Yosemite Blog

Alex took this awesome picture of a coyote in Yosemite National Park. Coyotes abound in the park at the lower elevations and are very used to humans.

Like all animals in the park you should be mindful of their presence and protect your food. Not for you, for them. Animals receiving even the smallest bit of human food can become dependent on human hand-outs and trash. Sometimes they can be reconditioned to eat their native food but there have been instances where they had to be destroyed to protect the human visitors in the Park.

Thanks again for letting me use your photo, Alex. Great shot.

I found this story online and quickly emailed the author and asked if I could use his story as well as a picture on Yosemite Blog. He said yes and even pointed me towards an album with more of his photos from his adventure. Ryan is an awesome writer. Here’s a short excerpt from his story.

Ryan: “This past weekend I had the pleasure of returning to the south fork of the Merced River with five good friends. My first adventure in that area happened almost exactly a year ago and marked a turning point in my emerging identity. It also ended with all parties being covered in poison oak, something I hope we avoided this year. Time will tell (no breakouts yet!).

What a difference a year makes! Last year the temperatures were in the 90s, and much of the hillside vegetation had already turned a monochromatic brown. On Saturday morning we awoke in a carpet of purple flowers. Everywhere you turned the landscape was exploding in vivid hues of orange, red, yellow, green, blue, and purple. I thought nothing could surpass my hike in Mt. Diablo State Park, but was more than happy to be proved wrong in such a short time!

To back up a bit - we left San Francisco around 8pm on Friday night, stopping in Oakland to pick up the last member of our party. The drive to the trailhead took just under 4 hours, with the last 45 minutes or so a white-knuckled ride down some very twisty roads. Around the time my eyelids started getting heavy, we arrived at Savage’s Trading Post.

After 15 minutes or so of organizing gear, we threw on our packs and started hiking. This time around we encountered no skunks, and only saw one or two red salamanders. In no time at all we arrived at our first campsite, quickly setting up our resting place for the night. Sleeping pads rolled out and food hung in the trees (keeps the bears away), we drifted off into dreamland.

I awoke the next morning to the gentle roar of rushing water. I turned my head and saw a carpet of purple and green around my sleeping bad. Wildflowers were blooming everywhere, and in a quantity and variety I had never seen!”

Now go read the rest of it over at Ryan’s site.

Nice job and thanks again, Ryan.

Sorry I’m a little late. I had a computer upgrade on Sunday and didn’t get around to changing the poll until today. Do you remember last weeks poll, “If you only had one picture left in your camera, what would you take a picture of in Yosemite?” B y 42% “The View From The Top Of Half Dome” was voted to be the most likely recipient of that last shot.

Do you have something you’d like to ask the readers of Yosemite Blog? Send me your poll. Direct your emails to loyd@yosemiteblog.com.

NPS snow plowing progress for May 3rd, 2005 for the Tioga, Glacier Point, and Badger Pass roads.

Tioga Road
Starting location: 10.6 miles from Crane Flat Gate
Ending Location: 11.9 miles from Crane Flat Gate
Distance plowed today: 1.3 miles
Snow depth: 12 feet

Glacier Point Road
Update for May 2
Starting Location: 2.5 miles from Badger
Ending Location: 2.7 miles from Badger
Distance plowed: .2 miles
Snow depth: 5 feet

Badger Pass
No progress today due to major equipment problems.

There are a lot of factors that affect plowing of the Tioga and Glacier Point road. Many of those involve the safety and well being of the workers. Some of the factors include:

• Avalanche zones (26 potential areas). The Olmsted Point avalanche zone requires a lot of work, including application of charcoal over the snow to help with melting and blasting the snow slab to make it safer for personnel.
• Heavy snow pack slows the whole operation.
• Trees that have fallen across the road and been buried in the snow. These can cause substantial damage to the equipment and result in a stop to all operations until they’re cleared.
• Rock slides buried by the snow. These can cause substantial damage to the equipment and result in a stop to all operations.
• Snow storms during the opening require a stop to Tioga Road operations and in order to plow and sand the park roads.
• Road repairs and ditching and brushing operations once snow has melted back enough.

Remember, always keep a watchful eye for snow removal equipment and road crews when visiting the park during the spring months.

Headed up to Yosemite Valley on Highway 140 out of Merced and Mariposa? Be prepared for a short wait.

Road crews are busily patching and sealing the El Portal road between the Big Oak Flat Road Junction and the Yosemite View Lodge just outside the park entrance. The road work is scheduled to take place Monday through Friday May 2nd to May 25th. Delays are expected to be about 30 minutes.

No road work is scheduled during the weekends but drivers using the 140 route should be extra careful.