Day 13/14 - Seeing Apple's Muse, Free Wine, and Truly Seeing Stars. (Yosemite)

I continued back through Fresno up to Yosemite, once again arriving in the evening just before sunset. Doing a quick google search of what to see in Yosemite with just a day, I decided the drive to Glacier Point would be the best use of the my evening as it overlooks Half Dome and the valley. I started up the road for Glacier point and the amount of snow on either side of me began increasing.

There was some snow in Sequoia, and more in the higher altitude I saw of Yosemite (due to record breaking amounts of precipitation in the area) so most of the higher altitude facilities were still closed for winter. The snow had layers like rock which I found intriguing. I drove through a couple of patches of snow that were taller than my car! (maybe 7-8 ft). The road to glacier point was in rough condition but I raced my way to reach the overlook as the sunset was quickly becoming a breathtaking hue of color against the majestic landscape.

I made it to the iconic lookout as the sun crested the horizon and painted the mountainside and clouds with its grandeur. It was incredible. A number of photographers had been there for some time capturing this evening's sunset and the night was supposed to follow suite for star gazing and night photos. Thankful for the timing of everything leading me to this part of the trip, I took some decent photos, and soaked in the view. I realized that some higher up Apple designers must have a love for this area as I recognized many of my vantage points as photos used to advertise recent OSXs inclduing El Capitan, Yosemite, and Sierra.

The prime moment of the sunset faded rather fast and people began to close up shop though I intended to stay and see what the stars looked like. A couple of gentlemen nearest me began putting their gear away and I decided to ask about the area and their photography. Serj (middle) is Ukrainian and Alek (RH side) is Russian. They showed me some of their breathtaking work and we chatted about the hikes in the area. Serj takes some intense multi-day journeys to find perfect shots and the work he showed me was incredible. Unfortunately he doesn't have anything advertised online and his friend Alek said that he has been encouraging Serj to do so. I brought up my experience with such things and offered to help them as those photos were truly beautiful and I hope to hear from them again =).

The night sky was just as incredible. I first hung out with an Indian family from New York making a campfire at one end of the lookout. I played guitar and stayed warm by the firelight (temps quickly dropped close to freezing) waiting for the remainder of the sun to leave the sky while teaching one of the daughters how to use her husband's T2i.

As it got darker I began taking night shots and a gentleman asked me if I was interested in a free bottle of wine. I said "Is there really an answer besides yes?" and that struck up a great conversation (in the dark) between myself and Steve. Steve is from Boston and had a week between jobs in Vegas so he rented a van to check out the Yosemite area. Someone had left a bottle of wine in his car and since he doesn't drink he decided to give it away. And I was the lucky winner! Turns out Steve spent years touring in a band and we discussed music quite a bit. He also is in a similar part of his personal life's journey so we commiserated and had a refreshing chat (probably the best first conversation with a stranger I can recall). He said to let him know If I was ever in Boston and needed a place to crash and we have emailed a couple times since!

After taking a fair amount of photos I headed back to my car. I put on the jacket I had packed for the first time and was grateful for the extra insulation (although I had been annoyed at it taking up space on the trip so far). As I was putting things away, a car pulled up and a guy named Tim with his Canon 5D and tripod hurried out towards the Glacier Point lookout. I asked what he was there for and he said that Jupiter was out tonight. I quickly grabbed my gear again and spent the rest of the night more or less beside him chatting and taking photos.

We saw Jupiter first. Next to us, a couple named Jack and Anna had their telescope setup. It's app controlled and navigates to the coordinates you enter from your phone. We looked at Jupiter and saw one of its moons. Then we turned to the horizon as the moon began to crest and Saturn was visible on its right. The moon was as bright as the sun while I tried to take photos since the night before was a full moon. Looking at Saturn though the telescope was even cooler, as I could see the rings!

I came away with amazing photos, new friends, and a bit of a chill. I ended up staying up there in the glacier point parking lot though I pulled out all 3 blankets and left my jacket on. It was a bit of a cold night and I woke up a few times, but the next morning I got up early (as I heard this park got quite congested with the construction) and made my way down from Glacier Point.

The rest of the park as incredible, in a way only the Sierra Nevada and this canyon could offer...but it was busy. At times too busy to really enjoy. Due to road construction I spent nearly an hour in "traffic" in the valley, and had to look hard and walk far for parking with the limited time I had. Every stop I made for photos was brilliant and iconic however, and was more than worth the hassle (even if it felt like Disney land with all the people at times).

As I left the park I recognized its beauty was unique in it's own right and something to be experienced just like the other parks of my journey. As I left the area I was thankful for a good Samaritan at a gas station who notified me I had left coffee creamer atop my car as I was about to drive off. 

I made my way to Bakersfield in the late afternoon as I had a 5 hour drive to my next location and noticed I had lost an earring!! (First time since getting my ears pieced a few months back). As it was a Sunday, not many places I thought that would carry earrings were open. I ended up at a Walmart where the only black ear studs were apart of the last package of costume jewelry that was missing 1/3 the studs (30 sets total). I ended up getting a discount on the product and doubt I'll use most of the other earrings. 

I arrived at one of the main destinations of this trip, the Remington Hot springs, around 9pm after about an hour's drive east of Bakersfield into the canyons. I was ready to relax in the natural spring though fate had some other plans in mind...Stay tuned ;).

Perception:
I had never seen planets in the night sky before with my naked eye (they look just like stars). It was so cool to watch the night sky move over time because of the planet's orbit. It felt so encouraging that the people out at Yosemite that night were all friendly even if the temperature was Minnesota cold! Aside from the higher elevation cold, the climate of the valley was my favorite so far of this trip. Even in the 60's, it was perfect for hiking and moving around without overheating or feeling dehydrated too fast.

Introspection: 
​​When the moon rose I felt like I was in a movie showing a huge disc in the sky. I wish I had the filters to have photographed it but it was quite a bright sight. As I took photos I realized how much fun I was having with my camera, some of the most fun since shooting my short film in NYC. This was the first night I really embraced my passion for night photography...and I loved it. I plan on focusing my techniques and practice towards this goal going forward. Continuing to make connections has fueled my passion for this trip more times than I can count! I am loving the social aspect of solo travels and ironically have rarely felt alone.