Eeek - I think that big surge has always been the case, hasn't it? The old system started the next round of reservations on the 15th too - FWIW, I think it is a darned stupid system. They should go on a more frequent basis to avoid those big pileups.by bpnjensen - General Discussion
The best place I've seen for flowers in April is the along the South fork of the Merced, starting at Savage's Trading post on highway 140. Just about unbeatable for variety and numbers. It might be the best publicly accessible flower spot in the Sierra.by bpnjensen - General Discussion
With all that snow, they ought to be done by the 19th ;-)by bpnjensen - General Discussion
If you want to read a grotesquely mesmerizing book about death in real life ;-), try "Death in Yellowstone" by Lee Whittlesey - you will never feel the same way about geyser basins again! Watch out - National parks will kill ya!by bpnjensen - General Discussion
A few starting thoughts - (1) Don't try to come over Tioga Pass, Highway 120 - it will not be available in April. You will need to come around south through Mohave and Fresno. (2) Get camping reservations, or you will have no guarantee of a place to stay. Yosemite is super-popular. Reserve NOW. (3) The weather is usually nice in April, completely acceptabel for camping, but occasional lby bpnjensen - General Discussion
I agree - you could wear running shoes, but this is a potentially fatiguing hike, and blisters are a real possibility, especially coming back down. I would wear really good fitting boots/shoes with excellent treads on the bottom and at least two pairs of comfortable socks.by bpnjensen - General Discussion
"Liberals are between a rock and a hard place on this subject IMO." Depends on who you think is a liberal. It will be the SF "liberals" who might not want it, but even some of them want the damn gone. I am all fer it. Tear it down. Put the water in a bigger Don Pedro Reservoir.by bpnjensen - General Discussion
Maybe the next few weeks will see that low percentage change! That snow's a-comin'! Bruce Jensenby bpnjensen - General Discussion
That's great, glad you like the scope. As time goes on, tell us how your results are. Try it for astro work too - you might get hooked! Bruce Jensenby bpnjensen - General Discussion
Note that if you attach a camera to that Orion mak scope with a typical t-connector, you will not get anywhere near 200x. A traditional film SLR will get you approximately 30x (1500mm f.l. /50mm f.l. = 30x); digital SLRs will push that up to about 45-50x, with their 1.5 to 1.6 magnification ratios. Bruce Jensenby bpnjensen - General Discussion
But not for Yosemite - right? Still five months? Bruce Jensenby bpnjensen - General Discussion
I think if you sleep in your car in your paid campsite, you would be OK. I would not do it in a parking area. Bruce Jensenby bpnjensen - General Discussion
Sometimes the rangers are good about getting people out by 10 AM, sometimes not. I have arrived at noon before, only to have to wait around for some stragglers to get their act together - with no ranger in sight. Not neceassrily the rangers' fault - Bush won't give them the funding they need to staff properly, and in a place like Yosemite, they have plenty of other critical things to deal with.by bpnjensen - General Discussion
If you want to get their faces to be easily *discernible* the one you picked may be adequate. If that is not close enough, you may be out of luck - a telescope with optics that will deliver a close-up view of a person's face at a mile - like, 1,000 power or more - is just not in the cards. A large astronomical telescope with first-rate optics (like a 20" diameter and larger scope) will getby bpnjensen - General Discussion
IIRC, Orion Telescopes (your mentioned website) sells a spotting scope version of this item - did you check to see if it comes all wrapped up and ready to go?by bpnjensen - General Discussion
A correction to my earlier post - the magnification for this 1,540mm focal length scope with the 7 - 21 zoom eyepiece will start at about 73x and go up to 210x. Still, the range should be OK, maybe even a little high for climbers on the lower reaches of the rock face. That fellow at 5,280 feet will look like he's 27 feet away at 200x. Have fun! Bruce Jensenby bpnjensen - General Discussion
I've been there in 1.5 feet of snow, and nobody closed nuthin'...roads, were plowed, chains were required, and you had to shovel out your own vehicle, but the place was open. Bruce Jensenby bpnjensen - General Discussion
This combo would give you roughly 60 to 180 magnification. That should be plenty, especially when a decent pair of 10x - 15x binocs is often enough to get you started. Your distance from the climbers is always less than a mile, unless you are across the Valley, and even then not much farther. Think about it this way - if you magnify 100x, a person at 5,280 feet (a typical maximum distrance) woby bpnjensen - General Discussion
I think the 5-month or 6-month advance system for one month at a time is for the birds. It piles up a huge number of callers on a single day, making reservations a real nightmare. Then, for the next month, the people on the other end of the phones have nothing to do until the next month's batch become available. Yeccchhh. They should do it a week at a time, about two months in advance. And,by bpnjensen - General Discussion
The area near Valley View (or just above it) was once blocked by a natural glacial moraine dam. That dam kept the valley floor above it fairly wet most of the year, resulting in more open, meadowy areas with less forest. Early in the park's European-controlled history, that dam was blasted out to allow the Valley to drain, ostensibly to drain the meadows "better" and eradicate mosquitby bpnjensen - General Discussion
This the National Weather Service report for this morning. The Upshot is that it looks like decent weather the next 6 days, with a chance of rain at the Valley floor Friday night into Saturday, but no freezing temps. Bring warm clothes, but chains are probably not necessary. Have Fun! CAZ096-020500- SIERRA NEVADA FROM YOSEMITE TO KINGS CANYON- 400 AM PST WED NOV 1 2006 .TODAY...PARTLY CLOUDYby bpnjensen - General Discussion
Rock climber falls to death in Yosemite Posted 10/25/2006 5:38 AM ET YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, Calif. (AP) — A renowned rock climber was killed when he fell 500 feet after taking a new route up a rock face, a park spokeswoman said Tuesday. Todd Skinner, 47, was rappelling when he fell to his death Monday on Leaning Tower, Adrienne Freeman said. It was not immediately clear why he fell, but paby bpnjensen - General Discussion
This pretty preposterous. I would hate to count the number of times I've walked in cougar country, and nobody has ever closed any trails. For what it's worth, I've seen only two cougars in the wild, and as far as I can tell neither had dining designs on me. I can see letting people know about the sighting and giving the usual good-sense warnings, but closure? Phooey. Must be the work of aby bpnjensen - General Discussion
John, you should be aware that it is a LONG drive from Las Vegas to Yosemite in January - Tioga Pass Road is closed that time of year, and your choices will be either through Tehachapi Pass and up through Bakersfield and Fresno (preferred), or up US 95 or US 395 to another road over the Sierra - either SR 50 or I-80 - and then down SR 49 to SR 120. Either way, you're looking at more than 500 miby bpnjensen - General Discussion
Hi, all - no photos yet (I still do film and transfers take awhile), but I can tell you that my son and I had a fabulous time last week camping in Tuolumne Meadows in Yosemite. We climbed up two great mountains - Mt. Hoffman (10,845 feet at the summit, 2,200' gain in 3 miles one-way) and Mt. Dana (13,057 feet at summit, 3,100' gain in 3 miles one-way) - and it was, especially with the latter peakby bpnjensen - General Discussion
Hi - State Route 120 isn't scary at all, and it is the shortest route anyway - and especially now that 140 is largely unavailable for passage. From Oakland airport, take Interstate 880 south to I-238 (toward Castro Valley and Stockton), I-238 then connects directly to I-580 east at Castro Valley. Stay on I-580 through Livermore and over Altamont Pass, then stay in left lanes as I-580 blends ontby bpnjensen - General Discussion
Re; the hike up Half Dome - if the cables are down, or even if they are not, and you still want an excellent alternative to this hike, try the walk to the top of Eagle Peak. This gives you a big hike of about 14 miles, with a 3,400 foot elevation gain, a truly commanding viewpoint from the top of the Three Brothers, and the trail all to yourself once you're beyond the top of Yosemite Fall. Youby bpnjensen - General Discussion