Hurray for the Summertime Blues

Lightning and thunderstorms brought wildfires to our area on June 21, filling our community with smoke and fire fighters from several states. Thankfully, our local fires are now under control, and we're starting to see the summertime blues again - those wonderful, deep-blue skies that make the Sierra such an amazing place to photograph.

July brings us hot days and temperate nights - perfect for backpacking and photography. Brimming High Sierra lakes make for bountiful streams, which support a variety of mountain flowers, along with a few too many mosquitoes. And when the spectacular blue skies fade into night, you can cast your gaze upwards for a captivating view of the Milky Way.

There is no "bad" time to visit Yosemite, but if you want the magic of a high country summer, visit now. Grab your tent, get in your car, and head up the Tioga Road. Spending a few days absorbing the "good tidings" of the mountains is something you'll always be glad you did!

Eastern Sierra Photo Workshop with Sean Arbabi

Great Outdoor Images through Digital Exposure
October 2-5, 2008

West Coast Imaging is proud to sponsor Sean Arbabi's wonderful long-weekend workshop amongst the fall colors of the Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains of California.

Arbabi, an 18-year commercial travel photographer and industry expert, will provide dynamic lectures, field direction, and post-capture techniques. West Coast Imaging will also demonstrate techniques for making the highest-quality prints from your images.

Visit seanarbabi.com for complete details.

Tioga Road to Open in Yosemite National Park

See you at the Mobil Station for fish tacos, it's Tioga Pass time!

From the NPS:

Yosemite News Release
May 19, 2008
For Immediate Release

Tioga Road to Open in Yosemite National Park
Visitors urged to take safety precautions for upcoming Memorial Day Weekend

Yosemite National Park Superintendent Mike Tollefson announced today that the Tioga Road will open for the season on Wednesday, May 21 at 8:00 a.m. for all vehicle traffic. The Tioga Road, bounded on both sides by State Highway 120, is the popular east-west crossing of the Sierra Nevada. There will be no commercial services available along the road. Additionally, the Tuolumne Meadows Campground, other campgrounds along the corridor, and the Visitor Center will not be open. However, there will be restrooms available on the road. All visitor services, including the campgrounds, store, gas station, etc. will open over the next several weeks.

Visitors who are planning to visit Yosemite National Park over the upcoming Memorial Day Weekend are urged to take extra safety precautions, especially along the Merced River. With the current warm weather and accelerated snowmelt, the river is running fast and cold. People should take extreme caution along the river and watch children at all times.

The park is expecting a very busy weekend. People should plan on arriving in the park as early in the day as possible. People visiting Yosemite Valley are urged to take the free Yosemite Shuttle Bus to explore the sites and hike on the trails. If people can not arrive early, they should wait until late afternoon to enter the park as park entrances can become congested, especially mid-day.

There are a limited number of first-come, first-served campsites available in the park. However, those are expected to fill up as the weekend approaches. There are many opportunities for hiking and overnight accommodations in the gateway communities surrounding Yosemite National Park.

Finally, the cables on Half Dome are up for the season. The cables allow visitors an opportunity to climb to the top of Half Dome and view the park from an elevation of 8,842 feet above sea level.

Tuolumne Meadows Winter Conditions Update

From the NPS

TUOLUMNE MEADOWS WINTER CONDITIONS UPDATE
April 24, 2008
Weather: (April 16 to April 23)
High temp: 59° (April 18)
Low temp: 6° (April 21)
New Snow: 3” (April 22)
Total settled snow depth: 23” as of April 24
Ski Conditions and Weather: It has been a cool and windy week at Tuolumne. A series of storms have passed us by to the north, bringing many prolongedepisodes of high winds and cold temperatures. We did get a few inches of new snow on Tuesday, but most of that blew away in the high winds the next day. The snow has been firm to icy in the mornings, softening somewhat in the afternoons. The Tuolumne River and most of its tributaries are now free of ice, in most spots the only way across is to use the summer trail bridges. The latest snow conditions report from the east side is that the Tioga Road (Highway 120) has been plowed from the road closure gate outside of Lee Vining up to the lower end of Tioga Lake. If all goes according to plan, Caltrans will have the road cleared and open to the public up to the park boundary at Tioga Pass for the opening day of fishing season on April 26. On our west side, skiers coming up the Snow Creek trail report that the snow line begins just above the summer trail bridge, which is about 1/2 mile above the top of the switchbacks; everything below that level has melted out. The latest report from the west end of the Tioga Road is that plow crews have cleared the first 12 miles of road east from Crane Flat.

Avalanche and Snowpack Conditions: For the latest avalanche advisory for this area go to www.esavalanche.org for the Eastern Sierra Avalanche Center and click on advisory. The ESAC site is updated several times a week and more often during weather events.

Wildlife: Birds seen in the past week include Mallard, Common Merganser, Killdeer, Northern Flicker, Williamson’s Sapsucker, Hairy Woodpecker, Black-backed Woodpecker, Violet-green Swallow, Steller’s Jay, Clark’s Nutcracker, Common Raven, Mountain Chickadee, Brown Creeper, White-breasted Nuthatch, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Townsend’s Solitaire, American Robin, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Dark-eyed Junco, White-crowned Sparrow, and Brewer’s Blackbird. We are still seeing quite a few Painted Lady butterflies migrating through the meadows during the afternoons. Animal tracks seen in the past week include Coyote, Pine Marten, Chickaree, Mice/Vole, and Hare. No sign of any bears up here yet.

Questions: If you have any ski related or weather questions feel free to call 209-372-0450 between 8:00 am and 8:00 pm. If we are out skiing, leave a message and a phone number so we can return your call. Please don’t call us with questions about road conditions, as we live 20 miles from the nearest plowed road and don’t do any driving this time of year. For current park road conditions call 209-372-0200. (Jeff and Kathi, the Tuolumne winter rangers)

Tioga Road and Glacier Point Plowing Update 4/24/08

It's that time of year again when us photographers living west of the Sierra Nevada eagerly await the plowing of the passes that allow us easy access to the beautiful Eastern Sierra and the high country. On the Glacier Point Road, initial plowing to Glacier Point is complete, but additional plowing (widening), road work, and hazard tree work must be completed before the road can be safely opened to the public.

Work continues on the Tioga Road:

Update on Tioga road Opening 4/24/08.
Tioga Road opening operations continued yesterday.
Tioga Road progress for April 23, 2008:
Starting Location: 11.3 miles from Crane Flat Gate
Ending Location: 15 miles from Crane Flat Gate (Mc Swain Summit)
Distance plowed today: 3.7miles
Average Snow depth: 6 ft.

Visit the NPS website for the most current information.

Tioga Pass Closed for the Season

Yosemite's Tioga Pass was open much longer than normal this year, but the latest storm has finally closed it. You can still see it via webcam, and keep an eye out for cross country skiers. Until next year Tioga.....

Yosemite News Release
December 7, 2007
For Immediate Release
Winter Conditions Close the Tioga Road and Glacier Point Road For the
Season in Yosemite National Park

Winter conditions bring the opportunity for a variety of cold- weather
activities, including snow-shoeing, cross-country and downhill skiing, ice
skating, and winter hiking and backcountry use.

Heavy snow and ice from the recent storm have closed the Tioga Road, the
Glacier Point Road, and the Mariposa Grove for the winter season. These
roads close every year when heavy snowfall and/ or ice cause impassable
road conditions.

The Glacier Point Road from Badger Pass to Glacier Point is closed for the
season. The road from Chinquapin to Badger Pass Ski Area is open for
administrative use only at this time. This portion of the road will re-open
to the public when the Badger Pass Ski Area opens for the season.

Motorists are asked to use extra caution on roadways and to watch for snow
removal equipment. Conditions in the park can change very quickly, and icy,
wet road conditions may exist even when the weather is clear. All park
roads are subject to chain control or temporary closure due to hazardous
winter driving conditions. Motorists must carry tire chains while traveling
in the park during winter months. Chains may become mandatory on any park
road at any time. The following chain control guidelines exist:

"R-1" requires vehicles to have mud and snow tires or tire chains
"R-2" requires vehicles to have 4-wheel drive or tire chains
"R-3" requires all vehicles to use tire chains.

For updated 24-hour road and weather conditions, as well as for winter
activity information in Yosemite please call 209/ 372-0200 or visit us on
the web at www.nps.gov/yose. For information on road conditions outside
Yosemite National Park, please call Caltrans at 800/ 427-7623.

Snow on Tioga Pass

Our winter storm watch has begun! Winter storms make great photographic conditions in Yosemite. There is snow on Tioga pass today, and the storm has just started.

Roads into Yosemite Valley are open. Call 209-372-0200 for current conditions, and see what it's like via the Yosemite Association web cams.