big compared to this picture.

The hike didn’t satiate my thirst for the wilderness, so I wanted to approach the bottom of Paradise Valley, unfortunately the road was protected by this fella.

Just minding his own business, eating his berries.

The morning after, the smoke was still in the air, which created an orange glow from the sun.

These are the steps, or an example of the steps that we had to walk up for nearly half the way. It was truly exhausting due to the fact of me carrying all the food, some water, and my tripod. It wasn’t the fact that the hike was hard for me, just all the weight that was bearing down on my legs and back.

On the top of the falls is truly amazing. The pool was crystal and also the falls is simply beautiful.

Our trail then led us to a wonderful view of two peaks. It is Half Dome and unknown to me for the other. Wonderful views have blessed our group, and it was a breath taking hike, both due to the physicality and also due to the picturesque views.

Nevada falls was next up, but out of the way for picture taking. Hidden by trees from the Mist trail, I was forced to take this angle. But the trees do add a touch to this picture. Looking back, we took advantage of all the views we could.

We arrived at the top of Nevada Falls to find a pool forming from the river. It looked so refreshing that I decided to have my feet take a dip. A group picture ensued.

What a beauty, the site of Half Dome. If you zoom into this picture, you can see the cables that run up on the left that allow us to summit this rock face. Simply amazing how the rangers were able to construct this.

Finally at the top, everyone was excited and exhausted. Marisa and Mitch decided to take a nap, while Melody is just trying to hide her sunburned face from the sun.

We rested and took a picture of us at the top. I wasn’t able to get the effect that I wanted to show that we were indeed on top of a half dome.

The crazy cables that I was talking about earlier, instead we were climbing down this time. Peoples needed to sit as we waited for people going up so it is better to sit then stand due to the intense angle of the rock face.

At the end of the day, we were all exhausted from our hike.  We needed some nourishment and water due to our situation so we decided to get two large pizzas, the same as the day before.  After, I convinced the family to go for some star gazing and were able to see lots of activity from the Perseid Meteor Shower.  I wish I had a better foreground picture, but this is what we got with the location we were gazing from.

We decided that we should visit Melody’s friend in Missouri, so we stopped by to get some lunch at Panera. There wasn’t much for me to talk about so I ventured off into the mall that we were eating at and finally fell into Barnes and Noble. I proceeded to learn about swimming, National Geographic pictures, and also a book about getting ready to start drumming. But that was all when they finally found me, where I snapped this shot of the two of them

Well, we only had three more hours until the final destination, which the main attraction was the Tallgrass Prarie National Preserve. There we found a small 1 and 3/4 mile hike, called the southwind nature trail, where we found many different kind of wildflowers. Scared of all the ticks that may infest the grasslands, we walked with caution – looking like goofballs resulting though.

So we stopped by a school, that was right off the trail which was a “basic” school. They did stress this due to its basic architecture and also its basic teachings. I wanted to take a picture of Melody in front of the door with my new lens – suppose to be used at a wedding.

I also loved the cracked paint so I had to get a picture of that. Also accented by the rust on the door knob and key hole.

Well I finally found what I was looking for, or expecting. The wheat grass that was suppose to dominate this field was scarcely found. It was also even harder to take a picture of due to all the wind.

Kind of wishing there was more to offer, we found out that there were backcountry trails that take you to rolling hills and lakes. Well unfortunately you need a permit to hike these trails and also it closes at 3:30. Double losses for us, but hopefully next time!

Well there were many interesting things to photograph at the location. Including this very old gas pump. I just love old things – either rust, paint or just something retro. Glad I got to see it.

We decided that later that night we should try to catch a sunset picture. But was kind of blocked by only being able to walk on the trail given. I told Melody we should just sneak just a little to catch a view of the lake and its glory. Well I guess I found a jewel because the 5 minute exposure picture at the top is what I got. I’m trying to experiment and hopefully will be getting good results later in this trip with some star trails. I got a little bit at the top of this one, just need a slightly longer exposure, maybe an hour or so?