Crater Lake and umpqua scenic byway

Crater Lake National Park is one of the country’s crown jewels. No place else on earth combines a deep pure lake, so blue in color; sheer surrounding cliffs, almost 2,000 feet high; a picturesque island and a violent volcanic past.

I went crazy taking pictures. Zoom lens, wide lense, portrait lens,  fish-eye lens, taken in  raw, taken in HDR , Canon, Polarizer,  ND filter Sony RXIII, iPhone 6S..  600  images in  3-4 hours ! and now do not know which to pick and get  time to process it. Many are unprocessed simple  JPEG shot and so one can see the beauty captured  as captured by a point and shoot camera as well. No camera, photographer can do justice to what one can see with the eyes ! 

Just  visited  the Quilotoa  crater lake in Ecuador three months back which is  equally  beautiful. Another Lucky day to be there with sunny (but cold) day with changing Sun shades,  where the lake gives ever  changing different colors like moving a kaleidoscope.

1) Crater Lake Selected 



2)  Crater Lake  Rest -   ( last pictures: to the  Crater Lake)

3) Rogue Umpqua scenic  Byway 
Again the Journey to the Crater lake was  as beautiful as the destination, 
Two of Oregon’s nationally designated Wild and Scenic Rivers lead the way on this 172-mile/  route, an ever-changing feast of white water, waterfalls and deep gorges gouged in the deeply forested southern Cascade Mountains.  

4) Madhu-Tushar at  the Umpqua  scenic byway

5) Madhu-Tushar at the Crater lake 

6) Pictures taken by Sony camera 

Oregon Coast

You may mountain lover or you may be ocean lover, Oregon/Washington Pacific Coast will Charm you. Unspoiled in rugged beauty and unsurpassed  in  natural drama, the Oregon Coast reminds  us where the land  and water meet, scenic treasures often around.  This is like great fusion cuisine from mother nature. This  drive on Rt.101  A to B ( Astoria in North to  Brookings in South  for about 360 miles) is dotted with lookouts and lighthouses, coves and cliffs with sprout holes,  Sand dunes and and Seaport. It is  not about  getting from point A to B . Instead the route itself is a destination.  We have been several other Oceanside spectacular drives like the Dalmatian Cost in Croatia, Amalfi coast, Portofino/Caglia , Cinque Terre in Italy, Mediterranean cost  in Turkey,  route 101 in California,  however we found exciting  new vista at these  exceptional coastal  route.

The Oregon Dunes are a unique area of windswept sand that is the result of millions of years of wind and rain erosion on the Oregon Coast.These are the largest expanse of coastal sand dunes in North America. Some dunes tower up to 500 feet above sea level, providing numerous recreational opportunities including off-road vehicle use

The photo-albums are organized  in following seven links

1)      Oregon Coast selected.

2)      Oregon  Dunes  National recreation  area

3)      Oregon Coast Rest ( > 200 pictures)

4)      Oregon on the road  ( taken form car)

5)      Oregon Coast  Madhu & Tushar

6)      Oregon  Dunes  National recreation  area Madhu &Tushar with few animation

7)      Oregon Coast Video  ( 1:29 MM:SS)


Refernces for the Orgeon Coast

1. http://visittheoregoncoast.com/ 
2. http://traveloregon.com/ 
3. http://www.southernoregon.org/

Olympic National Park , Wa

I) Olympic National Park – Selected  Pictures

It has been about a decade since Madhu and I  took  our  last  driving  sightseeing tour in USA.   It turned out to be a great trip. The Pacific Northwest is a charmer and its offbeat character and quirky comparable to other exotic and popular places on planet like New Zealand  with out  flying that  far. ( My friends has  accused me  of  not helping uS economy  by taking all  vacations abroad :-) )

We Started our driving tour of the Northwest form  the  Olympic State Park.  After attending the   great wedding and grand reunion  of the school and college  friends at Denver, on early Monday morning (6/6/'16) we flew to Seattle, Wa.  Drove to   Olympic national park directly from the airport.

Hidden away in the nation’s extreme northwest, Washington’s spectacular coastline and heavily forested interior showcases over 350 miles of wild, storm-lashed beaches along with some of the country’s most untainted and pristine rural ecosystems

First, we went to the Hurricane Ridge, named for the 100-mile-an-hour winds that can blow here in winter, in summer the Ridge is merely spectacular, offering amazing views of the Olympic Mountains and the Olympic Peninsula coastline. Two good easy hikes start near the Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center: Hurricane Hill and Cirque Rim 

Next we went to the  Lake Crescent. This deep, clear, glacier-carved  but skipped the  Sol Duc Hot Springs. Visited the  Rialto  Beach across La Push for  the sunset.

Stayed overnight at the Forks,  know as the place ofr the vampires,  Next day  visited  the Hoh rain forest,  Ruby beach and  Lake Quinault.

II) Madhu and Tushar at Olympic National Park 



III ) Rest of the pictures at Olympic National Park  ( ~200 pictures)  

 “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do.” – Mark Twain

References :

https://www.nps.gov/olym :a) Getting around map b)
http://www.olympicpeninsula.org/

Yosemite Valley and the Park beyond the Valley

Yosomite  Regional breakdown    
Yosemite National  Park is the crown jewel of   US national parks.  We had  great three  days  at the park.  The  real  highlight of the  visit  was the   the  7 hour  hike to the  Vernon falls  and the  Nevada  Falls  for the   climb  of  2300 ft   The hike was  little  strenuous but very  gratifying  and  spirit-lifting.  

 

Yosemite Valley

This is the place people are usually thinking of when they think about Yosemite. Many of the things Yosemite is famous for are here: El Capitan and Half Dome, Yosemite and Bridalveil Falls, the Mist Trail, the tunnel view.  

Yosemite Valley is a freak of nature. It's only seven miles long and less than a mile wide, but it ranks higher in scenery per square foot than perhaps a hnywhere else in the world. ecause it was formed by glaciation, the valley walls are sheer and high, leading to world-famous cliffs: El Capitan, a mountain-climbing mecca, rises more than 3,000 feet (900 meters) virtually straight up from the Yosemite Valley floor, and Half Dome looms 4,800 feet (1,600) meters above. Some of these pictures are covered during the album dedicated to sunrise and sunset. We were fortunate enough to get the accomodation in side the park at the yosemite lodge.

Although Yosemite Valley is most famous for the walls that surround it, the valley floor itself is also very pretty. The Merced River wanders through it, and meadows appear frequently along its length. Deer and coyotes are common sights, and bear are known to be about after dark. Most of the places  is  covered  in  the  Sunrise and sunset album,

We   had  some sighting of  bears, Coyote, beautiful birds  and  plenty of  deers. covered   in the  Yosemite  Wildlife Album.

Hike to  Vernon Falls  and Nevada  Falls  
 

Yosemite Valley Highlights

Half Dome	El Capitan	Yosemite Falls
Bridalveil Fall	Vernal Fall	Nevada Fall
The Tunnel View	The Ahwahnee Hotel	Gates of the Valley

Yosemite park beyond Valley 

Yosemite Valley  is the place people tare usually thinking of when they thinks of Yosemite,

What's the good of a breathtaking view if you're already out of breath? It's hard to enjoy yourself when you're so worked that you're setting off other people's heart monitors. There's something to be said for journeys that yield up their treasures easily, so for the pleasure of scenery cognoscenti everywhere, here are the Yosemite hikes most apt to keep your quality-of-life meters running solidly in the red:

1. Glacier Point (1 mile/1.6 km round trip):

The views here are almost indescribable. There's a 270-degree panorama including Half Dome, Clouds Rest, the waterfalls of the Mist Trail, dozens of peaks in the eastern Sierra range, and much of Yosemite Valley. It's probably the best place in all of Yosemite for watching the sunset.

2. Lower Mariposa Grove (2.2 miles/3.5 km round trip):

This hike is at the outer bounds of the easy category, since it involves some ascent, but it's well worth it. It includes the Grizzly Giant, which is not only the world's oldest sequoia, at 2,700 years, but also one of the world's largest living things; the California Tunnel Tree, which you can walk through; the Bachelor and Three Graces (pictured here); and a variety of other behemoths that would merit their own parks anywhere else in the world but don't even rate their own names here.

3. Tuolumne Meadows (2 miles/3.2 km round trip):

There's no place like a meadow for chilling out, and this one is Yosemite's best. Just meander around the trails and soak up the sun (it feels good when you're at 8,500 feet/2,550 meters elevation) and enjoy the wildflowers and the river and the deer and the granite peaks surrounding the meadow.

4. Lower Yosemite Falls (0.5 miles/0.8 km round trip):

Hike to the base of the tallest waterfall in North America and absorb some of the adrenaline-soaked spray that's just survived a 2,400-foot (720-meter) freefall. Best in the spring and early summer, when there's lots of water roaring over the falls.

5. Tenaya Lake (2.5 mile/4 km loop):

If you've ever wanted to step into a postcard, come to Tenaya Lake. The lake is beautiful enough by itself, but it's also got beaches along the eastern and western shores and is surrounded by striking granite domes and peaks.

6. Sentinel Dome (2.2 miles/3.5 km round trip):

Sentinel Dome is at the upper end of the easy category, due to the short but steep foray up the side of the dome to the summit. Once there, though, you'll find 360 degrees of view encompassing Yosemite Valley, the high Sierras, and (on unusually clear days) the coastal range.

7. Bridalveil Fall (1.2 miles/1.9 km round trip):

A short walk to the base of this 620-foot (189-meter) waterfall that's one of the most famous in the world, photographed millions of times from Yosemite's tunnel view.

8. Taft Point (2.2 miles/3.5 km round trip):

Heart-starting views over the very sheer edge of the south rim of Yosemite Valley, with only the most basic of guardrails to hold you up. After you've driven to Yosemite Valley and gotten out of your car to look at El Capitan just because it's too tall to see the top of through your windshield, hike to Taft Point so you can look down on it instead.

9. Sentinel & Cook's Meadow Loop (2.25 miles/3.6 km round trip):

This nearly flat hike takes you through two meadows in the heart of Yosemite Valley, crosses the Merced River twice - including a trip over the iconic Swinging Bridge (at left) - and provides multiple views of Yosemite Falls and Half Dome. Not only that, but the trail goes directly past the Lower Yosemite Falls trailhead AND a bar.

10. Olmsted Point (0.5 miles/0.8 km round trip):

Head-swiveling panoramic views to Half Dome and Clouds Rest in the west and Tenaya Lake in the east. Ringed by picturesque granite domes dotted with glacial erratics. And you can see most of it without leaving the parking lot.


Also  we  visited  following     regions 

Lower Mariposa Grove (2.2 miles/3.5 km round trip):

This hike is at the outer bounds of the easy category, since it involves some ascent, but it's well worth it. It includes the Grizzly Giant, which is not only the world's oldest sequoia, at 2,700 years, but also one of the world's largest living things; the California Tunnel Tree, which you can walk through; the Bachelor and Three Graces (pictured here); and a variety of other behemoths that would merit their own parks anywhere else in the world but don't even rate their own names here.

3. Tuolumne Meadows (2 miles/3.2 km round trip):

There's no place like a meadow for chilling out, and this one is Yosemite's best. Just meander around the trails and soak up the sun (it feels good when you're at 8,500 feet/2,550 meters elevation) and enjoy the wildflowers and the river and the deer and the granite peaks surrounding the meadow.

Yosemite Small  Map : Large Map 

Sunsets and Sunrise at the Yosomite national park

Sunsets and Sunrise  Day 1, 2 and 3


The picture 24 to 26 explains the grandeur of the place. As John Muir say no two scenes and so no two pictures, even taken from same place , moments apart are not the same.

Tufa Towers, Mono Lake's magnificent monuments

Relatively less visited by visitors to  the  Yosemite park is  this beautiful Tufa Towers, Mono Lake's magnificent monuments.party due to  fact that Tioga pass is closed form Nov-May in winter.

Mono Lake - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Giant Sequoias -Yosemite National Park

Giant  Sequoias - Mariposa Grove 


Massive, ancient giant sequoias live in three groves in Yosemite National Park..
They are the oldest living trees on the planet , up to 3100 years old. Think of  that some of these  trees were around  since the  early days of  human civilization!

These trees  refuse to die.  They hang on the life . Never  seen a Sequoias tree killed  by insect !
They survive the  worst weather chnages, storms and  even fire,  Their  tenacity  for  the survival is a mystery for the scientist,   The tree are  up 310 feet tall !

See many more  fun facts at :

http://www.giant-sequoia.com/faqs/giant-sequoia-questions/