How it was: Yosemite Valley on a Saturday in April

I had the privilege today of taking 25 students to Yosemite National Park on a geology field studies trip; despite living in Modesto, only 2 hours away, some of them had never seen Yosemite Valley before in their lives. The valley did not disappoint (it rarely does): sunny, middle fifties, scattered snow patches, wonderful spring wildflowers in the foothills (very little in the valley), and a bear.

I'm tired tonight, so I leave you with a view from the newly renovated Tunnel View Parking Lot below Inspiration Point. The snow covered peak on the left side is Cloud's Rest, the highest point visible from the valley floor at just over 9,900 feet, and of course the iconic Half Dome on the right. The unobtrusive outcrop in the lower center part of the photo was the site of a significant rock fall a week ago, and we made a reconnaissance trip to the vicinity of the impact. Pictures to follow in the next post!