Let's try this again...I posted this last night...and the RS server apparently crashed.
We live in Modesto, Kahleeforneeya, about 100 miles from YNP, and try to make the trip at least once a year. Spring is definitely the best time to go, because the waterfalls are running full-stream...
That's Bridal Veil falls from a few miles out. We were stopped for some road construction and I took a few pics to kill the time. I already have some nice pics of the falls, so I didn't drive up to the better vantage point.
That one (I think) is Yosemite Falls. ( I have a hard time remembering which ones are which...bad case of CRS!)
Here's Yosemite's famed El Capitan. Rising 3000 feet from the valley floor, it's the largest piece of granite monolith in the world.
It's deceiving. It doesn't LOOK that tall...if you look carefully at the right side of the pic, you'll see a red circle.
From a different vantage point, I took this pic:
In this shot, there are 2 red circles on the left. (the first red circle is to give you perspective.)
(Here's a link to the larger version where you can actually see the people...the pic was taken at 8X zoom, the most my camera has to offer)
http://www.whodah.com/albums/album15/aal.jpg
Seeing how tiny a couple of 6 foot tall men look against the 3000 foot rock gives it perspective.
Next is Yosemite's Half Dome:
Which rises about 5000 feet from the floor of the valley. Crazy people climb the face of this one too, plus they have a 12 hour hike that will take you around the back and up to the top via a difficult hike that has cables for support as you walk up. (people die every year as they fall of the back side)
Lastly, I leave you with this parting shot to make you feel (slightly) better about your gas prices:
Taken in the small town of El Portal, just a few miles outside the gates of Yosemite...