Yosemite's Dirty Little Secret

For years I have likened the size of Yosemite to that of Rhode Island. I am not alone in that comparison. Listed below are similar references made by the New York Times, the Los Angles Times, National Geographic, USA Today and even the official NPS site.

But I was corrected by two astute rangers, Kelsey Lahr and Joan McCandless, that Yosemite is actually about 25%-30% smaller,  a little too small to be called, "nearly the size of Rhode Island." 

The data:
Land Mass of Yosemite: 747,956 acres (or 1,169 square miles)http://www.nps.gov/yose/parkmgmt/statistics.htm

Rhode Island covers 1,545 square miles
http://www.netstate.com/states/geography/ri_geography.htm

HOWEVER! However, if you exclude the area of Narragansett Bay, the land mass of Rhode Island is 1,045 square miles. So maybe I was right!

Yosemite is not alone when it comes to hazy (or lazy) comparisons. Here is a link to Slate Online that explains why Rhode Island is often the object of fuzzy math.
http://www.slate.com/id/2090806/

 I was lazy and didn't bother doing the math myself, I only sourced the NY Times ( http://travel.nytimes.com/frommers/travel/guides/north-america/united-states/california/yosemite-national-park/frm_yosemite-n_1088010001.html ) and the LA Times (http://www.latimes.com/travel/destinations/yosemite/ ) and the Washington Post ( http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/14/AR2006071400442.html ) and the National Geographic (http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0501/feature5/online_extra.html ) and of course, our employer, the NPS ( http://www.nps.gov/yose/parkmgmt/statistics.htm )

Maybe this issue seems trivial or trifling... a tempest in a teapot. But I'll bet the teapot is at least the size of Rhode Island!

Half Dome Hike

This is a photo of me and my hiking buddy, Kelsey atop Half Dome.

Barn Dance!

Sketch: C-Falls

I made this sketch of Chilnualna Falls a few weeks ago when the water was running high.

Yosemite's Old Fashioned Fourth of July

 Independence Day is officially celebrated in Yosemite at the Pioneer Yosemite History Center. The park relies on volunteers to provide for the festivities.

It's a great way to celebrate our nation's birthday!

Thanks to Kelsey and Wendy Lahr for providing the photos.

Why I Eat in the Living Room

This is my kitchen table. This is why I eat in the living room.

My Favorite Lupine

I suppose that I'm not alone when I say that the Harlequin lupine is one of my favorite flowers. I feel blessed everytime I see such beauty growing wild.

Indian Rock

My daughter, Kelsey and I hiked to North Dome today. On the way we stopped at Indian Rock. It's a very interesting formation of Rock. As Kelsey noted, the rock looks a lot like that found on top of Mount Hoffman.

A Quick Sketch

Although I usually post photographs of Wawona and its environs, today I'm posting a quick sketch I drew recently. I have a thirty minute lunch break. I usually gobble my lunch down in ten minutes and then draw for twenty.

I hope you can recognize this drawing as the Covered Bridge that leads across the South Fork of the Merced and into the Pioneer History Center.

Western Azalea

 These azalea sprout up where ever you find a moist spot. They not only brighten the forest but also provide a bouquet of wonderful fragrance as well.

 These azalea were just starting to bloom near Swinging Bridge.

It's not a dandelion

I can't remember the name of the plant found in dry areas all around Wawona. If you know the name, leave a post! The last photo reminds me of the downy feathers of a fledgling hawk.

More water photos

Another entry of water photos. Perhaps "water" is this year's theme in Yosemite. I give credit to my wife for these photos since she was the one that stopped at this point on the Illilloutte trail to take some photos.

A New Post for a New Year

Welcome back to "Alone-a-in-Wawona". I did not intend to resurrect this blog again this year, but I had a few requests to do so. Beyond those requests is the fact that artists and photographers like to show off their work; I am no exception.

As many of you know, this was a very wet year in California (which is a good thing!). So it is appropriate to have my first entry dealing with the snow melt and the very heavy run off this summer (which has been more like a late spring). These photos are of Chilnualna Falls' lower cascade. It was a dark and damp afternoon, and I think the photos express that very well.