In the midst of the hustle and bustle that the San Francisco Bay Area consistently brings, I feel that every once in a while, it's always a good thing to get out of the city for a few hours (or days, in this regard) to unwind, reflect, and simply take in the beauty of nature. That's exactly what I was able to do last weekend, on a quick little two-day trip to Yosemite National Park with a couple of good friends.
In all honesty, I don't think I could ever get tired of this place. The moment I left the park back in July of this year (which was my first time in seven or so years), I was already excited for when I'd have the opportunity to head back. Now, after having been back in the city for almost two weeks, I'm already beginning to experience that same exact sentiment. It's just one of those places that will always have a crazy effect on you, for some unexplainable reasons, since the beginning.
One of my favorite parts about Yosemite National Park is that you never know what the weather is going to be like until you're actually there. It's a humbling thing, actually, driving into the valley with no expectations whatsoever. The day we arrived, we were greeted with huge rainclouds that engulfed the entire valley floor, and were informed that even though rain showers would only happen intermittently, the clouds would still remain and the skies wouldn't be all too clear during the general majority of our stay. On top of that, they were conducting controlled burns around the park for maintenance, resulting in smoke throughout some parts of the valley.
To our astonishment, the clouds would eventually part every so often, and they definitely couldn't have parted at better times. We were greeted with two insane sunsets (one at swinging bridge and the other at taft point) on back to back evenings, along with crazy light rays showing themselves along the roads during both of the sunrises that we were fortunate enough to wake up in time for. To top it all off, on our last night, by the time blue hour had ended, the skies had cleared up once more - allowing for some astrophotography, despite most of the valley being moonlit.
All in all, an awesome little trip with great vibes all around -- I hope ya'll enjoy the photos as much as I enjoyed taking them!
