Yosemite. A Holiday to Remember!

Oh, what a week!

Since we arrived home I didn't have any moment for myself. We've been godparents at Bogdan's brother's wedding (photos to come soon), right the next day, with all the jet lag and tiredness, then life came and took over. I leave home early and I come back at night. Sometimes very late at night, when I recall the memories from one of the most beautiful holidays ever. Which seems to be so long time ago...

Dave Wymann's photography workshop was exquisite, he's a teacher without giving the impression of teaching. But he's always careful to be there at the right moment, at the right time, to catch the light, the view, the beauty, the emotion.

It's true, in Yosemite is enough to turn your head and to discover a new photography challenge, but Dave is an insider, so he knows all the best spots ever. 

So, enjoy the Half Dome's reflections in the Merced River, the rainbow in Yosemite Lower Fall, both the upper and lower Yosemite Falls, all of these were part of our lives for three days. To say it was incredible is way less than words can express.

Did I said I am terribly grateful for such an opportunity? Well, I am! 

Thank you, Dave, for such wonderful times! 

Thank you, Bogdan, for such an  amazing holiday!

 

Driving on the West Coast

Is about the journey, not the destination. 

It took us two days to travel from L.A. to Yosemite. Why? There are so many things to see and feel and enjoy on the road in Monterey County.

We stopped to admire the surfers and their kites on Del Monte Beach...

... to admire and photograph again hundreds of sea lions, laying on the shores of Monterey Bay in process to change their skin...

... to watch the birds in the trees...

... and the sun behind the clouds...

... and the strangest sunset ever seen... 

... then, McWay Waterfalls, in Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park.

McWay Fall drops over a cliff 80 feet (24 m) into the Pacific Ocean, and is a spectacular view from a gorgeous terrace in the mountain, on the other side. 

If you drive in Monterey County, make sure you stop for a while here to admire this incredible waterfall.

We ended the road trip in El Portal, Yosemite, meeting Dave and the other attendees at the photography workshop, then getting some 

good night sleep in the Cedar Lodge.

Let's the adventure begin!

Back in the U.S.A.

It started with a business trip for Bogdan, he prepared many months ago. Then, he thought would be nice to attend Dave Wyman's photography tour Water Works in Yosemite. And, few weeks ago, he found some cheap plane tickets for me, so here I am!

He made some huge sacrifices for me, for instance now we sit together on the Big Bear Lake's shore, in a very pleasant shadow, instead of melting and driving in more than 110F (43C) in Death Valley but, hey, this is life! We have to stand by each other in bad or good! 

By the way, this is the view from our room's terrace. Hate me now, kill me later.

It took us two days to get to Yosemite, we slept the first night in Arroyo Grande, and the second night in Marina, near Monterey, CA. Of course we took plenty of pictures on the way, with many stops and relaxing breaks.

Morro Bay, California, an historic fishing village, is located on the Central Coast midway between Los Angeles and San Francisco. It’s most distinctive and recognizable landmark is the famous Morro Rock.

In 1542, Portuguese explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo named Morro Bay’s magnificent landmark “El Morro” (Spanish for crown shaped hill). 

Morro Rock is also sometimes called the 

“Gibraltar of the Pacific” .

Fooling around is one of our specialties, you'll see even more later...

Morro Rock is the last of a line of long-extinct volcanoes formed about 23 million years ago, which include nine peaks ranging from San Luis Obispo to Morro Bay. These peaks are named the Nine Sisters because they are all in a row, and in close proximity.

In the way, we stopped to eat at Moonstone Beach, where we were surprised by a magnificent residential area we entered by mistake in our way to the beach. It was so quiet and relaxing, we forgot about how hungry we were.

 

Then, to our huge surprise, we found on the beach the sea lions, and we spent hours watching and photographing them.

Then, back on the road again. To see more see lions, surfers, kites, waterfalls and beaches. 

See you later, and meanwhile be happy, my friends. Life is short, but it has plenty of goodies in her pockets.