Wednesday, December 21, 2016, Yosemite NP

When we arrived at Park Sierra we were told the road to Yosemite was closed (I believe it was due to flooding on the Merced River).  Joani checked today and the roads were clear so we headed north to the park.  It was only 40 miles, but very little of it was straight so it took us an hour plus a little longer for a quick breakfast on the way.

As you exit the nearly one-mile long tunnel there is a large viewing area, called Tunnel View, that gave us our first look at the iconic El Capitan and Half Dome.  The rains made Bridal Veil Falls spectacular.

There was a short trail to the bottom of Bridal Veil Falls, but it was icy and we wanted to see everything so chose to save that for another trip. I found the view from the parking lot to be immensely satisfying and a lot less effort.

It seemed almost mandatory to stop every so often to just take in the natural beauty of this park.  I know it looks cold in the picture below, but it was really rather pleasant.

Below was my favorite view capturing both the Upper and Lower Yosemite Falls - breathtaking!

I love the color variation in the granite of El Capitan