Yosemite National Park. A Photographers Journey
(NOTE: There are no enlargments on the article photos, please
see gallery links at the end)
Hello and welcome to a continuation of my 2007 photo journey to
California, USA. This is part two and you may have already read
about my experiences at the Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa
Barbara. I was involved in the'Brooks in a Week' workshop having
won the Bob Tulloch scholarship through my involvement in the New
Zealand Institute of Professional Photography.
Link
here if you feel you might like to read that article
first.
After attending the Brooks in a Week workshop I was keen to extend
my photo archives and try out some new things in one of the most
amazing landscapes on earth. I first heard about Yosemite National
Park through my travel agent and then I researched it online, as
you do. I have to admit for many months prior to my journey I thought
it was pronounced Yoz-e-might. Maybe I am not alone here? I was
corrected by Bob Tulloch who also suggested I research the photography
of the famed Ansel Adams. Adams is a well known photographer who
took a lot of stunning black and white landscape images in Yosemite.
Yosemite Falls
I left Santa Barbara on a Saturday. My first mode of public transport
this day was an Amtrak thru bus with links to the San Joaquin Valley
train in Bakersfield. The valley of California is massive running
more then half the length of the state. The climate is hot and dry
especially in the central valley where any cool air from the Pacific
has little influence in the temperature and moisture. Agricultural
and horticultural industries are so abundant that you could say
the Valley is a massive farm and fruit basket. Irrigation is diverted
from the large rivers that flow down through the Valley from the
high Sierra Nevada Mountains to the east.
There is also a lot of industry in the Valley, miles of oil wells
pumping America's insatiable demand for oil near Bakersfield. I
boarded the Amtrak train in Bakersfeild and headed north to my overnight
stay in Merced California. A small town close to the northern entrance
to Yosemite (pronounced Yo-sim-ity). This was my second journey
with Amtrak and indeed a pleasurable one. I had lunch on board with
a sensible young American heading north to his home town of Sacramento.
He said that the price of gas has made the train more attractive
and his car is parked up at home. Wouldn't it be great if every
person in the western world took public transport more often. In
America it would be like taking a million cars off the road and
softening the effects of that carbon footprint. A term we are all
starting to become aware of, some more then others!
The train is like a comfortable big metal goose which honks a lot.
Walking off the cool air conditioned train in Merced was like walking
into an oven as I was greeted by the warm central Valley summer
heat. The owner of the Slumber Inn was also there to greet me. Having
kindly offered to pick me up from the station, which I thought was
very generous. I got a recommendation on the Slumber Inn from my
research the day before in the Lonely Planet California guide. Clean
comfortable and affordable at US$50. Bang on Lonely Planet and thanks
for the tip yet again.
The dry Central Valley of California
YARTS stands for Yosemite Area Regional Transport Service and
essentially they operate buses from Merced to the Eastern Yosemite
Valley, about a two hour journey. The schedules are timed as best
as possible with the Amtrak trains and can be booked as part of
an Amtrak thruway fair with a discount on the usual low price. Good
clean buses with friendly drivers, the YARTS bus became my public
transport provider for my Yosemite experience. At the time of my
2007 journey the YARTS bus was limited in service to shorter buses
with fewer seats because of a very large landslide which was proving
difficult to fix.
The YARTS services seem to be concentrated in the morning and evening
obviously for park staff transfers with a large gap in the middle
of the day. My advice to YARTS passengers is to google the website
for the schedules and catch the first bus of the day, while those
lazy photographers have a nice sleep in. They should be up before
dawn to photograph sunrise anyway shouldn't they? It will mean a
full day in the Yosemite Valley and you can't spend enough time
in this place. I am sure getting a seat on the YARTS bus on demand
is not an issue outside of the school holidays.
Yosemite Stitched Panorama B/W
Yosemite is a world Heritage sight which has been preserved by
past passionate people for future generations. It's a natural wonder
to marvel with massive Granite cliffs rising vertically out of the
lush river valleys and meadows. It offers hundreds of square miles
of recreation opportunities such as hiking and climbing in the summer
and skiing in the winter. I won't go into the history and geology
of the park rather let you visit the information centre in Yosemite
village if you can, or research online. The tourist centre is awesome,
complete with a movie theatre screening a regular presentation on
the park.
The model in the Tourist Centre of Yosemite
The YARTS bus carried me from Merced to the Bug Hostel in Midpines,
about 40 miles from the Yosemite Village. The Bug offers affordable
accommodation including dorm rooms. Finding a place to stay in Yosemite
during the holidays is difficult even though there is a huge range
of places to stay. There are some beautiful hotels in the Yosemite
area as with camp grounds and tent cabins also available. The accommodation
in the park itself in the eastern Yosemite Valley is in the most
demand including the prestigious Ahwahnee Hotel which is in the
five star category. If you intend staying in Yosemite in the holidays
and you want to have your pick of accommodation then book six months
to year in advance. If you are like me and travel on whim then,
as always, your options may be limited. I got the last bunk in a
backpackers and I am sure the last bed in the park judging by the
amount of people in this place. Needless to say the Bug is an excellent
hostel and should be considered into your plans. A fun young staff
and clientele, a great café and bar serving budget prices.
I very much enjoyed my stay there and US$19 did not break me. I
arrived at the Bug mid morning and chained my pack to a pole on
the office deck, no point leaving it in a dorm room! I will give
you some security travel tips at the end of this article.
Midpines and the Bug
After booking into the Bug I had lunch and boarded the next YARTS
bus for the eastern Yosemite Valley, about a 40 minute journey.
Another advantage of using the YARTS bus is the ticket price also
includes the park access fee which is worth nearly as much. Once
again an encouragement by authorities to limit the amount of cars
in the park. Full marks for trying but it would be nearly impossible
to find a car park in the head of the valley during the holidays.
You are better off on the bus for this reason alone. A nice ride
up the Yosemite Valley and into the park. As the bus carried me
up the picturesque Merced River the cliffs grow taller and even
more dramatic.
Once the YARTS reaches Yosemite Village you are in the heart of
this river valley and right there with the incredible granite cliffs
and the famous Half Dome rock. The granite cliffs have been polished
by the ice ages and appear smooth, huge and solid. It's like taking
a granite bench and standing it upright, now in your mind, multiply
the size of the bench a thousand fold. I am able to gaze in wonder
from the bus. On public transport you can get frustrated not being
able to stop and take photos at will. Like anything there are many
pro's and con's. If I was doing that it would take me all day to
get to my destination which often happens if I am behind the wheel.
The polished granite of Half Dome Rock
The last YARTS stop for me was the Yosemite Village where I visited
the Ansel Adams Gallery of photography which was much bigger and
busier then I imagined. Waterfalls cascade from the high granite
cliffs and this certainly is a place of natural beauty. The Yosemite
Shuttle buses are very handy as they run a circuit to the major
attractions with a free regular service. It's not far but walking
in the heat of summer can be exhausting for many. The Bus took me
to Mirror Lake where the river has ponded into wonderful reflections
of Half Dome and other sheer cliffs. The winter's snow had long
melted so Mirror Lake was low on water but still very beautiful.
On the 15 minute walk to Mirror Lake I was expecting a little bush
track so I had my tramping shoes on all prepared. Instead I was
constantly overtaken by push bikes and even a baby stroller on a
wide sealed pathway. Fortunately I did not come across any bears
or mountain lions but I did heed the signs in case.
Don't be fooled, there are plenty of Black Bears in Yosemite and
they have learned to break into cars and scavenge for food. You
can't even leave toothpaste in your car or they will open it up
like a tin can to get at it. They have a nose many times more powerful
then us. If they get your stuff then you must let them have it until
they are no longer interested, I wonder why? Hikers can hire sealed
bear proof containers which are a must if you are camping anywhere
in the park. I choose to stretch my legs and enjoy the evening light
on the peaks as I walked the paths back to Yosemite Village. I had
some dinner and caught the last YARTS bus back down the valley to
the Bug.
Mirror Lake Stitched Panorama
Day two in Yosemite turned out to be a non event. I was unable
to get another bed in the Bug dorms so I booked a log cabin down
the road in the KOA camping ground and RV park. I have never seen
so many impressive RV Campervans, they are twice the size they are
in New Zealand and it turns out I had plenty of time to admire them.
After booking into my cabin I was unable to get a seat on the last
YARTS bus of the morning. The lady driver was very apologetic and
explained the shortage on the smaller buses required because of
the landslide. The next bus was later that afternoon and not worth
the ride in. I did consider hitchhiking but I have seen far too
many movies for that carry on. There was only one thing for it.
I bought a six pack of beers and planted myself beside the pool
and chatted to a few all American families relaxing in the warm
Californian sun. I spoke to two doctors about the current political
situation in American and learned that they do not get paid a million
dollars a year like they do on the Gray's Anatomy TV show. George
Bush does not seem to have much support in California and they are
very much against the war in Iraq.
Meadows and Granite Panorama
Don't be fooled by the summer time heat during the day in Yosemite,
it gets very cold at night. I do not travel with a sleeping bag
and was dismayed to discover my cute little log cabin did not have
any linen or blankets. The lady in the office did not seem to care
about my predicament and request to hire some linen. 'Naaaw we don
do dat' she said. I slept in all my clothes for a US$70 a night.
People in hospitality need to go that extra mile these days if you
want great positive feedback in an online forum.
I left the Yosemite area the next morning on the first YARTS bus
of the day and it certainly was not hard to get out of bed in order
to warm up. Back in Merced I boarded the Amtrak San Joaquin service
to San Francisco to help the Americans celebrate the 4th of July.
I had no idea where I was going to stay or what to expect. Read
about it in my next article.
I choose not to publish active links to sites of interest in case
they become inactive. A Quick Google search here will bring up valued
advertisers for your queries on Yosemite. I do hope you get to visit
one day, it is truly is a world treasure.
Also see the Yosemite
gallery of photos. Travel Photography Galleries from this trip to
California...
Time now for a few trips for travelling photographers. I use a
Macpac Gemini travel pack which before they moved the manufacturing
to China was made in New Zealand. I am proud to say my pack was
Kiwi made and continues to serve me well. The pack has a detachable
day pack, which stores my camera and this never leaves me unless
it is locked up in a Pacsafe. A Pacsafe is a lightweight titanium
mesh bag with a padlock and it makes it almost impossible for the
unprepared thief to get at your stuff or remove the bag if it is
locked to sturdy pole or a large piece of furniture. Need I say
why? My passport is precious and is kept in a neck strap pouch under
my clothes along with spare cash and a spare credit card. I do keep
my usual credit card and cash in my wallet placed in my back pocket
like I do at home. It is easy to get at and a comfortable place
for a guy. I wear pants with a zip or button on the pocket to help
ward off pick pockets. Do be aware that pick pockets are very clever
people and if you wallet contains everything you need for your travels
then you may have a problem one day especially in a foreign country.
In America you simply can not get around without an active credit
card and a photo ID. It pays to combine the two unless you want
to be pulling out two cards all the time. I saw an Amtrak passenger
refused permission to board because he did not have a current photo
ID on him. His old drivers licence was not enough and he went away
very unhappy. The customer service person refused any lee way, as
is his job. Since 9/11 the world has become much more security savvy
and not a bad thing at all I feel, I have nothing to hide and a
valid form of ID on my person. I don't understand precious people
who hate to conform and I am sure there limbs can get blown off
in a lunatic attack just as easily as mine. My day pack is well
worn and does not look like it contains $3,000 worth of camera gear.
Part of my relaxed tourist demeanour with baggage that does not
scream 'Rob me please'! I do get a bit paranoid when it comes to
my photography travel systems but I think it has helped prevent
drama's along the way. Needless to say I always research and purchase
travel insurance tailored for my needs.
All the best with your photography travels.
Andrew Whyte NZ
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