Yosemite National Park lies in the state
of California in the USA. The national park is among the best known and the prettiest in
the USA. Highlights of the park include the imposing Half Dome formation, the Yosemite Falls and the Mariposa Grove. Yosemite Village is in the
middle of the Valley. It is a pretty little village, with a Village Shop, a
Chapel, some fine eateries, a museum that has exhibits on American Indians, and
two beautiful hotels that blend splendidly with the surroundings – the Yosemite
Lodge and the Ahwanee
Hotel.
My wife and I visited Yosemite National Park in 2011, soon after our wedding. It was a part of our month long honey moon trip around the west coast of the USA. We drove down from Fresno, the nearest big town. In Fresno, we were visiting my cousin Radha Suri and her husband Madhav Suri. 'Radha Didi', as I call her because she is 15 years elder to me, really spoiled us during our visit. She took us out shopping, and gave us some great meals, both at home and outside. Madhav then helped us rent a car that I drove to Yosemite National Park.
Yosemite Falls are split into the
Upper Falls and the Lower Falls, which together are over 2,500 feet high and
are the sixth highest falls in the world.
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| Yosemite Falls |
The Half Dome, the most distinctive mountain peak in the park, has a “half dome” shape.
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| Half Dome |
The Mariposa Grove has an amazing set
of giant sequoia trees. There's the Grizzly
Giant (the largest tree in
the park, standing almost 300 feet high and having a base diameter of almost 30
feet!), the Bachelor and Three Graces, the California Tree Tunnel (through which cars can easily pass through) and the Fallen Monarch, which fell several centuries ago but is still there for all
to see. Forest fires are amazingly good for these trees, as these fires kill
off smaller trees which fight for nutrients in the soil. The thick bark of the
giant sequoia trees ensures that they are able to withstand these fires. In the
absence of natural fires, the park actually induces fires for the well being of
these trees.
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| Grizzly Giant |
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| Bachelor and Three Graces |
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| California Tree Tunnel |
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| Fallen Monarch |
Bridal Veil Falls are another impressive waterfall within the park complex.
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| Bridal Veil Falls |
Yosemite Chapel is
a small but pretty one, which is further dwarfed by the mountains around.
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| Yosemite Chapel |
Yosemite Museum has
a set of exhibits on the native American Indians. There are guns, slippers,
vessels and rugs made out of animal skin. Outside the museum, there’s also a
cross section of a giant sequoia tree. One can count the number of rings and
determine the age of the tree.
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| American Indian exhibits, Yosemite Museum |
Awahnee Hotel is a great place to stay inside the park.
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| Awahnee Hotel |
Our visit was in the month of December. Though it wasn't snowing, it was mighty cold and windy. During our visit to the park's Mariposa Grove, my wife was so cold that she refused to come out of the car. I really wanted her to see the famous sequoia trees, so I actually took off my overcoat and gave it to her to wear. I'm over 6 feet tall, and she's barely 5 feet tall, so the bottom of my overcoat practically swept the ground as she walked!
A lot of my travels are to urban places, but I have been to several places of natural beauty around the world. Yosemite National Park certainly ranks among the most scenic places that I've visited!
Fresno lies about 100 km south of Yosemite National Park. The city has a population of around 530,000 (as of 2019). It was founded in 1872 as a railway station of the Central Pacific Railroad. It was incorporated as a city in 1885. It has gone on to become the 5th largest city in California after Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose and San Francisco.
Edward Mall is a popular mall in Fresno. Many of the large US retail brands are present there. It also has Edwards Cinemas, a large multiplex with 17 screens.
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Edwards Cinemas I Max Theater,
Edward Mall |
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| Edwards Cinemas, Edward Mall |
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| Borders, Edward Mall |
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| Starbucks Coffee, Edward Mall |
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| Mimi's Cafe, Edward Mall |
Fresno is a pretty city, with wide, open spaces and a lot of greenery. It is not on the tourist road-map for most visitors, but for me, it has a special place because I have close relatives there.
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