Fall in California: On the Way to Yosemite Valley

Have you ever felt a sense of joy that could hardly be contained? It doesn't happen much in life, and when it does, don't you wish you could hang onto as long as possible? That's about all I can say after our brief sojourn in one of our most precious national parks these last two days.

Pretty much on a whim Mrs. Geotripper and I decided to take a time out from work and spend a few days out of the Central Valley up in the Sierra Nevada. I hadn't paid too much attention to reports from Yosemite Valley, but I figured being early November that most of the fall colors would have been past their prime, but we figured that one can never really have a bad time in the mountains, no matter the time of year. We headed up Highway 120 towards the Big Oak Flat entrance to Yosemite National Park. The sun put on quite a light show as we passed through the prairies beyond Knights Ferry.

I pretty much forget every year that fall colors are not so much a singular event as much a process that unfolds over many weeks. The Aspens in the high country may have burst into bright gold and shed their leaves, but in the middle-altitude forests the Dogwoods and Black Oaks were just coming into their most colorful time. We were mesmerized and stopped at practically every pullout to stare at the kaleidoscope of colors. 

And as tragic as the California wildfires have been, I learned of at least one benefit that becomes apparent at this time of year. Several stretches of Big Oak Flat Road burned in recent years, removing the thick forest cover of conifers. They've been pretty slow about coming back, but the oaks sprouted from the roots and covered the hillsides with shrubby young trees that had turned bright orange as you can see in the picture below.

A close look at some of the leaves reveals that insects have been busy building fat stores for the coming winter.

We entered the park and continued to stop at every bright display of color. Half the day had passed, and we still hadn't reached Yosemite Valley. We were just SO distracted! I almost missed the first look at the valley because not a single car was parked there. We took a moment to view Half Dome and El Capitan and then continued down the highway into the Merced River canyon.

We continued to be distracted by the colorful displays along the road, but we finally reached the valley floor.

I rarely stop at Fern Spring at the west end of the valley because there's not a whole lot to see because of the thick forest, but the forest turned out to be the attraction this time. I jumped down the slope to the Merced River and something was very different, something that I had never really seen before: the river was flowing! In these dry years by late October the Merced River is flowing at a mere dozen cubic feet per second or so. But not today; the river was splashing along as if it were early spring rather than the end of the most deadly drought year in history. The record-breaking storm of the previous week was still draining out of the high country where two or three feet of snow had fallen. It was an astounding sight, and I realized that our time in valley might be something special.

So we moved on up the road into the valley itself, but that is a story for the next post!

Fall Finally Arrives, California Style

I would never try to compare our fall season with the hardwood forests of New England and the Appalachians, or even with the aspen groves of Colorado or Utah. But there are a few benefits to experiencing fall here in California.

For one thing, our fall lasts for a couple of months, and our trees are at the height of their color at a time when the trees back east are barren of leaves, and winter-style snows are lashing the landscape. It was 68 degrees out yesterday (though we had a day of light frost last week).

I walked the Tuolumne Parkway Trail this morning after a week on the road, and the changes were pretty obvious. The willows and wild grapes were changing.

There are also some mature cottonwood trees that have been various shades of yellow for weeks now.

But we also have some brilliant colors in the city as well. I had errands in town and took a few shots of the Modesto neighborhoods where Modesto Ash was planted many years ago.

There are other ornamental trees on our west campus that are relatively young, and they turned almost fluorescent over the holiday weekend.

So yes, I would never presume to say our fall show of color can compare to the wild displays back east, but I certainly enjoy having a few weeks to appreciate the changes that are happening here right now.

There is a lot of horror going on right now in so many places. I'll be back to trying to right the wrongs soon, but for a few moments today I took a few breaths of blessedly clean air (the Camp Fire is out, thank heavens) and enjoyed the technicolor show.

Finding Peace in the Nation's Most Crowded Park: A Walk Through Yosemite Valley

If you've read my previous couple of posts, you know I was in Yosemite Valley over the weekend. I was guiding my students on a field trip up the Merced River and into the park on Saturday, and I came back on Sunday seeking some better pictures of the recent rockfall at El Capitan.

We can't park a big bus just anywhere on the floor of Yosemite Valley, so I had to let my students loose to find their way to the upper end of the valley using the free trams. There was enough time that I decided to walk the three or so miles from Yosemite Lodge to Happy Isles, picking whatever winding combination of roads, trails, or sandy river shoreline I could find (there's a direct route, but why stick to that?). I was almost immediately awarded with a nice view of Yosemite Falls, which at 2,425 feet is about the seventh highest waterfall in the world. To my surprise, there was a bit of water flowing, kind of unusual this late in the fall.

The fall colors may not match the technicolor splendor that happens in the hardwood forests of the eastern U.S., but then those forests don't have the backdrop of vertical granite walls that Yosemite has. I was reveling in the splash of color here and there. I often think that fall is my favorite time of year here.

I made my way across the meadow trail to Sentinel Bridge. The cliffs of Glacier Point loomed high above. I didn't realize that I'd be up there looking down the very next day (that will be another post).

Half Dome seems to loom over every meadow view in the valley. It rises 4,800 feet above the valley floor. Although glacial ice filled the valley to the rim, Half Dome stood above the frozen rivers. It was shaped by exfoliation sheeting (corners and edges snapping off), as well as a bit of undercutting from the glaciers below. As you will see in a near future post, Half Dome would better be called Four-fifths Dome, but that doesn't flow so well. Actually I prefer the Native American name of Tis-sa-ack ("Crying Girl").

Because people tend to stare at Yosemite Falls when they are flowing, they find it easy to miss the prominent cliff of Yosemite Point and the Castle Cliffs (below).

I crossed the Merced River at Sentinel Bridge, and got a colorful version of the iconic view of Tis-sa-ack reflected in the still water.

It's the funniest thing...the seven square miles of the floor of Yosemite Valley may very well be the most crowded real estate in the national park system. The park doesn't get the highest number of visitors in the system, but it does get five million, and something like 90% of them spend their visit in the valley. And yet, despite the crowds on the day I was there, the moment I got off the road, I invariably found myself alone. Finding peace in the middle of tourist chaos is a precious gift, and I soaked it in.

Approaching the footbridge near the empty Curry Housekeeping Camp, I had a fine view towards Yosemite Point and the Castle Cliffs reflected on the Merced River.

I quickly walked through the gaggle of people at the stores in Curry Village (I'm not a purist; I stopped for a Gatorade at the store). I headed up the trail to Happy Isles. I started to find more and more Dogwood trees turning shades of pink and yellow. I made it to the Nature Center and met with my students to talk about geology, and then we made our way back to Yosemite Lodge.

While I was talking to the students one last time, I happened to turn and saw the Moon rising along the cliffs off to the southeast. I snapped some zoomed pictures, only to find later that I was aiming directly at Glacier Point. If you look closely, you can see the fencing and people gathered on the edge of the precipice. I was pleased with the effect.

We got on the bus and headed home, and despite the hubbub of running around with students all day, it was one of the most serene experiences I've had in a while. And best of all, I would be up there again the next day!

Fall Colors in the Eastern Sierra Nevada!

We've returned from a field studies expedition to the eastern Sierra Nevada, and I can report that fall has arrived! We've had a very warm summer, and the heat waves continued into September, but then we had a sudden cold snap, and even some snow. Tioga and Sonora Passes briefly closed, but opened again in time for our trip. The aspens and cottonwoods have responded to the sudden cold conditions.

Our route took us over Sonora Pass, where fresh snow still lingered on the high slopes. It's a sight I'm not used to. We spent a lot of time in the Bodie area and in the White Mountains where there aren't many deciduous trees, but late in the weekend we moved into the canyons below the Sierra Crest.

One of the special places is Convict Lake, which is dammed by a moraine of the Tioga glaciation that ended about 13,000 years ago. Aspens and cottonwoods crowd the shoreline, providing vivid color.

On our last day, we took the June Lake Loop, and stopped to explore Silver Lake. The canyon of Reversed Creek and Rush Creek is a spectacular glacial valley with high peaks above, and a string of beautiful lakes.

As we wandered among the trees, we heard a rockfall on the slopes high above. It wasn't all that big, leaving little dust in the air, but it was exciting to listen to geology in action.

It's been a long summer, but the drought finally broke, and the forest was looking healthy. Our mountains might not have the color range of the eastern hardwood forests, but then again, those forests don't have the mountain backdrop of our beloved Sierra Nevada.

Two Kinds of Falls Today in Yosemite Valley

There are two kinds of falls right now in Yosemite Valley. One comes from the time of year, and the other is a little bit unusual, the result of some powerful storms a few weeks ago.

Fall in California is not like fall in other places. It may start in the high country in late September, but it can take until mid-November at the lower elevations, for instance in the Great Valley or Bay Area (our most intense colors in town have yet to materialize). And even though fall started weeks ago in places like Yosemite Valley, there are still enough leaves hanging on to provide a colorful treat to visitors this weekend.

The other wondrous fall is that of the waterfalls in the valley. They are often still dry at this point in the year, as few storms have usually occurred this early. But the intense storms of two weeks ago are still draining over the brink of the valley walls. I wrote about the waterfalls two weeks ago when we visited in the midst of the storms, but I wasn't expecting to see them still going after all this time. It was a beautiful sight.

So enjoy some beautiful colors! In the picture above, Upper Yosemite Falls peeks out between the trees near Yosemite Lodge.

Sentinel Dome is a striking tower of granitic rock that is sometimes missed because it is on the valley wall opposite of Yosemite Falls.

Coming from the northwest entrance on Highway 120, the first view of the valley includes Half Dome and the top of El Capitan.

Yosemite Falls remains one of the most awesome sights on the planet. It drops a half mile over a sheer cliff and through a maze of granite clefts. To see the falls flowing while fall colors remain (barely) on the trees is a special treat.

Fall colors come in small spaces as well. We walked through the fen at Happy Isles and saw all kinds of color in the low shrubs and ferns. Water always flows here from springs in the rock debris at the base of the nearby cliff.

I had one other special treat today by taking a few moments to walk up the Inspiration Point Trail above Tunnel View. I got 200-300 feet above the parking area, and away from the noise of traffic and tourists. From my quiet vantage point, I had a glorious view of the entire valley. The only sad note is that what looks like fall color in the valley is not. The reddish patches in the forest are dead conifer trees, victims of California's ongoing five year drought. Without sufficient water, the trees don't have enough sap to fight off the borer beetles. It's just one more sign of the profound effect global warming is having on our world.

Pareidolia and Fall Foliage Art from the Sierra Nevada

Pareidolia is a trick of our minds that can cause us to interpret random images or patterns of light and shadow as faces. We were in the Sierra Nevada the other day ahead of Sunday's storm, looking for some fall colors around the meadows along the Clark Fork of the Stanislaus River near Sonora Pass.

I was mostly looking upwards towards the trees, but eventually my attention was deflected downward at the many aspen leaves that had already fallen to the forest floor. The bright yellow color of the leaves was giving way to brown, but the pattern was different on every leaf. The first one above immediately made me think of a face, or even a jack-o'-lantern (thus making a connection to tonight's candy obsession).

Conditions are changing rapidly up in the high country. We've been able to travel to the highest elevations all summer, but the latest storms have begun to drop snow over the passes. Sonora and Tioga closed Saturday in anticipation of the big storm on Sunday. They might reopen if conditions stay dry in coming weeks, but the writing is on the wall (and on the leaves): winter is coming.

The leaves were almost gone from the aspen trees up on Clark Fork. I hope the omens are good for a big snow year. We need a break from the horrific and continuing drought here in California and the Southwest.