Yosemite: Approaching Bridalveil Fall

(Continued from Yosemite: Leaving Hetch Hetchy)

Featured Photo: “Sister Emerging from Split Rocks”  Yosemite National Park, California—2023

Following our brief sojourn to the outer reaches of Yosemite where we had crossed the dam and viewed the reservoir at Hetch Hetchy, it felt as if we were coming back into familiar territory as we drove along Big Oak Flat Road toward the more visited parts of the park. Thinking back, the familiarity seemed odd, since we had only traveled that road a couple of times during our trip. Our return route carried us once again past Tioga Road, which goes to Tuolumne Meadows and Lee Vining, and soon we began driving through the tunnels that marked the descent back down to the Yosemite Valley floor.

This time, I knew better where the scenic pull-offs were, so before we had reached the intersection with El Portal Road, which would carry us to our hotel, I was able to stop for a picture looking out toward Yosemite Valley…

…and was surprised by what I saw. I zoomed in closer for a shot of Half Dome—far off in the distance—from a new viewpoint, with a different perspective…

…then drove on, stopping once more for a photo of the granite walls and green trees, showing a horizontal line mid-frame, subtly revealing the roadway that had been cut along there.

Forty minutes later, back in our hotel room, we visited our favorite spot on the balcony where I took my now-obligatory—yet still gorgeous—photos of the Merced River. But this time the scenery seemed washed-out by the harsh sunlight of midday, as I first looked westward (where you can make out part of the fencing, furniture, and reddish-orange umbrella on the first-floor patio below)…

…then eastward, capturing the view we had more often witnessed in the pre-dawn mornings during our trip.

It took us only five or ten minutes to refresh and recover—or perhaps we just got antsy relaxing at the hotel while the National Park called out to us—but we were soon back in our car, en route to Yosemite Valley, where we would dine at the grand hotel named the Ahwahnee. We drove through the now-familiar Arch Rock entrance to the park…

…and shortly after, my sister asked if I would pull off the road for a picture—the first time she had made such a request on our vacation. We stopped beside another split rock that I hadn’t previously noticed on our prior entries into Yosemite…

…and my sister opened her door, telling me, “Come on! I saw this on our first day coming into the park and I wanted to get a photo of me between the two rocks.”

I agreed and got out of the car, waiting while she posed. I took several shots, some from afar, others close up, and decided today’s Featured Photo was best, because her cheerful smile revealed a sisterly self-satisfaction in finding something I had overlooked. So, all credit to her! Farther along the road, I stopped again for a grand view of the rough, jutting granite wall beyond the Merced River…

…then recomposed the shot to accentuate the rock’s prominence.

We soon reached the now-recognizable landmarks we had passed each day as we traveled the looping road through Yosemite Valley. I couldn’t stop myself from taking more pictures of the same scenery I had photographed before—views still too magnificent to pass up. I pulled over on the right of the one-way road to get a shot of Bridalveil Fall in the shadows above the trees, with the Cathedral Rocks as backdrop…

…and a bit farther, I pulled into a designated parallel parking space on the left of the road for a close-up of the towering and noble El Capitan.

Just as I was getting back into the car, I glanced across the road and saw a crowd of park visitors walking along a paved trail that led toward the woods. There were a series of signs near the road, and I was curious to which destination the walkway led. I asked my sister if she would wait just a minute and ran across the road, successfully dodging the slow-moving cars whose drivers were ogling at the scenery to the left and right.

When I reached the signs, I was momentarily confused by their proclamation, “Bridalveil Fall Trail”. When I had been planning our trip, all the information I’d found indicated this particular trail was temporarily closed, so I had not included it in the itinerary. Perhaps I had been mistaken, because a steady stream of tourists was clearly setting out and returning along the pathway that led to Bridalveil Fall. It turned out the trail had recently undergone renovation to increase accessibility for visitors, while reducing crowds on the viewing platform at the base of the waterfall. The rehabilitation project began in 2019 and ended in the fall of 2023. Talk about fortuitous timing for our trip!

Brimming with excitement to have the chance to follow the newly improved passageway to Bridalveil Fall, I crossed back over the road to ask my sister if she would like to come along on the short, easy hike. She said no, but added that she wouldn’t mind waiting. Before I headed out on my latest adventure, we rolled down the windows to allow the occasional breeze to sweep through the car on this warm and sunny October afternoon. But the gentle breeze along the valley floor would provide little relief to my sister. By contrast, I would witness stronger wind gusts that were blowing where the water fell from the lofty heights of the granite walls.

(To be continued…)