A Love Story and a Silver Lining

The granite trail to North Dome, at middle left

Post of the Day: Adding a bit of light to the darkness as we get through the pandemic together.
This series features travel photos from my archives, shared with you while staying close to home.

July 19th, 2020

I have a question for you. In your life, what place calls to you, speaks to you, or most inspires you to dream?

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Half Dome from North Dome

Clouds Rest ~ highest point to the right of the cloud

Yosemite Valley View from North Dome

Exactly 20 years ago, J and I camped at the top of Clouds Rest in Yosemite National Park. Along the way, we found we had a lot in common. We love hiking, camping and living in the dirt. We’d rather have a starry sky overhead than a fancy floor underfoot. The day after that hike, as I held up my Pentax camera and took a film photo of J sitting at a waterfall, I knew I was in love.

Exactly 18 years ago, we married in Yosemite National Park. We had searched full circle for a wedding venue ~ all over Northern California and Lake Tahoe ~ eventually realizing Yosemite was just the right place. We arrived in the valley on a hot Tuesday in July ~ the wedding was five days later, on Sunday. I looked up at Yosemite Falls ~ the backdrop of the lawn where we would exchange vows ~ and saw just a trickle of water flowing down the granite face to the valley floor. My grandmother had recently passed away in April, so I looked up at the sky and asked her for help.

“Grandma, I know you’re there. I need a full waterfall by Sunday.”

The day before the wedding, we hosted a picnic at Tenaya Lake. About 60 wedding guests attended and I had assigned each of them one item to bring for the picnic so that collectively we had everything covered. By 3:00 p.m. the picnic was in full swing … and so was the change in the weather. The clouds rolled in and the rain started to fall. Grandma had arrived ~ bringing thunder, lightning and a wildly abrupt end to the picnic.

By Sunday morning, Yosemite Falls was full and beautiful again. All the rain that had fallen around Tenaya Lake was pouring into the creeks, over the falls and down to the Merced River in Yosemite Valley ~ making a picture-perfect waterfall just in time for the wedding. Thank you, Grandma.

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Sittin’ at the Merced River

In the years since our wedding, we’ve returned again and again to Yosemite. Each time is different and each time is equally special. Every season is magical ~ seeing the spring snowmelt gush over the granite cliffs, the bears feed in the grassy summer meadows, the rock climbers attempt world-class verticals during the cooler autumn days, the monotone winter landscapes and snowfall in the deeply etched valley … not an hour goes by without a sense of wonder at Yosemite’s audacious beauty.

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Merced River, Yosemite National Park

Last week, we left our neighborhood in Lake Tahoe for the first time in four months. Only nature could provide the necessary solitude for our escape. Only Yosemite could be appropriate for the occasion. Somehow, we lucked out with a coveted parks pass thanks to wishful thinking and impeccable timing. Capacity in the park is currently extremely limited, so we feel very lucky. But we do have a little bit of magic history with Yosemite, so in some ways it’s not surprising.

Empty El Cap

Vacant Valley

We found Yosemite in quiet, empty splendor ~ a silver lining and a state of magnificence we likely won’t experience again in this lifetime. Untrammeled, undisturbed, recovering, breathing, thriving.

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The Ahwahnee Hotel

Tomorrow, we’ll take a tour Yosemite’s historic Ahwahnee Hotel before moving on to our next destination.

Until then,
Kelly

P.S. Clouds Rest and Half Dome photos were captured last week along the trail between Porcupine Flat and North Dome, west of Tuolumne Meadows in Yosemite National Park. Merced River photos were captured on the valley floor during long walks and deep thoughts on the shore.