By Irene Segovia
"It was our first time to Yosemite and we rode our motorcycles and had the best time...everyone was right, it was an awe inspiring time, every turn held a new and beautiful scene. The bike had some problems in the altitude at the wrong time...yeah bears! but it was ok they ate their grass while we waited. Our stay was wonderful and the cabin was perfect. Sgt Cowie who was with us truly enjoyed her time as well..you had a pretty famous person in your park...please read about her here she loved it and plans on bringing some of her soldiers to stay there and camp in a cabin and not on the ground in Iraq!
Thanks again for a wonderful time, we are already planning our time back!"
By Srikanth Madduri
"Here's a funny little thing that happened while taking the Mirror Lake picture we submitted for the photo contest.
There was not much water in the lake to get a good reflection. So, I went as close to the lake as possible and set my camera on the tripod. I was completely engrossed in the beauty of the reflection. Little did I knew that my friend was planing to play a prank on me. After a while I took the photo and found that I got it just the I way I wanted and I shouted in delight. "Yes!". My friend came from the back and pushed me into the lake. Next thing I knew was I was in the lake with my camera. My lens was completely damaged. But I enjoy that moment I think about it."
By Penny Ketchum
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We made our first trip to Yosemite Pines in 2008 and we had a blast!! We stayed in a very nice yurt. The kid's loved the pool and my daughter made several visit's to the petting zoo. We took a day trip to Yosemite Valley and spent the rest of our trip hangin' out at Yosemite Pines. My kid's discovered the gold mines on the last day and they were thrilled! We will be returning again this summer. This time with our dog, grammy and cousins. Thank's Yosemite Pines your family friendly get away."
By Susan Kauffman
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Here is another of my favorite viewing spots at Yosemite National Park. We treasure every moment spent as every day brings a new adventure for our family. We have so many wonderful memories, from camping on the river, to hiking to Vernal Falls, site seeing to spotting deer, coyote, and bears grazing ever so peacefully. Yes, what nature has made let man enjoy."
By Randy Frank
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One of the photos I entered in the photo contest is a panoramic of the Yosemite Valley at night. I tried to race up the hill to Glacier Point (without getting the inevitable speeding ticket), to catch the sunset on the park, but did not get there in time, I was trying to safely drive up the hill & speed but, be safe first.
I staked my claim at the edge of the rail, & patiently waited for the majority of the tourist to vacate the area, & wait for the sun to set completely. I knew there was going to be a full moon that night, that was rising in the east, just as the sun was setting in the west.
Since I had never seen a night time panoramic shot taken anywhere, online, or in any books of the entire Yosemite Valley, I figured I could achieve it since its been a specialty with me, although its still in a "hobby" status. As soon as the moon rose & I could see Upper Falls in the distance, I began shooting at approximately 9:15 p.m. 26 pictures later at a 20 second shutter delay each, this is what I came up with.
I had been dreaming of getting this style of picture for a couple of years now, but did not know if I could pull it off. Ill be coming to Yosemite many, many more times to get this style of picture more often in the various areas offered by the park. Many Thanks!"
By Jamell Crawford
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Yosemite was the end of our two week long vacation and it made for a great ending to our vacation. Wish we had more time to spend there. We started off in Alaska and made our way down to California this summer. These pics were taken between July 9th and the 10th."
By Stephanie Bailey
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In 2008, we were married in a very small ceremony atop Turtleback Dome in Yosemite, without any family present. In 2009 we decided to return to the site with both sets of our parents and our daughter. We didn't expect to be greeted by a massive forest fire, which closed off our usual route and had us driving through helicopter staging areas. While my daughter was delighted by all the commotion, we were a little bummed that we wouldn't be able to show our families the incredible view we saw on our wedding day. The morning we drove up to Turtleback Dome, the smoke was surrounding everything in the valley and while we were a little disappointed, we were amazed by the view we were treated to."
By Victoria Griffin
I was blessed to be able to take a trip to Yosemite in 2008. I had been really sick and my Brother-in-law was going with friends and my Mother-in-Law was also going, so my husband wanted me to go and do some photography, because I love it! I have always wanted to go to the National Parks but never had a chance. I flew alone to California to meet them and we drove up in my Bro-in-law’s truck and mini RV/Toy hauler. We drove all night and had to get gas, and it was late. We pulled in to a gas station and when leaving, the toy hauler/RV got stuck on the gas pump barricade and we were stuck for hours trying to figure out how to get un-stuck with the least amount of damage. It was funny, but it wasn’t because it was a new vehicle. I have pictures, but I don’t want to take away from my entries…but will send if wanted.
We finally got loose and continued on to Yosemite. Upon starting to go up the mountain, it started snowing….which slowed us down a lot. I loved it though, it was beautiful! It was very hazy and cold when we arrived, so we didn’t do much. I froze the entire time we were there, but it was awesome! The falls weren’t really flowing, but hopefully I can make it back to see them another time. We had a few bear raids and I got stuck in the woods in the dark while they were firing off the bear gun, I was so afraid I’d run into the bear while it was running away, being in the woods and not at camp. I didn’t though…..it was certainly an adventure! Our group then went to eat and we all split up and were going to walk back to camp…I was fine with doing some exploring alone, but little did I know I was a few miles from our camp! I walked forever….and I can’t really tell you how I found camp…..the photo named “field” is one I found while being lost…it was a beautiful sight.
Our trip was awesome and I would love to come back and spend more time, during a different season so it’s not so freezing cold. If $ allows one day, I will for sure. I love photography and would love to capture more. I attached a few of the best pics I took, but I have seen a few that the views seem to replicate over and over thru many others…it’s kind of funny! Love my shots best though! I have a few shots that I discovered were the same as Ansel Adams, but it is unlikely I will ever be famous like him…darn it!"
