Beyond Here

Notice anything weird in this picture ? It is a mirror image, isn't it ? Even though the title of the post pretty much gives it away, the picture above is of a few people standing near Mirror Lake at Yosemite National Park. And just to prove that the reflections are that good, I have actually inverted the image above. Mirror Lake is a seasonal lake. A short 1.1 mile (2.2 miles roundtrip) hike, this is an easy walk. The lake is seasonal because it appears (it is of significant size) only when the waters in the high altitudes is melting. As summer sets in much of the water disappears and is replaced by meadows with pools of water here and there. The hike here is off the beaten track. S and I always like coming here as early in the morning as possible - there are fewer people and we find the quiet around this place is very relaxing. And Mt. Watkins always looks splendid with its reflection in the lake.

Being in the bay area puts us in close proximity to Yosemite National Park. We both absolutely love the place. Infact our trips to the place have always been special. The very first time we went there, we hit the park during perfect weather and full waterfalls. And since we did venture on one of the less frequented hikes, we also had a not-so-desired bear encounter that left us a little bit unsettled. Our second trip to the place was during fall and the fall colors had us going ga-ga over the place. Fall in Yosemite was definitely beautiful. So it was no wonder that when we set off friday evening for another trip we were absolutely impatient with excitement and what the place had in store for us. It was an uneventful drive for the first couple of hours except for a long stretch when there were loads of white and purple wildflowers along the road. Till we were closer to the park and suddenly S hit the brakes - there were 4 deer on the road. And when it comes to wildlife the rule here is...

Here are some random close-up shots of the fall colors at Yosemite. It was only last weekend that we went but it already seems like it was ages ago :-( The first one is my favorite.

Last weekend we travelled to Yosemite to see the fall colors. My online research showed that the peak fall color in the valley was likely to be for that particular weekend. And so I was all excited about the trip. To add to the fun, a couple of friends decided to join in too - the more the merrier. Before we go into the actual description of the trip, some background is essential. When I came to the US it was to the east coast which is home to some of the best fall colors. While I do not miss all the cold and snow from the east coast, the 2 things I do miss here in California are the spring flowers and the fall colors. So when my husband went back to school on the east coast, I would travel every fall to meet him in the hope of seeing some color. But of course he was always busy and so we never made the trip. To cut a long story short, it was after a span of 7 years that I was hoping to see fall again. We set off early morning (5 am - I absolutely insisted we leave early) and were insi...

April 30th - May 1st Our trip to Yosemite was one completely out of a dream. The extra rainfall had done wonders to the meadows, the falls were full and April end was just before the crowds land in. The first hike was to the Mirror Lake - A mile hike from Happy Isles. The water was clear and placid and provided very symmetrical reflections of Mt. Watson in the water. Next we proceeded to the lower Yosemite falls. While driving around, we chanced upon the Valley view. Straight out of a picture book, the view of the valley and the meadow was what you would call - "Picture Perfect" The Ribbon falls which are a seasonal falls right next to El Capitan Bridal Veil Falls Valley View from the other side of the road with the Yosemite falls in the background. May 1st proved to be very adventurous, to say the least. Sunit and I hiked upto the top of the Vernal Falls along the Mist Trail and then decided to take a just opened and more scenic trail - the John Muir trail back. After catchi...